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I have lived in Bend for over 32 years now and I believe that Bend is becoming a beautiful woman. It has grown beautifully, with safe and clean parks, beautifully landscaped roads (Brookswood, Mt Washington Drive) and roundabouts and a vibrant cultural life. 32 years ago it was a rough and tumble mill town. We used to drive to Portland to go school clothes shopping for our kids and once I went to the grocery store for cilantro and they had never heard of it. Bend has gone through growing pains before (early 80s when everyone bailed out and moved to Texas) and it will emerge out of this too.....and be better than ever. Our kids, who flew out of town the day they graduated from high school in the late 80s and early 90s are now all coming back home to raise their own kids...a testimony to what a great place this is to live. I'm glad to see housing prices go down, so that our kids CAN buy a house and live and raise their families in sunlight and clean air. If this economic downturn causes some people to move out of Bend, that's fine. Many of those people only came for the 'profit' they could make, not the lifestyle it provides. We all have our priorities. Jane Williamson

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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