I apologize if this is on the wrong forum....and if it needs to be moved please do so.

We may be relocating to the Bend/Redmond/Prineville areas of OR. I have been researching it and trying to get as much info on what the area would be like to live there.

We never ever thought we would maybe live in Oregon....but it may happen. Is it true if you live on the East side of the Cascades you get the nicer weather as far as more sun and less rain and foggy days?

So just wondering if anyone here either lives in the area or knows about it...to share their thoughts of the area...negatives and pluses of the area.
Thanks everyone!

I lived 5 yrs in Incline Village (not far from where you are from), great place, really is...but Bend would by far be my choice today. Yes, the weather and sunny days are quite impressive actually. Huge difference between the high deserts of OR vs coastal. Smith Rocks, Cascades....a lot of trouble to get into. Town is quite progressive. Prices have suffered as much if not more so than anywhere, just due to the Calif buyers falling off the map which was what was juicing that market. Incredible river front parks, etc. Very active running and cycling community...tons of races, etc. Good Luck.

The east side of the Cascades is definitely drier. It's High Desert and the weather typically comes in from the ocean and first hits the 3000 foot high Coast Range which takes a lot of the moisture out of the clouds. Then whatever weather is left drizzles the rest of the rain into the Willamette Valley before it runs into the Casacdes which range from 5000 to 11,000 feet high in Oregon. That leaves little rain once the weather moves over the Cascades.

However, this means like 300+ days of sun each year in that area. It also means less temperate weather so you will get hotter in the summer and colder and more snowy in the winter than the west side of the Cascades.

Bend is a great area. Used to be big timber industry but when that went belly up, it became more of a getaway destination. It has arguably the best views of the mountains in Oregon with 6 or 7 big volcanoes right there. You've got the best skiing in Oregon at Bachelor, tons of mountain biking, golfing, rafting and of course Smith Rock. Prineville is a bit east and is more "rural" but is great if you want a small town feel in the eastern desert. Redmond looks to want to become another Bend soon in my opinion. Not a bad place but personally, I like Bend better. Seems to be a bit more culture in Bend to me (sorry any Redmondites who may be reading this), restaurants, concerts, medical care, shopping, housing, etc.

If I didn't live in Portland, I'd want to live in Bend. But you should take a trip to those areas and check them out for yourself. What is one man's haven could be another's idea of the end of the earth.

After three and a half years I just moved out of the area. Its definitely a fun place to live with lots to do. I loved the fact that 3-5 hours of driving could get me anywhere I wanted to go in Oregon. Bend is definitely the place to be, with Sisters being the next best community.

Redmond kind of sucks, downtown sucks, nightlife and shopping are lame, it feels more like a sprawlishy suburb of Bend rather than its own distinct community. Its not a horrible place, it just is not the fun community that the others are.

Sisters however is fun, its small and has a million restaurants, and now it has a brewpub and movie theater. Everything is within walking distance no matter where you live in town. Of the three central oregon towns I lived in, Sisters was probably the one I would most like to move back to.

Prineville is definitely the redneck part of central oregon, but also has its own distinct personality. Prineville is nice, its a little warmer than Bend and Redmond and has a nice golf course.

If ya like beer then Bend is the place to be. Along with Deschutes Brewery there are 5 other breweries in town. Not bad for a city of 81,000 people. I've been here 2 1/2 yrs and love it. I can attest to what everyone else has had to say. Great place. Aside from its lack of folf (frisbee-golf) courses

rmick25 wrote:If ya like beer then Bend is the place to be. Along with Deschutes Brewery there are 5 other breweries in town. Not bad for a city of 81,000 people. I've been here 2 1/2 yrs and love it. I can attest to what everyone else has had to say. Great place. Aside from its lack of folf (frisbee-golf) courses

Lucky dog. My cousins live there, so we get over when we can for skiing and boating and climbing. Great area.
Create your own golf course.

Thank you all so very much for all that great info! It helps a lot. Yes...Sisters too looks lovely.
I know the housing market is down all over..but it seems in this area there are sooooo many homes for sale and a good portion of them are either short sales or foreclosures...there is also a lot of rentals to choose from in the area.

If this move happens..it is going to be very hard to leave Tahoe and the Sierra which we love ..we have lived here for 24 years....but I know sometimes change is good..it's tempting when I see homes for sale that are double the size as ours in square footage and on a few acres for less than 200K up there..makes you really consider selling & being able to buy a home right off and have money left over and no mortgate payments.
Thank you all again so much!