While spending a few days on the Oregon coast, The Wandering Eye’s eye happened to light upon a brochure left in our hotel room. Since the weather was too windy and rainy to venture forth to the beach and we had gotten bored with the book we’d brought along, we flipped through it and came across this passage:
“Face it. It’s the most beautiful coast in the world.”
“No, let’s face it, it isn’t,” we immediately thought. “Without even trying we can think of half a dozen other coasts that are just as beautiful, or even more. California’s Big Sur. Washington’s Puget Sound. Any number of places in Hawaii. The west coast of Ireland. The fjords of Norway. And let’s not even talk about Greece and Italy.”
Just the same, Oregonians remain convinced that they have the most beautiful coast in the world (just as they have the most majestic mountains, the tallest trees, the most fish-filled lakes and rivers, etc., etc.) and they’re willing to pay a hefty premium to own a bit of real estate there.
Another brochure we picked up showed very modest “cottages” near the beach – we’re talking one bedroom, one bath – listed at $380,000 to $480,000; more grandiose accommodations are going for $700,000 to a million, and up.
Well, maybe “going for” is too optimistic a phrase. The real estate market and the economy have cooled off on the coast just the same as everywhere else. “For sale” signs were abundant, there seemed to be more empty storefronts than usual on the main drag, and substantial markdowns were advertised on many properties.
The bust hasn’t hit the coast quite as hard as it hit Central Oregon – not yet, anyway – but it’s still pretty brutal. According to Gorilla Capital’s report, notices of default in Lincoln County increased 223% in 2008 over 2007. In Deschutes County, NODs registered a 238% jump in the same period.
Looking at the current picture, realtytrac.com’s numbers show that one out of every 378 housing units in Lincoln City is in foreclosure, while the ratio in Bend is more than twice as high – one out of every 172.
Maybe the moral of all this is that to sustain healthy growth in the long run, you’ve got to have something more tangible and practical to offer than Bend’s mythical 300 days of sunshine or Lincoln City’s almost equally mythical “most beautiful coast in the world.”
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2009.
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Our city fathers have tunnel vision.We need companies to move here as we are to dependend for everything but labor.Example geo energy,wind farms it all exist here.WOW!Talk about change
In fairness to the city fathers (and mothers), Bend doesn’t have an awful lot going for it as a location for major employers. It’s remote, which means inconvenience and high transportation costs for raw materials and finished goods. It doesn’t have a big pool of well-educated/well-trained workers. So now that the timber is gone, recreation-oriented industries are probably the only realistic alternative.
The problem is that our city leaders, in their frantic lust for growth, encouraged Bend to expand far beyond the population level that a recreation-based economy could sustain. The bloated population was kept afloat for a few years by the money and jobs generated by the real estate bubble, but when that popped the economy collapsed.
Bend could be a charming, reasonably prosperous little tourist and retirement town of 20,000 – 30,000. (Think of Ashland.) It makes no economic sense whatsoever for it to be a city of 75,000 – 80,000, much less 100,000 or 200,000, which was what the boosters were predicting during the bubble days.
Of course our “leaders” in business, politics and the local mainstream media are so indoctrinated with the dogma of growth-at-all-costs that instead of encouraging the population to stabilize at a rational level they’ll just keep trying to re-inflate the bubble.
It seems as though everymorning someone pisses in your corn flakes. You constantly find fault in things you can find opprotunnity in. Bend is a wonderful place, yeah jobs are tough right now and the real estate values are correcting…but you don’t seem to get that this is when real opprotunnity arises.
You constantly bagging on the whole deal…maybe you should move to Ashland or the coast of Greece or wherever you think things are much better. Your nothing but a “debbie downer”
“maybe you should move to Ashland”
I’m seriously looking into it. Seriously. Hell of a lot nicer town than what Bend has turned into. Better climate too. No eight-month-long winter.
“Your nothing but a “debbie downer”
Ooooo, that is HARSH! You cut me to the quick.
You sound like a “double-downer” to me — somebody who “doubled down” on Bend real estate during the bubble and is now trying to cut his losses and unload it.
HBM: I am sure you would fit right in with what Ashland has become over the years. Bend’s gain and another wacko liberal for Ashland. Goodbye.
Jed: I wasn’t thinking about the political climate when I said Ashland was a nicer town than Bend, but now that you mention it — yeah, that’s another good reason to move there.
Unfortunately for me, I won’t be able to move for a couple of years at least.
And unfortunately for you, Bend is getting more progressive all the time. If you’re looking for a more congenial place, politically speaking, I suggest Oklahoma. It’s the “reddest” state in the country — every single county voted for McCain — and it’s flat and ugly. You’d love it.
I more of a palm tree and flowers for the winter and pines and sage for the summer person.
already unloaded it..and it’s still a great place to be…seriously though, bend will really miss you…we won’t need your forwarding address.
Jed: Good deal if you can work it. I’ve thought of becoming a snowbird (sunbird?) too. Bend’s weather really is delightful in the summer. Unfortunately the summer is only three and a half months long (mid-June through September).
HBM,
While I agree with much you write I’m a bit concerned about your attitude regarding the seasons in Central Oregon. It’s pretty darn easy to stretch summer / shrink winter by spending more of the “shoulder seasons” east of town. For example, the area in and around Smith Rock State Park seems to be somewhat of a “banana belt” and has some of the best terrain to play in/on or simply gaze upon anywhere. Spring at Smith is excellent for viewing the climber scene and the fall can be amazingly quiet as most of the tourists and climbers have departed. Oh, and learn to alpine ski, cross country ski or snow shoe and winter becomes a wonderful time to be here. As you so effectively write, no place is perfect so learn how to make the best of it until you can move somewhere that looks anywaylike a more perfect place.
I do agree with you that Jed would most likely be happier in one of the states in the mid-west with Oklahoma an excellent place for him to seriously consider. Happiness is where the heart is, eh?
“we won’t need your forwarding address.”
Don’t worry, you won’t get it.
“Oh, and learn to alpine ski, cross country ski or snow shoe and winter becomes a wonderful time to be here.”
Been there, done that (well, two out of three). Alpine skiing is great but it’s gotten too damn expensive, and I never really enjoyed cross-country — felt too much like work. Never tried snowshoeing — maybe I will someday.
Back in California I used to run, bike and play tennis a lot — three or four times most weeks — and was able to enjoy those activities almost year-round. Most of the time the weather in Central Oregon isn’t conducive to them. Who the hell likes to run, bike or play tennis when it’s raining and/or snowing and/or the wind is blowing 50 miles an hour?
“Back in California” I think that says it all.
“‘Back in California'” I think that says it all.”
Really? What does it say?