I can hardly conceive it myself , but as of this year , I ’ve been living in Bend , Oregon , for over seven age !
You might recall that my folk and Irelocated in October 2017 from Los Angeles to Bend , a move motivate by ourdesire to put down rootsin a home that matt-up like a better convulsion for our life style .
AfterGemma ’s birth , we reprioritized what we wanted for our hereafter , and that was a dumb pace , a good community , good public school , and being only bit forth from all the things we loved to do , such ashiking , tenting , andsnowboarding .
At the same time , we did n’t want to go in an isolated mountain town that required foresightful commute into culture for medical care or for a date - desirable eating house meal .
Bend get out several other places on our brusque list ( which I portion out in # 7 below ) and so far , we have had no regrets about our decision to move here . In fact , our only sort - of ruefulness is that we did n’t make the move preferably .
I ’ve had so many lector write me in the last few years to necessitate about our move , some who are itch to make a change themselves , and some who are only peculiar how an LA young woman is handling the Baron Snow of Leicester . ( Hint : I bonk it ! )
I ’ve been want to give an update on our first six years in Central Oregon , and thought these questions ( with my answers ) reach a great overview of our experience so far .
1. How have you adjusted to the change in weather?
Despite spending the absolute majority of our life in other states , Will and I feel like we ’ve adjust quickly and easy to the weather extremes in Central Oregon .
It avail that Will used to live inLake Tahoe(which gets far more C. P. Snow than Bend ) and I spent my puerility in Las Vegas ( which regularly climb up to 110 ° farad in summer ) .
We chose Bend for its four - season climate , and we visited at the apex of every season ( let in wildfire time of year ) , so we went into this knowing what to have a bun in the oven .
The winters sense long here , but we lie with it because it poke out the time of year for snowboarding and skiing , which we are so fortunate to have a half - 60 minutes away from our home .
( I still ca n’t trust we used to drive three hourseach wayto our little local resort in Southern California , or six hours toMammoth Mountainif we wanted any decent snowfall . )
I ascertain myself look forwards to the start of every season because it always means novel activities , and our lives are very much center on around outdoor recreation . Even on the most blustering blizzard day , or the sunniest hot twenty-four hours , we ’re outside enjoying the wad , lakes , or river in some form .
2. How have the chickens adjusted to the change in weather?
A few solar day after we moved to Bend , we actually had nose candy flurry ! The wimp probably did n’t sleep with what to opine , but theylived through their first winterwithout frostbite or any weather - related issues .
( They also made the virtually 1,000 - naut mi route trip with us seamlessly , which I wrote about in detail if you ’re plan tomake a move with chickensin the near future . )
I would n’t say they ’re psyched to go outside on the rarified days that it snowed in town , but we usually tried to keep a decipherable route for them in the curtilage .
We have a greatchicken coopthat amount with storm panels to keep the tip and rain out , and the heated body of water bowl we used all time of year long work very well . We had no warming in the coop and find no need for it , despite depression in the teens .
I started using Grant Wood pellets as the bedding in their coop , and so far it ’s been much quick to clean than our previous choice of sand .
In winter , it does n’t turn solid with frozen the skinny , and in leap , it ’s easy to graze out to deck in the compost raft . We stock up on wood pellets in summer when prices are down in the mouth ( and inventory is high ) .
We feed our volaille their typical diet ofhomemade whole - grain volaille provender , as well asweeds , dried mealworms and grubs , and kitchen scraps .
Today , we have six crybaby who complimentary - range around our prop and thrive with no supplemental heat or light .
3. What happened to your pugs?
Bebe ( who suffered from grievous hip dysplasia ) was euthanized at home in June 2017 after a well - fought battle with the disease . ( I wrote more about thehomemade dog foodwe feed her for several years , which greatly improved her quality of life . )
She was 14 year old . Up until the calendar week before her death , she was full of heart and was such a felicitous fiddling pug-dog .
I love of no other dog that traveled and camped as much as she did ( 11 states in 5 months duringthe making ofThe New Camp Cookbook ! ) and make for so many smiles to multitude ’s faces along the way as she co - navigated the route with Chinki by her side .
Chinki passed away in her quietus in March 2018 at the ripe old years of 16 . She had gotten to the point where she was mainly unsighted , halt in her hind legs , and anxious whenever we left her alone at dwelling house , so we brought her everywhere with us — including the sidereal day we went snowboarding .
We ’d make her comfortable in the car with portable bullet , pillows , and blankets , and check on her every hr to give cuddle and treats .
She took her last breathing spell in Will ’s arms at Mount Bachelor on a beautiful fountain day that was filled with good energy .
After a prospicient and amazing liveliness , we have no doubt she ’s romping happily with all of her departed sister ( includingGisele , Kimora , andIman ) with a bottomless supplying of pork shank bones at her disposal .
Currently , we have no program to bring another dog into our home , and probably wo n’t for a while . We neglect the pug dearly and palpate so fortunate to have had them in our lives as long as we did .
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4. Do you currently have a garden? What challenges have you faced in a colder growing climate?
When we lived in a lease the first two years , Istarted a modest container gardenon the deck as a practice run .
The next summer , I focus ongrowing tomatoesand pepper and was capable to move them outside in early May and keep them alive through summer freeze ( yes , that ’s a matter here ) .
acquire more : Grow Tomatoes Like a chief With These 10 Easy Tips
Those first two years , I had a surprisingly right harvest time with the indeterminate tomato I grew inthese material pots , the determinate tomatoes I found in theGardener ’s Revolution planter outfit , and theGreenStalk Garden towersthat were filled with summertime squash vine , cucumber vine , beans , Piper nigrum , blossom , and herbaceous plant .
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It was sure as shooting a unknown experience to wrap up my plants well into June to protect against Robert Frost . I ’ve realize that Central Oregon conditions is irregular , change from one day to the next . ( Nevertrust the prognosis more than two days out ! )
Being a gardener here intend you also become a meteorologist of sorts . Tracking seasonal weather patterns , monitoring every night low gear , learning that our destine USDA Hardiness Zone of 6b is not truly accurate because of all the microclimates in town ( I actually aim for zones 4 to 5 to be safe ) .
It ’s all part of the fizgig and I do n’t think I ’ve ever analyzed the weather as much as I have since moving to Bend !
I ’ve learned a lot so far , and am excited to determine more as I try out inmy unexampled garden(where I grow things year - rhythm without a greenhouse ) .
Related:13 Vegetables For Your Winter Garden That Are More insensate - Hardy Than Kale
5. How’s the house hunt going?
We rented a house during our first two twelvemonth in Bend while continuing to take care for our forever home .
Update : Since I primitively wrote this billet in 2018,we became proud landownersin June 2019 and proceed into our new house in 2023 ! you’re able to adopt along atGarden Betty Builds a House .
We ’re really beaming we decided to rend first , because our initial impressions of all the neighborhood here change quite a bit the more we explored . country of town that we once consider buying in were no longer on the list for one reason or another .
Bend is a hot tangible estate food market , and while it ’s not as risky as LA , prices are much higher than they were just a few years ago .
We took our sentence firm - hunt — more than two old age ! After not find an existing home ( or even a fixer - upper ) that met all of our needs and budget , we decided to switch gears and look for body politic so we couldbuild a habitation exactly the way of life we need .
learn more : How We Found Land to work up On — and How you may , Too
I used to seesaw between wanting a small , unproblematic family ( not our ambition home , but a household in which we can fulfill our ambition because we ’d be able to pay it off quickly and know debt - gratis ) , or a big , more expensive property that we can develop into our dream home ( even if it might leave behind us with less time and money for travel and escapade ) .
Both have their addition and minuses , and we by all odds do n’t want to outgrow our sign of the zodiac or spend our life working to pay the mortgage .
With our raw holding and the house be after we ’ve design for it , we recollect we ’ve found a happy mass medium that ’ll allow us to keep our lifestyle while also securing our family ’s future tense .
6. Do you miss Southern California?
Not really .
We miss our friends and we miss the exceptional diversity of markets that we had in LA .
On affair , we also miss the late - night food culture that we had in the urban center ( though as parents now , we do n’t incur ourselves traipsing out of the house at 10 pm like we used to for a little nosh ) .
The foghorn that I used to hear from our family on the coast have been replace by the periodic distant gang fight of the train in Bend .
Instead of starling sing in ourfeijoa tree , we learn quail forebode from the rabbitbrush . Beach days are now spent on the river or lakes , which satiate my desire for being close to water .
As much as I loved my prison term in LA , I ca n’t really guess of anything that pee-pee me require to move back — not even the sea , which I thought I ’d be missing a lot more . I think we moved at the right metre , just as I was ready for a change .
7. What other towns did you consider before you settled on Bend?
At some point in the early research phase angle , we considered island living in Puget Sound , Washington ; country living in Driggs , Idaho ; and sight live on in Durango , Colorado . Montana made the list as well , but I cross it off because of the brutal winters .
These were all stead we had visited and roll in the hay , but despite promises of sempiternal adventure and outside beauty in each location , we ultimately felt they were too modest for us , community- and opportunity - wise .
We require a just mix of modest - Ithiel Town life and big - urban center amenities ; a large enough internet of open and like - minded people for making new supporter ; an entrepreneurial and originative environment that maintain us stimulated ; quick admittance to the outdoors ; and ease of travel .
Bend was the only township on our list that tick all the boxes .
At this microscope stage in our lives , we ca n’t imagine being anywhere else . Bend is beautiful , inspiring , and incisively what we trust it would be .
8. What have you enjoyed most about living in Bend?
This is a hard one , because there ’s so much I love about live in Bend .
One of the unexpected — but much prize — surprises about being here is the amazing water quality . We have community water that comes from an aquifer , and straight out of the water tap , Bend water is the clear , cleanest , most delicious piddle in the rural area , thanks to natural filtration through layers of lava rocks .
I joke with friend who are see from out of town that they should fill up jugs of water before they leave , because they will sorely escape it !
We ’ve also found Central Oregonians to bethefriendliest people we ’ve ever met , which is a big part of why we moved here . I make out how felicitous everyone in Bend is , because they sleep with how lucky they are to live here .
But the main reason we propel to Bend is correct outside our door , where we have world - class outdoor refreshment .
It ’s such a novel change to be able to plan a cost increase , a bike ride , or a paddle date with friends and not have it take up the whole Clarence Day ( with most of it spent in traffic ) .
Some of my favorite trails are just 15 minute from household , and on most days , I only run into a handful of people along the manner .
With a time of year pass , I can steer up to Mount Bachelor a few times a calendar week , snowboard for a couple minute , and still make it home for lunch because the mountain is so stuffy . It ’s essentially my “ gymnasium workout ” but way more sport !
( I call the drive up Cascade Lakes Highway my “ commute to bliss , ” because it is ! )
I also started mountain biking when I moved here and I ’m get it on the new challenge and thrills . Eventually , I ’d like to experience splitboarding in the backcountry , find out how to manoeuvre an oar great deal , and perhaps even try fly fishing , all of which are well approachable in Bend . And they ’re all the thing I hope our kids will love as they develop up here , too .
9. What have you liked least about living in Bend?
As someone who was accustomed to late - summertime wildfires every year in California , they do n’t scandalize me much in Oregon , but they ’re definitely a drawback of subsist in the drought - stricken Benjamin West .
There are usually a few mean solar day where the air quality is terrible as twist blow in operose smoke from massive wildfire in Oregon , California , Washington , or British Columbia .
We ’re fortunate that we live upwind from most fires , but there have been clip when we ’ve had to cancel sidereal day trips due to blast and smoke . It ’s something we expect and prepare for every summer , and camping in August ( our driest month ) is always a roller of the die .
I ’m also used to coastal livelihood , so the juiceless , high desert environment of Bend took some serious adaption . I ’ve acclimate by now , but it was a rough duo of years with a humidifier run all nighttime and bottomless bottles of lotion .
10. Do you think Bend has become too crowded?
Overcrowding is relative to where you come from — in my typeface , Southern California .
So no , I do n’t feel Bend has become too crowd , though a longtime occupant may say otherwise . It ’s an amazing place to live and arouse a house , so I do n’t blame other people for wanting to move here .
But , with more multitude comes more problems . Daycare is in unretentive supply . Housing is hard to come by . There are more qualified people than there are well - pay job . The base in townspeople postulate uninterrupted melioration to handle the gain in traffic .
Bend is get because it ’s been “ learn , ” but we ’d rather live in a growing town than a dead township .
11. What are your thoughts on the lack of diversity in Bend?
Like most ( or all ? ) mountain towns , Bend is chiefly snowy . I ’m Asian - American , my husband is blanched , and our daughters are mixed , so diversity was an important consideration when we were deciding where to put down beginning .
When valuate what we want most for our home , we realize it was n’t have big museum , ethnic festival , or pagan pocket communities ( like Chinatown or Little Italy ) in our hometown .
It was having more tree and less concrete . It was being snug to the outdoors and forth from pollution ( of all kinds — strain , noise , and clean ) .
We ’d rather travel to big cities ( which is a actual kickshaw for us , now that we survive in a rural sphere ) and soak in all the diversity that way , rather than journey to the mountains to get away from the bunco and bustle of city lifetime .
Our children are n’t exposed to unlike skin colour , languages , and cultures every day , but we strive to foster an loose mind through interactions with family , friends , and strangers ; outing that raise their curiosities ; and their routine learning .
I know this is potential becauseIgrew up in a predominantly white residential area , as did my husband . And as teenagers , we long for and lived in New York and San Francisco — two of the most divers cities in the human beings .
I feel that people who wish well Bend was more divers fail to spot what it is and always has been : a holiday resort / destination town .
The activity that draw us here ( skiing , snowboarding , batch biking , and paddling ) are considered affluent . Local career chance are scarce and financial backing for social programs is down in the mouth .
There are n’t any big cities nearby ( unless you drive more than three time of day to Portland , which is n’t even that prominent compare to Seattle or San Francisco ) and the cost of living is high than most mass think .
bear in mind all these factors , the Bend living speak to very specific subset of the great unwashed : those who have money , those who make money by work remotely , and those who prioritize outdoor diversion over physicalism .
While I sometimes care we had more veritable ethnic selection when it come to dining or shopping , I know it just is n’t potential when any young cultural offering ( like an Asian restaurant ) is likely to be geared toward tourist . And Bend is not exactly an Asian tourist attraction .
The racial makeup of this town will change over time as more multitude move here from other city , but it will never become a melting pot .
And I ’m ok with that . Our kids do n’t call for to be immersed in diversity for be accepting of it . If anything , they ’ll become more appreciative of what they do n’t have .
12. Is the cost of living high?
I used to say that we move to Bend because it was more low-cost . And in some cases , that ’s still unfeigned .
The toll of real estate is less than where we moved from in California , and we do n’t have any sales tax here . Gas is cheaperandit ’s full service .
But everything else ? The cost of groceries , restaurants , movies , haircut , house cleaning , baby sitting , grand work , and extracurricular activities ( like yoga social class or ski passes ) is adequate to or , in many cases , even more thanwhat we were paying in LA .
Bend is an island . There is n’t as much competition for ware and service , and people have to charge more to afford to live here .
There ’s also the modus vivendi expression : outside miniature are expensive . We always tell multitude that Bend is a money pit . You hail here with your quiver of bikes or snowboard , but shortly you want a kayak , a stand - up boat paddle board , a different motorcycle , a trailer , an R.V. ? ! The list is neverending ! ( Not to mention you need a lot more clothes with the weather here . )
We save money on housing , but our day - to - day expenses , property taxes , and income taxes are the same , if not more than we expected .
13. If you had to make the move all over again, what would you do differently?
Without a doubt , we would ’ve sucked it up and spent the extra money on a full - service moving company . An out - of - state move is stressful enough , but when you have a whole sign of the zodiac to move and you ’re hear to do it all yourself , it becomes deliriously exhausting .
We did finish up hiring help on the Bend side to unload all our box , but I wish well we had n’t underestimate the amount of poppycock we owned and had a single set of professionals deal our entire move from beginning to finish .
gratefully , and hopefully , this will be our last major move for a long while !
14. What advice would you give someone contemplating a move to Bend?
little towns have restrain resources , but Bend is especially limited because unlike other towns , we do n’t have suburbs and we ’re not part of a gravid metropolitan area . So it ’s always wise to visit a few times and check off the follow list before settle to move here :
This post updated from an article that appear on October 23 , 2018 .
