City Overview :
Bend has a population of about 80,000 and is the nexus of Central Oregon. It has grown tremendously in the past couple of decades which means that most of the people living there are transplants. This does seems to translate into a fairly open and friendly vibe, and establishing a social circle can be pretty easy. Social game treated me well, but it does become a small town very quickly. It is worth noting that the city is pretty much split in two. The downtown/westside… and well everything else. The downtown/westside of town is where all the cool kids live. Other areas of the town are pretty much suburbs… yawn. Bend is an outdoorsy kind of town and that is the primary draw for most folks living there. There is a nightlife scene, but it is pretty laidback can be hit or miss.
Girls :
Girls tend to generally be in decent shape, which is likely a result of the active lifestyle many people lead. Less whales, and most are pretty friendly, however truly stunning women are uncommon. Maybe the best description would be to picture a Patagonia (Patagucci) or REI catalog. If I were to generalize I would say there is a slight tendency towards tribal groupings, but these usually tend to express themselves around activities: yoga, mt. biking, rock climbing, snowboarding etc. Being the Northwest, the hipster scene is also quite strong. Oh yeah, about 95% caucasian too, as Bend is not a very diverse town.
Sight seeing :
If you like the outdoors and any sort of related activities this is a great place to go. Mt. Bachelor in the winter, Cascade Lakes Highway in the summer for hiking, boating, and general relaxing, Smith Rocks for hiking and climbing, float the Deschutes in the summer, tons of mountain biking trails, snowmobiling… etc. If you haven’t figured out that this is an outdoor mecca yet… well.
Lodging :
I lived there so I don’t have many recommendations. The Oxford is pretty much the only downtown hotel, but is fairly swanky and pricey. Most of the other hotels are not really ideally located, but it is a small town so nothing is more than a five minute taxi ride away.
Day game spots :
Really depends on the time of year. Winters can be a bit snowy and cold, so many people tend to hibernate a bit. Coffee shops are a good bet, try: Thump, Lone Pine, or Backporch. Every first Friday of the month there is an artwalk downtown, don’t miss it. Bend is a tourist town so the frequent events can be decent places: Brewfest, Winterfest, Cyclocross, Pole Pedal Paddle, summerfest, etc. If you happen to be in town over the 4th of July, absolutely do not miss the Freedom Ride!!
Nightlife spots :
Nightlife is very hit or miss. There is usually something going on, but it is a small scene without much variety. It’s mostly limited to the weekends, and even then a place can be good one night and terrible the next. If there is a good concert or show going on that will be the place to be. One nice thing is that most of it is downtown, and it’s easy to bounce from one place to another.
Well I partially take that back - do you like beer? Do you like craft beer? If so you’ll love Bend, I can’t even keep track of the breweries anymore. Deschutes, Cascade Lakes, Boneyard, Good Life, Bend Brewing Company, Ten Barrel, McMenammins, Silvermoon, etc.
Places worth checking out:
Mcmennamins: Free music on Wednesdays, a Turkishbath. Also has Okane’s which is a scotch bar with fire pits – good chill/early spot.
Velvet It’s like partying in a hallway. If you have an established group it can be ok, not a good solo joint.
Deschutes/10 Barrel/BBC These can all be good places to post up around the bar come dinnertime or early evening.
JC’s more of a local hangout/sportsbar. Hit or miss.
The Summit Dancing on the weekends around 9-1. Often a young crowd and can fluctuate quickly between hopping and dead.
Astro Lounge Good chill spot, good solo joint to pick up if you can get a seat at the bar.
Seven Thursday night college crowd joint, doesn’t happen until 10ish. Hit or miss on Fridays and Saturdays.
Silvermoon It can be good when they have a decent band. Otherwise more of a locals joint.
The Blacksmith Music and a small dancefloor after 10 on the weekends. Very hit or miss. Look out for cougars.
D+D I affectionately nicknamed this, “the place where dreams and unicorns go to die.” They make a strong drink and are one of the few late night food options. Not really a good game location though.
Corey’s A dive bar.
Westside Tavern Hit this place up around last call if you’re desperate and feel like slumming.
Boondocks The largest dance club. It’s a young crowd, and usually quiet different from what you encounter anywhere else in town. Not my scene, but check it out for yourself.
Ease of approaching :
I would say that the ratio varies but 60/40 male/female is not uncommon. Most folks are pretty friendly assuming you have basic social skills. Also you might be outdoors badass elsewhere, but trying to impress anyone with it is not likely to get you far in this town. She probably already met a couple professional rock climbers or triathletes earlier in the day. Hell, she might be one herself.
Logistics :
Much of the area is walkable or bikable assuming you are near downtown or the westside.
Overall pros and cons :
Pros : If you like the outdoors or adventure activities Bend is a great place. The people are friendly and there is usually something going on. It strikes the balance between a larger city and smaller city fairly well. For me it had most of what I’d want from the city without a lot of the hassle; and easily accessible outdoors.
Cons : If you don’t like the above things, you won’t like Bend. It is a small town, so if you spend any amount of time here you will bump into people whether you want to or not.
Personal experience : I lived in Bend for six years, although I was married for about half that time.
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Final Thoughts : I may move back to Bend someday, it fits my lifestyle well. It is worth a stop if you are traveling through, and if your into the outdoors its one of the better places in the country.
Bend has a population of about 80,000 and is the nexus of Central Oregon. It has grown tremendously in the past couple of decades which means that most of the people living there are transplants. This does seems to translate into a fairly open and friendly vibe, and establishing a social circle can be pretty easy. Social game treated me well, but it does become a small town very quickly. It is worth noting that the city is pretty much split in two. The downtown/westside… and well everything else. The downtown/westside of town is where all the cool kids live. Other areas of the town are pretty much suburbs… yawn. Bend is an outdoorsy kind of town and that is the primary draw for most folks living there. There is a nightlife scene, but it is pretty laidback can be hit or miss.
Girls :
Girls tend to generally be in decent shape, which is likely a result of the active lifestyle many people lead. Less whales, and most are pretty friendly, however truly stunning women are uncommon. Maybe the best description would be to picture a Patagonia (Patagucci) or REI catalog. If I were to generalize I would say there is a slight tendency towards tribal groupings, but these usually tend to express themselves around activities: yoga, mt. biking, rock climbing, snowboarding etc. Being the Northwest, the hipster scene is also quite strong. Oh yeah, about 95% caucasian too, as Bend is not a very diverse town.
Sight seeing :
If you like the outdoors and any sort of related activities this is a great place to go. Mt. Bachelor in the winter, Cascade Lakes Highway in the summer for hiking, boating, and general relaxing, Smith Rocks for hiking and climbing, float the Deschutes in the summer, tons of mountain biking trails, snowmobiling… etc. If you haven’t figured out that this is an outdoor mecca yet… well.
Lodging :
I lived there so I don’t have many recommendations. The Oxford is pretty much the only downtown hotel, but is fairly swanky and pricey. Most of the other hotels are not really ideally located, but it is a small town so nothing is more than a five minute taxi ride away.
Day game spots :
Really depends on the time of year. Winters can be a bit snowy and cold, so many people tend to hibernate a bit. Coffee shops are a good bet, try: Thump, Lone Pine, or Backporch. Every first Friday of the month there is an artwalk downtown, don’t miss it. Bend is a tourist town so the frequent events can be decent places: Brewfest, Winterfest, Cyclocross, Pole Pedal Paddle, summerfest, etc. If you happen to be in town over the 4th of July, absolutely do not miss the Freedom Ride!!
Nightlife spots :
Nightlife is very hit or miss. There is usually something going on, but it is a small scene without much variety. It’s mostly limited to the weekends, and even then a place can be good one night and terrible the next. If there is a good concert or show going on that will be the place to be. One nice thing is that most of it is downtown, and it’s easy to bounce from one place to another.
Well I partially take that back - do you like beer? Do you like craft beer? If so you’ll love Bend, I can’t even keep track of the breweries anymore. Deschutes, Cascade Lakes, Boneyard, Good Life, Bend Brewing Company, Ten Barrel, McMenammins, Silvermoon, etc.
Places worth checking out:
Mcmennamins: Free music on Wednesdays, a Turkishbath. Also has Okane’s which is a scotch bar with fire pits – good chill/early spot.
Velvet It’s like partying in a hallway. If you have an established group it can be ok, not a good solo joint.
Deschutes/10 Barrel/BBC These can all be good places to post up around the bar come dinnertime or early evening.
JC’s more of a local hangout/sportsbar. Hit or miss.
The Summit Dancing on the weekends around 9-1. Often a young crowd and can fluctuate quickly between hopping and dead.
Astro Lounge Good chill spot, good solo joint to pick up if you can get a seat at the bar.
Seven Thursday night college crowd joint, doesn’t happen until 10ish. Hit or miss on Fridays and Saturdays.
Silvermoon It can be good when they have a decent band. Otherwise more of a locals joint.
The Blacksmith Music and a small dancefloor after 10 on the weekends. Very hit or miss. Look out for cougars.
D+D I affectionately nicknamed this, “the place where dreams and unicorns go to die.” They make a strong drink and are one of the few late night food options. Not really a good game location though.
Corey’s A dive bar.
Westside Tavern Hit this place up around last call if you’re desperate and feel like slumming.
Boondocks The largest dance club. It’s a young crowd, and usually quiet different from what you encounter anywhere else in town. Not my scene, but check it out for yourself.
Ease of approaching :
I would say that the ratio varies but 60/40 male/female is not uncommon. Most folks are pretty friendly assuming you have basic social skills. Also you might be outdoors badass elsewhere, but trying to impress anyone with it is not likely to get you far in this town. She probably already met a couple professional rock climbers or triathletes earlier in the day. Hell, she might be one herself.
Logistics :
Much of the area is walkable or bikable assuming you are near downtown or the westside.
Overall pros and cons :
Pros : If you like the outdoors or adventure activities Bend is a great place. The people are friendly and there is usually something going on. It strikes the balance between a larger city and smaller city fairly well. For me it had most of what I’d want from the city without a lot of the hassle; and easily accessible outdoors.
Cons : If you don’t like the above things, you won’t like Bend. It is a small town, so if you spend any amount of time here you will bump into people whether you want to or not.
Personal experience : I lived in Bend for six years, although I was married for about half that time.
-
Final Thoughts : I may move back to Bend someday, it fits my lifestyle well. It is worth a stop if you are traveling through, and if your into the outdoors its one of the better places in the country.
