Bend OR

Bend is apparently the 2nd fastest growth city (of a certain size) in America. It enjoys a drier climate thanks to the shield of Cascade Mountains to the west. It is larger and has better amenities than Carson City. But this results in higher costs of real estate.

The Deschutes River flows though the town and homes in Awbrey Butte to the NW overlook the rest of town. There's a lot of new homes in the SE of town.

Bend is close to skiing on Mt Hood and Mt Batchelor, and enjoys some 300 days of sunshine/year.  It has 4 seasons, with some snow, and colder winters than coastal towns that have Mediterranean climates.

We spent our time touring neighborhoods and homes both resale and new. We learned about Oregon's city growth boundaries that constrains growth, as well as their housing development density rules that mandate a minimum number of dwellings per acre.

We changed upon Wild Rose, one of Bend's Thai restaurants. A man in line said it was the best one, hard to get into, without a reservation, and specialized in northern Thai. It was very good, and had some dishes new to us.Read more