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Bend, OR 1 of 18 Active Retirement Communities Location
Active Retirement Communities State:
Oregon City:
Bend Bend is the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical
Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de
facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population density of that
area. With a population of 52,029 at the time of the 2000 census, Bend's estimated population was 82,280 in city,
170,705 urban, and 197,890 in metro as of July 1,
2009. Bend is located on the
eastern edge of the Cascade Range along the Deschutes River. Here the Ponderosa Pine forest transitions into the Great Basin high desert plateau, characterized by arid land, junipers, sagebrush, and bitter-brush. Originally a crossing point on the river,
settlement began in the early 1900s. Bend was incorporated as a city in 1905.
Economically, it started as a logging town, but is now identified as a gateway for many outdoor sports,
including mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water
rafting, skiing, and golf. The name Bend was derived
from "Farewell Bend," the designation used by early pioneers to refer to the
location along the Deschutes River where the town eventually was platted, one of the few
fordable points along the
river. The settlement was
originally called "Farewell Bend", which was later shortened to "Bend" by the
U.S. Postal
Service. Twelve years later, Deschutes
County, Oregon was formed from the western half of Crook County and Bend was designated as the county seat. In 1929, Bend amended the charter and adopted the council-manager form of government. Bend's climate is typical
of the high desert with cool nights and sunny days. Hard frosts are not unheard
of during the summer months. Autumn usually brings warm, dry days and cooler
nights, and Bend is known for its annual Indian summer. Bend's growing
season is quite short due to a brief frost-free period. According to the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture's National Resources Conservation
Service, in half of the years between
1971 and 2000, the USDA weather station in Bend recorded the last below-freezing
temperatures after July 3 and the first below-freezing temperatures before
August 31. Tourism is one of Bend's largest sectors. The Mount Bachelor ski resort brings in tourists from all over Oregon, Washington, and California. The nearby Cascade Lakes are also a large draw for tourists. Recreational
activities include downhill and cross country skiing, hiking, biking, rafting,
golfing, camping, fishing, picnicking, rock climbing, and general
sightseeing. Much of Bend's rapid
growth in recent years is also due to its attraction as a retirement destination. The rapid population growth has fostered
organizations such as Central Oregon
Landwatch and Oregon
Solutions. In June 2006, Money magazine named the Bend MSA the fifth most overpriced real estate
market in the United States.
By September 2006, the
Bend metro area ranked second in the list of most overpriced housing markets,
and in June 2007 it was named the most overpriced housing market in
America. The 2008/2009 housing
downturn had a strong effect on Bend's housing and economic situation. According
to the Seattle Times,
single-family home prices dropped more than 40 percent from a peak of
$396,000 in May 2007 to $221,000 in March 2009. Additional signs of the housing
down turn include an April 2009 Deschutes county unemployment rate of 12.6
percent and in a tri-county area of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties a 66
percent rise in homelessness from 2006 to
2,237. 2010 saw Money
Magazine predicting a 3.3% appreciation in home prices for Bend Oregon, ranking
it the tenth highest overall appreciation gainer in the
nation. A popular spot for
cycling, Bend has over 300 miles of mountain bike trails and is the home to the Cascade Cycling
Classic, the nation's longest running
stage race for road bicycle racing. Bend was recently named the top mountain
bike city in Mountain Bike Action magazine. Running is also a popular
sport in Bend. Bend is home to the Haulin' Aspen Trail Marathon, XTERRA Trail
Running National Championships, and the Pilot Butte Challenge. One of the
largest running clubs in Bend is CORK (central Oregon running klub). In 2006
Bend was named the best trail running city by Outside magazine, because of 51
miles of in town trails. Runner also enjoy parks such as shevlin, tumalo falls,
and deschutes river trail. Income & Housing Costs Numbers: Estimated median household income in 2008: $51,592 (it
was $40,857 in 2000)
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Discussion
Forums For the above information and photos, click this link: http://www.city-data.com/city/Bend-Oregon.html Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate3.html#OREGON Listing
of Active Retirement Communities: http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/185-oregon/1-active-lifestyles?city=97701-bend Visit our Senior Cruising Site at: http://seniorcruisers.org Other sites of
interest: World of Collectibles http://www.collectibleshg.info DOGS CATS BIRD
WATCHING
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