Relocating to Bend?

I visited Bend for the first time about 2.5 years ago and absolutely fell in love with it! After a couple of return trips in different seasons, I%26#39;m finally able to start planning to make it my permanent home. All things considered, I%26#39;m thinking I%26#39;ll be able to make the move in about 8 months, shortly before my son would start kindergarden. Any advice for a newcomer re: desireable schools, what I might expect to pay for a rental home/apartment, utilities, the job market, etc. or websites where I can find the info myself would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Relocating to Bend?

Congrats on your decision!

There are many desirable areas to live, depending on your personality and personal tastes. The schools (www.bend.k12.or.us) also have unique personalities, and their own strengths and weaknesses.

The job market is OK... again depending on what you are looking for. You didn%26#39;t say which industry you work in currently. You will probably find that salaries are lower than in other areas (I don%26#39;t know what Nashville%26#39;s averages are like, but there are many salary comparison tools on the Internet). Unemployment rate is fairly low so there are many jobs available... but it might not be what you are looking for. (Check out the Bend Bulletin - www.bendbulletin.com, and Central Oregon Jobs - www.centraloregonjobs.com, as well as potential employers%26#39; websites.) Some large employers in the area are the Hospital (www.scmc.org), Les Schwab (www.lesschwab.com), The Center (www.thecenteroregon.com), Edge Wireless (www.edgewireless.com). There are a couple of call centers in the area, iSky and t-mobile (in Redmond).

Rentals are fairly reasonable. Ages vary from brand new to practically falling down. (Again, the Bulletin is a good source) Utilities are comparable to other areas where I have lived in Oregon.

For local events, dining guide and other information try the Source (www.tsweekly.com).

Hope this helps!

Relocating to Bend?

I don%26#39;t think I could have been more exacting myself! Well said 5forfun! The other thing to know is that we do finally have a public transit system here, so not sure what your transportation needs are, but that could also help us give you better info as the new route is good, but limited in some areas. Good luck with the transition and hope we can help in the future.

My family is planning to relocate to Bend within the next year. I am appealing to all the mothers who can offer any help with local kids activities. My children are currently involved with horseback riding lessons, children theatre, tapdance and ballet lessons, kids judo and art classes. Can anyone tell me if any or all of these are available within reasonable locations to each other?

Also the cold weather concerns me. Will my kids only play inside during the winter months or is it dry enough for lots of outdoor activities?

Thanks for any information you can lend about Bend...

Hello NLButtons

Bend%26#39;s weather is such that one can play outdoors year long. Having lived in Den Haag for 3 years, I can attest that Holland is often much, much colder with its biting winds and cold temperatures. Bend has some excellent programs for children thorough the Bend Parks and Rec department that can be enjoyed by both residents and visitors. There is a Center for Creative Arts that offers art classes, there is the Cascade All Star Gymnastics, the Working Wonders Childrens Museum that offers workshops designed for kids and parents, there is musical theater, horsebackriding classes, after school orchestra, ice skating lessons, Tae Kwon Do classes, activities at the High Desert Museum, rock climbing, chess, swimming, skiing, fencing- all of these are offered through Parks %26amp; Rec. You can also find private providers for many of the interests you list such as dance and judo. Bend is still small enough that it is fairly easy to get to all of the activity locations.

I agree with Imagist - the plans offered through Parks %26amp; Rec are great! (www.bendparksandrec.org) They also have great sports leagues for kids and adults and the pool in town is very nice.

There is a new-ish kids%26#39; theater group in town, BEAT (www.beatonline.org). They offer classes and also do a couple of big productions every year.

For other kids%26#39; events you can look at the Central Oregon Family News (www.cofamilynews.com) - they have a calendar of family-oriented and parenting activities, and other good info.

My kids (7,11,12) enjoy the outdoors year round. It doesn%26#39;t rain here as much as it does in the Western part of Oregon (the valley and the coast) and that makes it easier to play outside, I think!