Bend Mamas...Need some advice?? PLEASE!
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OH, I'M SO JEALOUS! We want to move back there so badly. There's not any neighborhoods to stay away from in Bend, but you'll find the better deals on the NE side. NW side is VERY expensive to live. Bend's pop. is about 80k, you can get from 1 side to the other in about 15 min. The NE side has most of the shopping (Costco, Whole Foods, Blockbuster, the hospital, urgent care, and many businesses). There is a Target, wal-mart, red robin, they just opened an olive garden, and many antique and quaint shops. There are round-abouts EVERYWHERE! lol. You'll get used to them and it saves so much time since no one has to really stop for long.
Bend is very health conscious, nice community, AP style parenting, great churches, you can go hiking out your back door practically, 2 birth centers, many wonderful midwives. I have heard great things about the Waldorf school and another one just opened. We did not have children yet when we lived there so I don't have any ped. recommendations but I can find out if you like.
Redmond is about 20-30 min. away on hwy 97 and cheaper to live and very diverse. However, there's not much to do and you'd find yourself traveling to Bend frequently. I know there ARE areas in Redmond to stay away from, but I don't know specifically. Sisters is a super tiny town that you drive thru getting to Bend, which takes you only 5 minutes.
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Sisters is 30 min. drive to Bend, but very quaint.
Central Oregon has unemployment rate of around 15% right now so the housing market has greatly fallen and now would be the time to buy if you can soon. Rent has also greatly decreased so I would go for a year lease if it will be awhile until you buy. There is so much to do outside and fun yearly activities for families. We love it so much and can't wait to return. It's sunny 300 days out of the year and snow in the winter, gorgeous tall trees everywhere and many massage therapists, acupuncturists, midwives, doulas, ect. ect. to choose from. PM if you have more questions.
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Bend is very health conscious, nice community, AP style parenting, great churches, you can go hiking out your back door practically, 2 birth centers, many wonderful midwives. I have heard great things about the Waldorf school and another one just opened. We did not have children yet when we lived there so I don't have any ped. recommendations but I can find out if you like.
Redmond is about 20-30 min. away on hwy 97 and cheaper to live and very diverse. However, there's not much to do and you'd find yourself traveling to Bend frequently. I know there ARE areas in Redmond to stay away from, but I don't know specifically. Sisters is a super tiny town that you drive thru getting to Bend, which takes you only 5 minutes.
Central Oregon has unemployment rate of around 15% right now so the housing market has greatly fallen and now would be the time to buy if you can soon. Rent has also greatly decreased so I would go for a year lease if it will be awhile until you buy. There is so much to do outside and fun yearly activities for families. We love it so much and can't wait to return. It's sunny 300 days out of the year and snow in the winter, gorgeous tall trees everywhere and many massage therapists, acupuncturists, midwives, doulas, ect. ect. to choose from. PM if you have more questions.
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Originally Posted by Mum-ma  Hi all! My family is planning on a move to Bend in the next month or two. I'm looking on Craigslist for rentals but need some advice? Are there any areas that we should stay away from? Neighborhoods? What are the towns of Redmond and Sisters like? We're looking to rent first and would like something in a quiet area, away from the bustle. Any suggestions would be most appreciated! Also any ped/midwife recs? Homeschooling groups? How is the Waldorf school? Thank you! |
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I would avoid anything near SE Wilson (which you can google map) between 3rd and 15th. That said, no area of Bend is really "bad" per se. And that's not saying to avoid SE Bend entirely. There are lots of areas of SE that are lovely. But the streets that surround SE Wilson seem to be a bit older, rougher, and less well taken care of.
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Both are lovely places, and if you're used to a commute anyway then driving from either would be no big deal, sort of. In the winter time we can get quite a bit of snow and ice though, and the road between Bend and Sisters can get especially hairy. On the up side though, you can probably get a bigger house in either for less money. Both Sisters and Redmond are going to offer less in the way of crunchy stuff -- food, mamas groups, and crunchy people in general. Both places are pretty darn conservative. That said, their people are wonderful and friendly! Also, neither has a bus system. So you would need to walk/drive everywhere in town, and everywhere out of town.
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Are you wanting to be near things? Or tucked away with a plan to drive/bus most everywhere? If being near the library, coffee shops, summer events, farmer's market, etc., isn't an issue, then I would look in NE Bend. The houses in that part of town are cheaper to rent than in NW/SW. But if you want to be near enough to walk to the park for free summer concerts, or to bike to the library, or to take the kids to get a tea in the morning, then I would look in NW/SW Bend. Downtown is considered to be the blocks around Wall Street. And downtown Bend is still much more of a small town "downtown," not like Portland.
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My LO is too young for school yet, but I've had several friends whose kids have spent time in the local Waldorf school, and they were both THRILLED with it.
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Stay far, far away from COPA (Central Oregon Pediatrics) if you're doing anything remotely alternative in regards to your kids' health. They are a hostile bunch. We've had WONDERFUL results with Dr. Walhof (http://www.dwalhofmd.com/index.htm), who does in home pediatric care. I've also heard better things about the pediatricians at Bend Memorial Clinic.
Good luck!
Originally Posted by Mum-ma Are there any areas that we should stay away from? Neighborhoods? |
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Originally Posted by Mum-ma What are the towns of Redmond and Sisters like? |
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Originally Posted by Mum-ma We're looking to rent first and would like something in a quiet area, away from the bustle. Any suggestions would be most appreciated! |
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Originally Posted by Mum-ma How is the Waldorf school? |
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Originally Posted by Mum-ma Also any ped/midwife recs? |
Good luck!
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good advice so far!
if you're looking for more ruralish, you could check out tumalo.
about 10 mins from bend proper, though still technically in bend. there is NOT a lot to do there- there is one gas station, one coffee shop, one restaurant (mexican) a little produce store.. thats about it. I have heard great things about the Tumalo School though
The waldorf school would be convenient to that area as well.
We are working on getting a student visa for DH's little sister- we were blown away by the Bend Waldorf school. It was my first experience in person with a waldorf campus, so maybe its not that impressive compared to other, bigger, better funded W schools, but I fell in love.
ETA: I forgot about the midwife recs!
I adore Janette Gyesky at the Bend Birth Center. http://bendbirthcenter.com/ She is amazing.
Doulas- Stacey DiMuzio http://abellabelly.com/ is just starting out and looking for new clients. she's great.
if you're looking for more ruralish, you could check out tumalo.
about 10 mins from bend proper, though still technically in bend. there is NOT a lot to do there- there is one gas station, one coffee shop, one restaurant (mexican) a little produce store.. thats about it. I have heard great things about the Tumalo School though
The waldorf school would be convenient to that area as well.
We are working on getting a student visa for DH's little sister- we were blown away by the Bend Waldorf school. It was my first experience in person with a waldorf campus, so maybe its not that impressive compared to other, bigger, better funded W schools, but I fell in love.
ETA: I forgot about the midwife recs!
I adore Janette Gyesky at the Bend Birth Center. http://bendbirthcenter.com/ She is amazing.
Doulas- Stacey DiMuzio http://abellabelly.com/ is just starting out and looking for new clients. she's great.
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bend doesnt really feel congested anywhere. It seems to me that the east side is more developed and sometimes has that sea of houses feel. the west side has older homes and more trees, i think.
I saw this place today- not sure what your housing needs are but this place is right on the river (and on the street my parents live on) very quiet.
http://bend.craigslist.org/apa/1611081047.html
yes, we have a trader joes. in the summer there are 3 different farmers markets- wed, fri and sat.
NW Crossing is a nice area too- but rent is almost double there than in other parts of town.
I saw this place today- not sure what your housing needs are but this place is right on the river (and on the street my parents live on) very quiet.
http://bend.craigslist.org/apa/1611081047.html
yes, we have a trader joes. in the summer there are 3 different farmers markets- wed, fri and sat.
NW Crossing is a nice area too- but rent is almost double there than in other parts of town.
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We have 2 different yarn specific stores. Both are really neat.
http://www.gossamerknitting.com/
http://www.juniperfiberworks.com/
Quilting is HUGE in our area. Bend itself has 2 quilt stores that each offer their own unique tastes (one with more modern prints, batiks and a great selection of flannels, the other has more traditional fabrics, floursack fabrics, and some really cute baby stuff).
http://www.bjsquiltbasket.com/
http://www.sewmanyquiltsinbend.com/
Sisters, which you mentioned before, has an AMAZING quilt/yarn store, with lots of very modern prints and quilt patterns (Valori Wells is one of the owners) on one side, as well as a to die for selection of specialty yarns on the other.
http://www.stitchinpost.com/
All of these shops offer classes, and all of them are locally owned and operated! In the summer Sisters is also home to the Sisters Outdoor quilt show, which is the largest outdoor quilt show in the world. They showcase over 1000 quilts I believe, all up and down the streets of Sisters. It's lovely.
As for the rest of your post, yes, we have a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, and also a locally owned health food store that allows Co-op purchasing, if you feel like buying good food in bulk (called Nature's, and locally owned). We've got quite a few places to buy local meat and eggs direct from the farm, and in the summer time there is a farmer's market in Drake park that has a wide and beautiful selection.
And if your DH likes to mountain bike he will find LOADS of trails and opportunities to do so. We could put our bikes on top of the car and be out in the middle of nowhere within 20 minutes. Don't get to do that very often with DS, but it used to be a regular occurrence for us. Outdoor sports are huge here -- skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing... Bend doesn't have surfing, but that's about all. My DH likes to joke that living in Bend is like living in an REI catalog. You'll see lots of fleece
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Welcome to Oregon mama!
Originally Posted by Mum-ma Oh, almost forgot!!! Are there any good yarn/fabric stores? I heard you just got a Trader Joe's...is it true? Anyone know about downhill mtn. biking (for dh) Very happy there is a Whole Foods...how about Sat. markets, co-ops, etc? Thanks again!!! |
http://www.gossamerknitting.com/
http://www.juniperfiberworks.com/
Quilting is HUGE in our area. Bend itself has 2 quilt stores that each offer their own unique tastes (one with more modern prints, batiks and a great selection of flannels, the other has more traditional fabrics, floursack fabrics, and some really cute baby stuff).
http://www.bjsquiltbasket.com/
http://www.sewmanyquiltsinbend.com/
Sisters, which you mentioned before, has an AMAZING quilt/yarn store, with lots of very modern prints and quilt patterns (Valori Wells is one of the owners) on one side, as well as a to die for selection of specialty yarns on the other.
http://www.stitchinpost.com/
All of these shops offer classes, and all of them are locally owned and operated! In the summer Sisters is also home to the Sisters Outdoor quilt show, which is the largest outdoor quilt show in the world. They showcase over 1000 quilts I believe, all up and down the streets of Sisters. It's lovely.
As for the rest of your post, yes, we have a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, and also a locally owned health food store that allows Co-op purchasing, if you feel like buying good food in bulk (called Nature's, and locally owned). We've got quite a few places to buy local meat and eggs direct from the farm, and in the summer time there is a farmer's market in Drake park that has a wide and beautiful selection.
And if your DH likes to mountain bike he will find LOADS of trails and opportunities to do so. We could put our bikes on top of the car and be out in the middle of nowhere within 20 minutes. Don't get to do that very often with DS, but it used to be a regular occurrence for us. Outdoor sports are huge here -- skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing... Bend doesn't have surfing, but that's about all. My DH likes to joke that living in Bend is like living in an REI catalog. You'll see lots of fleece
Welcome to Oregon mama!
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Originally Posted by Italiamom My DH likes to joke that living in Bend is like living in an REI catalog. |
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well if you do get it, let me know! you'll already "know" some neighbors!
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I just delivered at the Bend Birth center with Janette two weeks ago! I (and my Dh) cannot rave enough. She is incredible!! And the birthing suite is so great.
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There are several rentals available in my SE neighborhood - Foxborough - for around $900/month. This is a nice little neighborhood with its own small park and green space. You have to drive to get anywhere, but nothing's very far away.
I'm kind of tied to COPA due to our insurance
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, but Erin Garza has shown herself to be pretty lenient about our non-vaxing stance. I really loved her approach to my Dd - she talked to her so nicely and really put her at ease.
I have to put a good word in for my chiropractor, Kevin Phillips at Heartstone Chiropractic. He is a miracle worker! I also love Michelle Sturm, ND, of Artemisia Naturopathic.
Bend is a great little town and we feel very blessed to live here!!
There are several rentals available in my SE neighborhood - Foxborough - for around $900/month. This is a nice little neighborhood with its own small park and green space. You have to drive to get anywhere, but nothing's very far away.
I'm kind of tied to COPA due to our insurance
I have to put a good word in for my chiropractor, Kevin Phillips at Heartstone Chiropractic. He is a miracle worker! I also love Michelle Sturm, ND, of Artemisia Naturopathic.
Bend is a great little town and we feel very blessed to live here!!
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OP, whats up? are you here?
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we'll probably see you around then! she has parties a few times a year. i'll be the one with the peruvian husband
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Originally Posted by Becken I just delivered at the Bend Birth center with Janette two weeks ago! |
we'll probably see you around then! she has parties a few times a year. i'll be the one with the peruvian husband
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the markets don't start until june (i think)
glad you're here and lovin it!
glad you're here and lovin it!
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I've heard really nice things about the peds at BMC. From what I've heard, they're much more relaxed about percentiles, diet, vaxing, etc. I think you'll get a pretty standard party line there, but not pushed. I also know that they carry the Sanofi-Pasteur versions of the DTaP, and are the only folks in Bend who do. So if you are deciding to vax, they have more options and are more willing to work along a selective/delayed schedule.
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