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Central Oregon is home to the outdoor recreational enthusiast.
Throughout all seasons, visitor’s flock to the Central Oregon area
in order to enjoy the nationally acclaimed golf courses, world
renowned fly-fishing, hiking, rock climbing, skiing, cycling,
kayaking, and so much more. People are also attracted to the
region because of the relatively mild climate, which offers all
four seasons and claims on average 300 days of sunshine per year.
If
culinary passion is in your interests, Central Oregon also boasts
an impressive array of new restaurants. And for the culturally
minded, art museums, Music Events, and lively nightlife choices,
all of which have successfully stimulated the tourist industry.
All of these activities, combined, have caused a high rate of
business growth, population increase, which combined have driven
real estate sales to record setting levels in the area.
Central Oregon’s countless attractions have contributed to the
areas population explosion. Between 1990-2000, the area’s
population grew by 49%. However, according to the Economic
Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), the populace continued to
grow in later years, increasing by 53% in 1995 - 2005. In 2005,
the government reported that the Deschutes County population
totaled 185,231.
There are many attractive neighborhoods in the Central Oregon
counties of Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes. However, it is
believed that the city of Bend, in Deschutes County, is an ideal
place to initiate financial investments, particularly in the form
of real estate. Bend, Oregon is likely to attract individual
buyers, young families, and retirees for a variety of reasons. In
fact, Bend has also been ranked as one of the highest growing
retirement communities in the nation. This may be due, in part,
to the relatively affordable cost of housing as compared to many
other Western states along with the area’s relatively mild climate
attributes.
Young families have increasingly been attracted to the Bend real
estate market. With the average age of the typical Bend resident
now at 34.8 years, Bend is a very active community in many ways.
In 2005, the median price of a home in the Bend, Oregon area was
approximately $334,570. In that same year, average monthly rent
for a 3 Bedroom 2 bath home was reported to be $965.00. While
the housing prices are certainly a bit higher in the Bend area as
compared to it’s neighboring cities, it is not without reason that
Bend has continued to be the city of choice in the area.
For those interested more in resort style living, the choices have
grown over the last couple of years and are continuing to grow as
many more resort type communities are in the development process.
Sunriver, located just 18 minutes to the South of Bend, is a
community of approximately 3000 residents. Other resort
communities include Caldera Springs, Widgi Creek, Eagle Crest,
Broken Top, Cascade Highlands, Pronghorn, Thornburgh, and Brasada
Ranch, to name a few.
While the cities surrounding the Bend area may vary slightly in
neighborhood styles, the construction styles are still
comparable. 15 minutes to the North, Redmond, Oregon real offers
a bit more selection in the affordable range category. Median
home prices in Redmond Oregon were $226,238 in 2005. In addition
Redmond Oregon rental housing statistics report that average
monthly rents for a similar Rental property featuring 3 bedrooms
and 2 baths average $919 per month.
Deschutes County with it’s relatively low crime rates, excellent
education systems, and high quality, yet affordable housing all
combined with the unparalleled quality of life continue to attract
individuals from around the country.
Financially, residents of Deschutes and other counties fare quite
well. For example, in 2005, the median income in Deschutes County
for a family of four was $58,800. That was more than $5000 higher
than neighboring counties such as Cook and Jefferson. Wages in
Central Oregon, as a whole, may have been largely impacted by
governmental focus on industrial expansion. This has led to
increases in the presence of businesses in technology, service and
specialty manufacturing. Deschutes County, for instance, leads the
state in technology growth.
The addition of those industries has certainly boosted the job
market, which formerly relied upon forestry, agriculture and
tourism. Currently, Central Oregon is home to many large well
known businesses such as Wells Fargo, Epic Air, LLC, Home Depot,
Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart and more. Central Oregon is also home to a
number of locally initiated successful business ventures, such as
The Riverhouse, Bend Research, Inc., Mt. Bachelor, Inc.,
Sea-Swirl, Host Industries, Earth 2 0 and many more. Given the
high level of talent and large number of entrepreneurs in the
area, Central Oregon has continued to lead the charge on expanding
and diversifying its employment and economic base.
Clearly, Bend and the Central Oregon area has quickly become known
as the ideal place to live. From Vacation and second home owners
to those seeking a higher and better quality of life, all data
indicates that Central Oregon will continue to grow and expand as
long as the area continues to produce it’s unrivaled scenic
attractions and beauty, which do not appear to be going anywhere
anytime soon.
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