Right before the recession Bend was on the cusp of a huge boom. IIRC it was the fastest growing city in Oregon at the time. The downtown area had so many projects on deck - the Oxford was just the tip of the iceberg.
Yeah. Bend was one of the hardest hit areas. I know a couple of the builders that were really responsible for a lot of the development. I can't see how anyone didn't see that bubble bursting...
My wife and I were always amazed at how high the price for houses was there before the crash, especially given the outrageous amount of spec building that was going on in the early 00s there. It's a service-based town with almost no industry. Out of state (and Portland) money was propping up a market that should have never existed.
Pretty much. It's crazy to see the fluctuation in house prices over everything that happened during the last decade. It's not all that surprising, other than it still shocks me so few peopel saw it coming. A friend of mine was given a brand new house in a tract development from his grandmother around 2003/2004. It was a nice 2,000 square foot home in a nice development, and I think it cost her around $160K. He sold it just before the big crash for $360K. The people that bought it let it go into foreclosure, and it was back on the market at like $100K. It's since sold once more for $130K. It's a beautiful area. If you have the means to make it work, it would be a cool area to live.
Not sure where to start. Deschutes is my favorite river, love swimming, rafting, paddle boarding, drinking and fishing on it. The proximity to Bachelor (though I'm not a huge snowsports person I do enjoy snowboarding every once in awhile). Century Drive is awesome with all the lakes, great fishing and hiking trails. Elk Lake is probably my favorite. All the breweries, including Deschutes which is my favorite and the restaurants. Which is a sorta new thing because 5-10 years ago Bend was weak in the food department. I like waking up to the smell of juniper trees, cold crisp nights and dry hot days with very little rain. Here's a pic of me last year hiking around Elk Lake
Bend is the fastest growing city in Oregon right now, and usually is anyway. There will be no bursting bubble here for at least a decade, maybe never. Compared to 99% of the country it has more utopian bang for the buck. Nearly everyone who visits wants to move here.
I've sold several homes to people fleeing the Oregon coast. They all say it's depressing as hell and they are always fogged in except when it rains, which is more often and harder than Portland.
Try to sell Bend a little harder. What beach do they hang at? I suppose Newport, which is typically foggy until 11-12 daily. But there are several beaches along the coast that aren't always keeping people "fogged in". It's a small sample size, but judging from those that post here, I'd think it's Bend that's depressing and has people cranky on edge.
BTW, my thoughts on the beach is coming from someone whose grandparents had a place on the beach as well. I've spent plenty of time at Oregon beaches. While they can be fun in spurts, the best thing to me is fishing in the bays and rivers and the ample selection of seafood. Other than that I get bored with it pretty quickly. I was pissed when they took the bumper cars out of Rockaway. Anybody who knows what Flamingo Jim's is, is the tits.
Flamingo Jim's? Is that the rad but crazy gift/souvenir shop in Rockaway? That place is reader than Ace of Base!
Yup. I lived at that place when I was young. Bought cool shit like cap guns, whoopie cushions and fake cigarettes.
Didn't say they lived on the beach. Few people do. Tillamook, Toledo, Newport, and Coos Bay. I know Astoria and Yachats have some hellacious weather 7-8 months of the year.
The beauty of Oregon--which many people who are lucky enough to live there year 'round take for granted--is that you don't have to choose between Central Oregon and the Coast. You get to have both. I've lived a lot of places in my life, and no place on the planet is as varied and beautiful as my home state.
