I wanted to take a quick break from the typical article about the changes in the local real estate market and talk a little about the changes happening in Bend. I spend quite a bit of time driving around various parts of Bend, so one thing that I do notice is how things seem to be constantly changing. This is hardly unique to Bend or Central Oregon, but right now there seem to be a lot of changes and new things going on in the southeast quadrant of Bend. I am not just referring to the neighborhood, "southeast Bend," but also the Old Farm district, since the two neighborhoods make up most of this quadrant.
The big change everyone has noticed over the last year was the opening of the new Caldera High School, located on south 15th Street. With the growth Bend has been experiencing over the last decade, and the forecasted growth, the city was due for a new high school, and in the fall of 2021, Caldera opened its doors to students and faculty. This building was a sort of catalyst for change that would be coming to south 15th Street. As one walks along the new walking path from Caldera and heads north past the sports fields (which are fantastic looking!) you will begin to approach Bend's newest park.
Very few things, let alone parks, seem to have come with the amount of anticipation as Alpenglow Park. The whole time the new high school was under construction there was discussion of this awesome new park that was going to be developed next to the high school. If you live in Bend, you know how amazing our parks are, both in number and quality. I've been lucky enough to visit Alpenglow a few times with my son and have been nothing but impressed. Several walking paths snake through the park—great for jogging, walking or any number of wheeled apparatuses. There is a splash pad, off-leash dog area, concert stage, plus plenty of open spaces for tossing a Frisbee or ball. The real gem in my opinion is on the north end of the park as you approach Murphy Road. Located here is a large bouldering area, perfect for folks looking to practice their climbing skills, as well as a great place for kids of all ages to get introduced to the sport. After passing through the various bouldering areas, one can see the other big change that occurred to this area.
If you have lived in or driven through either Old Farm or Southeast Bend, you likely noticed that Murphy Road was closed for quite a while (unless compared to Newport Avenue). The result of this closure was the overpass that connects 15th Street to Brosterhaus Road, aimed at relieving some of the traffic off of Reed Market, along with the known railroad crossing issues. Punching Murphy Road through to Third street really helps those who live off of 15th Street (namely The Bridges at Shadow Glen) and the new Pahlisch Community, Easton, being developed across from Caldera High School. If you have not been out to this quadrant of town recently you should check out this amazing new high school and community park; you might even find a new restaurant, food cart or coffee shop.
