There are other places in the Northwest and mountain states with great outdoor lifestyle experiences. We’re just saying Bend is better than any of them. To start, you’re on the Deschutes River so canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and just walking the shores are 10 minutes away. Next, Mt Bachelor, an excellent ski resort, is LESS than 10 minutes away. Add to all of these things an amazing biking scene, hiking trails everywhere you look, and 160-165 days of sunshine per year (the most of any city in Oregon) and you’ve got the premier northwest spot for outdoor lovers.

You will hear locals complain about population growth (or the popularity of complaining about the growth) and that there's not much of a local business economy. Most of the newbies pouring into Bend are either retirees or those who can work remotely. If you’re looking for a job other than in the service sector, it’s going to be tough.

The Great Outdoors

LookyLOO Review of Bend

Given most people are moving here from cities along the west coast it is extremely likely you’re going to live in a bigger home with more land than you’re used to. There are plenty of cool condo buildings as well, that a ton of empty nesters and retirees enjoy. We’ve never seen a healthier boomer population than in Bend and given it has a 91 walk score, you can expect to be a short walk or an extremely short drive from downtown and tons of breweries, restaurants, boutique coffee shops, and everything else you need.

To get an understanding of all the happenings in Bend check out the [calendar of events](https://www.visitbend.com/event-calendar).

We highly recommend visiting Bend and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.

Living In A Bigger Home With More Land

Lifestyle 

When people talk about escaping their city lives and moving to a roomier, healthier, happier place, they might as well just pack and head to Bend. Central Oregon is ridiculously beautiful, and Bend is right in the middle of that beauty. Plus, it has a cool town you get to enjoy.

Pandemic (and post-pandemic) Nirvana

Why You Should Move Here Now? 

**TailorGlad3272**
2 yr. ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

In my opinion Bend is the best place in the world, and it does not take long to find a community here where you feel welcome. It's full of people who love and care about the city, who want it to be the best place it can be! While the Bend is not without its problems ( mostly housing affordability and other challenges of a place experiencing rapid growth), it is also full of people trying to solve them.

If you're interested in charitable nonprofits, Bend is full of them. Here are some that come to mind: You can volunteer and support groups like Reach, Neighbor Impact, The Bethlehem Inn, and the Family Kitchen if you want to help the houseless community.

The local Habitat for Humanity branch takes volunteers to build affordable housing every day.

If you care about the environment and want to focus on nature, climate change or conservation, there is the Environmental Center, the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, the Deschutes Land Trust, or the Central Oregon Land Watch.

There are advocacy organizations for just about any social issue you care about, like Out Central Oregon, The Father's Group, Mom's Demand Action, Bend Bikes, Bend YIMBY, Envision Bend, and others.There are like 3 rotary branches.

For more reviews of what living in Bend is like from locals, check out [The Reviews](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/bend/reviews).

Reviews of Bend from Locals

**The Best Thing About Bend?**  The Great Outdoors

There are other places in the great northwest and mountain states with great outdoor lifestyle experiences. We’re just saying Bend is better than any of them. To start, you’re on the Deschutes River so canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and just walking the shores are 10 minutes away. Next, Mt Bachelor, a world class ski resort, is LESS than 10 minutes away. Add to all of these things an amazing biking scene, hiking trails everywhere you look, and 160-165 days of sunshine per year (the most of any city in Oregon) and you’ve got the premier northwest spot for outdoor lovers. 

**The Worst Thing About Bend?**  Hmmm

This is a tough call but perhaps a tie between population growth and not much of a local business economy. Most of the newbies pouring into Bend are either retirees or those who can work remotely. If you’re looking for a job, other than in the service sector, it’s going to be tough.

**How You Living?**  In A Bigger Home With More Land

Given most people are moving here from cities along the west coast it is extremely likely you’re going to live in a bigger home with more land than you’re used to. There are plenty of cool condo buildings as well, that a ton of empty nesters and retirees enjoy. We’ve never seen a healthier boomer population than in Bend and given it has a 91 Walkscore, you can expect to be a short walk or an extremely short drive from downtown and tons of breweries, restaurants, boutique coffee shops, and everything else you need. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?**  Pandemic Nirvana

When people talk about escaping their city lives and moving to a new roomier, healthier, happier place they might as well just pack and head to Bend. Central Oregon is ridiculously beautiful and Bend is right in the middle of that beauty plus it has a really cool town you get to enjoy.


Old Bend is the heart of the city, in large part due to the great restaurants, bars, breweries and community events that happen throughout the year. It’s also home to Drake Park and Mirror Pond, the riverfront park where locals hang out on weekends. Old Bend has some of the most beautiful historic homes in the city as well as apartments and condos for those not ready to take the homeowner plunge. 
- Old Bend
- Downtown


Young Professionals

Old Bend/Downtown

For families that are looking to focus on outdoor recreation, Century West is a perfect neighborhood. Homes are being built here at a rapid pace which makes sense given the access to kayaking on the Deschutes river, close proximity to skiing, snowboarding or mountain biking at Mt. Bachelor. Orchard District is another good option if you are looking for green space but are just as concerned with being close to downtown Bend, demand great schools, but also want great homes and tree-lined streets. 
- Century West
- Orchard District
- Old Farm District 


Families

Century West

Bend pulls in retirees for a combination of reasons. The weather is pretty temperate. The prices are better than the coastal cities, and the recreation and health options for seniors are amazing. There are plenty of beautiful neighborhoods that have both young professionals and retirees, like Old Bend. And wonderful retirement residencies including Regency Village, Aspen Ridge and Fox Hollow, that all look and feel more like ski lodges and ski communities than typical retirement facilities. These facilities are located in neighborhoods like Old Mill District or Downtown and so walking to restaurants and shopping is simple. 
- Old Bend
- Regency Village
- Aspen Ridge
- Fox Hollow


Retirees

Regency Village/Downtown

Bend

**Everything you need to know about Bend Oregon**

Living in Bend Oregon is an amazing experience. There is no other city in the country like it. The recreational opportunities that exist here are limitless.  From the amazing mountain views of mt. Bachelor and the three sisters, to the weather and the job opportunities, we cover everything in this video.

**rp_kay**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Bend is ok, it has a lot of the amenities you’ll find in a bigger city but that has come at the cost of more people moving here 🤷‍♂️

Bachelor is ok, it’s pretty big, has pretty good snow most of the time, fun terrain but not a lot of steep stuff.

Back country skiing kinda sucks here. A few places to get to without a sled but most places require one or a long skin in(I have a sled and it’s probably worth it if you BC ski alot) The volcanos are fun to ski but otherwise everything is short, anything with more than 1500ft of vertical gain/drop is rare and I often feel like I’m doing laps of 600-800ft.

Way less avalanche risk here vs Colorado, backcountry skiing in Colorado often feels like skirting death, not so bad here.

The mountain biking is pretty good, its mostly over graded blacks=blue, but it’s flowy and there are miles and miles of trails you can ride off century drive.

Smith has a ton of climbing if that’s your thing and more areas close too bend are getting attention. I just wish we had granite(I’m looking at you California and Washington, why is all the rock in Oregon falling apart)

I think Bend is pretty good overall, it has a lot going for it but it’s not really the best at anything. Good skiing but it’s not the best, good biking but also not the best, good climbing but again not the best. Someone I know once called it B+ Bend and it has kinda stuck with me. It’s pretty good at everything but not the best at anything

**tribalboundaries**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Living in Bend is great! People are much like the people you'd meet anywhere else; pleasant, open, etc. I am a non-profit employee. Non-profit life here is a bit of a shoestring which shouldnt come as a huge surprise. Some organizations give back to the community, provide necessary services, protect resources, and others are vanity projects. I can't say one is more popular than another. It's good to be circumspect -- there is a lot of money behind NIMBY-ism which allows it to masquerade as conservation. I would note that social services are a little thin in Bend. Its a somewhat older community in a very conservative area. A lot of people move to Bend to play 9 holes as the sun sets and could give a rip about those less fortunate. While this certainly doesn't drive our burgeoning homeless population it does mean that we're shorter on solutions (harm reduction, transitional housing, etc) than similarly sized communities with a different prevailing ethos.

Unfortunately a lot of work-from-home folks have moved to Bend during the pandemic and destabilized the housing and labor markets. This has gutted food/ beverage/ healthcare/ education/ public service, and contributed to deficits in those areas. Its a dynamic afflicting many desirable locales. If you want your wealth managed, a website developed, or a boutique camper van built you wont have any issues. If you want a wound care/ oncology/ ICU/ ED nurse, a pre-K or primary teacher, or decent food without a huge wait you're either out of luck (hospital is collapsing) or you'll have to settle. For some people this is a non-issue. I mentioned in a reply to another comment that no one activity is 10/10 world class, but Bend as a lot to offer. Bachelor is a humble little hill that is fun to explore as long as you maintain a good attitude about lift closures, crowds, and mellow terrain. The mountain biking is a little sandy and flat with little technical challenge, but theres plenty of it. There is climbing, but Smith is the only major crag within many hours. I would ask yourself, "Could I be happy living in Boise?" and "could I afford to spend 525k on a starter home?" If the answer to both is "probably" then I would certainly put Bend on your list.

**TailorGlad3272**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

In my opinion Bend is the best place in the world, and it does not take long to find a community here where you feel welcome. It's full of people who love and care about the city, who want it to be the best place it can be! While the Bend is not without its problems ( mostly housing affordability and other challenges of a place experiencing rapid growth), it is also full of people trying to solve them.

If you're interested in charitable nonprofits, Bend is full of them. Here are some that come to mind: You can volunteer and support groups like Reach, Neighbor Impact, The Bethlehem Inn, and the Family Kitchen if you want to help the houseless community.

The local Habitat for Humanity branch takes volunteers to build affordable housing every day.

If you care about the environment and want to focus on nature, climate change or conservation, there is the Environmental Center, the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, the Deschutes Land Trust, or the Central Oregon Land Watch.

There are advocacy organizations for just about any social issue you care about, like Out Central Oregon, The Father's Group, Mom's Demand Action, Bend Bikes, Bend YIMBY, Envision Bend, and others.There are like 3 rotary branches.

**thoughts on moving to Bend Oregon as an early 30s divorcee with no kids?**

Bend seems to be an oasis of normalcy, surrounded by conservative wingnuts, here in Central Oregon.

The local demographics are skewed by the hospitality/outdoor recreation businesses. That has drawn a big following of younger poorly paid single people, who bump up against the highly compensated Digital Nomads that have migrated from CA. COVID-19 will force a number of small business closures, that disproportionately impact the poorly paid workforce.

The local social scene is outdoor recreation focused, during all four seasons. You will be building friendships through: skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and possibly the equine community. Good luck, but be patient!

Bend, Oregon

Farewell Bend

Looklyloo Score: 95