Profile: Bend Chamber of Commerce

end, Oregon – a dusty logging town turned resort destination - is now home to about 76,000 fresh-air loving folks. 

As early as the 1920s and ‘30s, Bend was being hailed as a tourist destination for all four seasons.  When the summer sun is shining, rock climbers flock to the world-renowned faces of Smith Rock.  Canoeists, kayakers and white water rafters enjoy the myriad rivers and high-altitude lakes fed by crystal-clear mountain snow.  Hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and mountain biking opportunities abound. 

In the winter, the Olympic quality slopes of Mount Bachelor – averaging 370 inches of fluffy white stuff each year – beckon skiers, snowboarders and snow tubers.  The outstanding network of trails and wilderness areas attract flocks of cross-country skiers, snowshoers, dog sled enthusiasts, snowmobilers and winter campers of all kinds. 

All year-round the city boasts lovely high-altitude desert weather, an average of almost 300 sunny days per year and moderate temperatures with which residents can enjoy the incredible geographical diversity of the area.  Every week of the year you will find festivals, fairs, parades, concerts or shows of one kind or another to entertain you, not to mention the local breweries, wine bars and fine dining to keep your belly happy. 

For a town of its size, Bend has outstanding facilities and amenities.  Bend’s quality museums, theatre, art galleries and shopping belie its small population.  Likewise, the state-of-the-art medical facilities and selection of world-class physicians and specialists are more like what you would expect to find in a much larger city. 

Bend’s families have access to a quality school system in which students routinely score above the state and national averages on standardized tests.  For the college-bound, Bend is host to Oregon State University’s Cascades Campus, Central Oregon Community College and a number of private colleges, trade and technical schools. 

Bend residents sure are a lucky breed.  With all the natural beauty, community and culture available in their own back yard, who would want to go anywhere else? 

When the need to come or go does strike, Bend’s transportation system has you covered.  Nearby Roberts Field in Redmond offers multiple commercial daily flights to and from Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and Salt Lake City.  A number of shuttles run regularly to and from other Oregon cities, and a bus station on the north end of town connects with locations across the country.  Bend’s new Bend Area Transit system offers residents a fixed-route bus system, while Dial-A-Ride serves low-income seniors and the disabled. 

But all of these “city-quality” amenities and cultural attractions do not detract one bit from this pleasant, small-town community where the local roller derby league, middle school football games and 5K runs for charity are still an important part of the town’s everyday life.  A complete network of efficient nonprofit organizations serves residents with needs of all kinds in this close-knit, civically-minded community. 

The residents who live and work in Bend enjoy a growing economy powered by small businesses and energetic entrepreneurs, with growth industries and tourism as the two primary driving sectors.  A good indication of the importance of these industries is the list of the town’s largest employers:  St. Charles Medical Center, Les Schwab Tire Center, Bright Wood Corporation, Sunriver Resort and Mt. Bachelor.  In Deschutes County in 2004, trade, transportation and utilities employed the largest number of people of any industry, followed closely by the leisure and hospitality sector.  In 2006, the median income for a family of four in Deschutes County was $58,800 and the average cost of a home was in the lower $300,000s. 

In short, Bend is one of the nicest places in the world to live.  Residents’ biggest challenge going forward will likely be adjusting to the growth that their welcoming community attracts.  But if the gung-ho, entrepreneurial-spirited, mountain-climbing residents of modern Bend are half as resilient as the hardy pioneers that founded the town 102 years ago, they will embrace the challenge and come out on top again.