Do you ever daydream about moving away to a beautiful, remote town? If so, the city of Bend just might be the place you’ve been dreaming of. Located in Deschutes County in central Oregon, this lovely little metropolis is full of charm and surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty.
Over the years, Bend has won all kinds of awards, including being ranked as “America’s Top Adventure Town” by Men’s Journal, one of “the World’s Top 25 Ski Towns” by National Geographic, the country’s “Dog-Friendliest Town” by Dog Fancy, and one of “America’s Most Romantic Cities” by Livability.com (source: bend.or.us).
Here are 11 of the many things that make Bend such an amazing place:
- It’s a perfectly mid-sized town.
flickr/ Rob Sheppard With around 80,000 residents, you’ll be able to experience the amenities of a city paired with the charm and friendliness of a small town.
- Bend gets around 300 days of sunshine each year.
flickr/ Rhiannon Boyle Oregon is notorious for its long, rainy winters, so the abundance of sunshine in Bend is definitely a huge draw. The winters do get cold and snowy, however, making it a great place for people who love winter sports but also don’t want to deal with 9 months of clouds and drizzle each year.
- There are lots of fun things to do and see.
flickr/ Brian Sheppard Bend is home to numerous theaters, museums, galleries, sports teams, and parks, as well as an observatory and an amphitheater.
- There are many amazing restaurants.
flickr/ Matthew Hickey Here’s a photo of the lovely Pine Tavern.
- If you love beer, you’ll love Bend.
flickr/ Karen Neoh Bend is home to numerous awesome microbreweries including the famous Deschutes Brewery.
- It’s a perfect place to retire.
flickr/ Gordon A large portion of Bend’s population is made of up retirees, and there’s good reason for that. The sunshine and proximity to nature (as well as shops, restaurants, medical centers, etc.) certainly is a large draw for people looking for a nice place to relax and enjoy themselves through their golden years. It’s also important to keep in mind that since there aren’t many large industries in town, it can be hard to find a job.
- The Old Mill District is the place to be.
flickr/ Matthew Hickey The Old Mill District is one of the things that makes Bend so unique. Here you’ll find renovated historic buildings (including two out-of-service lumber mills) and lots of great restaurants, shops, galleries, cafes, and more.
- Bend is the perfect launching pad for all kinds of outdoor activities.
flickr/ College Outdoors Weather it’s paddle boarding, skiing, rafting, hiking, fishing, camping, rock climbing, or simply floating on an inner tube down the Deschutes, Bend is a great place to try out all sorts of outdoor activities. Plus, you’ll probably make a bunch of friends in the process.
- You’re only a short drive from so many incredible places.
flickr/ Joshua Schreiner Like the Deschutes River…
And Tumalo Falls….
flickr/ Openviolin
Smith Rock…
flickr/ brian and so many more.
- It’s simply a wonderful place to be.
flickr/ Ilya Gorenburg A lovely city surrounded by natural beauty - what could be better than that?
Bend is an awesome place to live or to visit. If you haven’t been there, you may want to add it to your next Oregon travel itinerary.
flickr/ Rob Sheppard
With around 80,000 residents, you’ll be able to experience the amenities of a city paired with the charm and friendliness of a small town.
flickr/ Rhiannon Boyle
Oregon is notorious for its long, rainy winters, so the abundance of sunshine in Bend is definitely a huge draw. The winters do get cold and snowy, however, making it a great place for people who love winter sports but also don’t want to deal with 9 months of clouds and drizzle each year.
flickr/ Brian Sheppard
Bend is home to numerous theaters, museums, galleries, sports teams, and parks, as well as an observatory and an amphitheater.
flickr/ Matthew Hickey
Here’s a photo of the lovely Pine Tavern.
flickr/ Karen Neoh
Bend is home to numerous awesome microbreweries including the famous Deschutes Brewery.
flickr/ Gordon
A large portion of Bend’s population is made of up retirees, and there’s good reason for that. The sunshine and proximity to nature (as well as shops, restaurants, medical centers, etc.) certainly is a large draw for people looking for a nice place to relax and enjoy themselves through their golden years. It’s also important to keep in mind that since there aren’t many large industries in town, it can be hard to find a job.
The Old Mill District is one of the things that makes Bend so unique. Here you’ll find renovated historic buildings (including two out-of-service lumber mills) and lots of great restaurants, shops, galleries, cafes, and more.
flickr/ College Outdoors
Weather it’s paddle boarding, skiing, rafting, hiking, fishing, camping, rock climbing, or simply floating on an inner tube down the Deschutes, Bend is a great place to try out all sorts of outdoor activities. Plus, you’ll probably make a bunch of friends in the process.
flickr/ Joshua Schreiner
Like the Deschutes River…
flickr/ Openviolin
flickr/ brian
and so many more.
flickr/ Ilya Gorenburg
A lovely city surrounded by natural beauty - what could be better than that?
Want to find out about more of Oregon’s best, and most livable cities? Check out our list of the 11 best places to live in Oregon.
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