It was not near as hard to get a hold of them as I thought it was going to be Yes. It took time,…read morebut I just sat on hold and did some laundry.

The young man who answered our questions (Brandon) was most helpful and mailed all the…read moredocumentation we need. Great service.

Some of the judges need to have more compassion. They don't care about the people struggling just…read moreto make it. They make things as difficult as possible. I couldn't be in the courtroom. They send mail to wrong addresses. They never give information that is needed.

This building looks like what I thought a Oregon courthouse should look like. It was built in 1940…read moreand served as the courthouse for years. It is still used by the courts but it has been outgrown, Today the jury rooms are here with the courts located next-door in the Justice building which was built in 1978.

I love having a downtown Post Office. Very convenient, and the service and friendliness is superb.read more

The gals who work at this post office are amazing. They are very friendly and efficient, even when…read morethere is a long line and I can imagine they are under some stress. Also, they always provide options in terms of cost, packaging, turnaround, insurance for whatever you are delivering. I hope that nothing changes in this post office!

As with National Park rangers, interacting with US Forest Service folks is invariably a pleasant…read moreexperience. I came in for maps, and maps they have aplenty. Not only maps, but also lots of outdoor-related literature such as the Roadside Geology of Oregon and other books. And some trinkets. But I was impressed - not surprised - with the helpfulness of the ranger at the counter in explaining what they had in the way of trail and 4WD maps for the Deschutes and Ochoco forests. Super helpful. If you need forest service information or materials, drop in. You'll be glad you did.

A nice space with a friendly staff…read more I have been to several forest offices through just blanket adventuring and have found that the one at Deschutes to be categorically one of the finest. The facility is well maintained, beautiful and expansive. The staff are friendly and ready and eager to help. Parking is ample and one of the well defining characteristics of the Forest office is the dog park adjacent to the Forest which offers a great deal of space for you or your friendly pooch to run wild. Definitely a great stop while in and around the town.

Hello, I had an…read moreoccurrence with a Bend Police Officer on 8/22/19. I had been driving for over 7 hours and was 4 miles from my destination to Bend to visit my son who had recently moved here. Traffic was strong and moving quickly on the 97, and I was trying to keep up, even while pulling my trailer and not aware of my speed. I was suddenly pulled over by Officer Greg Goller where he very nicely said hello and asked if I knew how fast I was going? I responded saying no, that I just thought I was keeping up with everyone else. He told me of my speed (which was much to high in any case) and informed me that there have been many rear-end accidents in this area and that they are trying to raise awareness by slowing people down and asked me for my license. He then ran my I.D. and informed me that he was going to issue me a warning. I was so appreciative of his approach to educate me as well as give the impression that he was trying to "protect" people, support the community and do his job at the same time. He took the time also to explain a few things about the State of Oregon and how policing works compared to other states as I had come from Idaho. He concluded by encouraging me to drive safe and said goodbye and waved to me as he passed by later on his motorbike as I moved along my way. I was struck by the notion that "this is exactly what a police officer should be like, exactly how a police officer should treat people and it is his type of police effort that instills confidence, support and belief in safety officers. Had he written me the ticket, I have no doubt that I would feel the same about his customer service but i appreciate greatly that he evaluated the situation and chose to explain to me his efforts and issue a warning. I have been re-visiting this experience and telling others what a professional and impressive experience i had with Officer Goller and decided that the least i could do is notify his agency and superiors what a fine job they are doing in training their officers and what a fine officer they have in Officer Goller. Our country has been going through such a challenging time in regard to "anti-police" rhetoric, which I do not support, and I feel strongly that we need to respect and support our police officers and the rule of law. I have also experienced officers that seem angry and/or have treated me terribly for no reason whatsoever, even when giving them the respect they deserve. I know its a tough job! Let me conclude by saying Congratulations to the Bend Police Department for hopefully doing a great job training their officers and/or at a minimum, have a superb officer on the force named Greg Goller. Sincerely, Scott Clegg

We arrived back at our hotel around midnight. The entrance was blocked with two police cars. At…read morefirst, we couldn't tell what was going on but there was a blue truck in the parking lot and a guy they were talking to. We could see that they were putting the guy through a sobriety test. Never once did they come to us to say it was going to be awhile before we could get to the parking lot and our room. We waited for over 20 minutes. My wife finally got out and walked to the room. I waited in the car until they cuffed the guy and put him in the police car. After they put him in the car they continued to chat and I finally had to tap my horn. Even then there was nothing from them to say they apologized for the delay and thanks for your patience. My dad was a Police Chief for over 25 years. I know the demands of the job and what to expect from good policing. This was not a job well done.

This is one of my favorite cities to visit to get some cool weather in September. It is about a 3…read morehour drive from Portland and under 30 minutes from the Redmond Municipal Airport. There are a variety of hotels, motels, and B&B's between downtown and the Old Mill District. If you want a quieter environment, stay in the Old Mill District area. Bend has some beautiful landscapes full of different outdoor activities. Flow riding on the rapids of the Deschutes River, jogging along the river paths, shopping in town, and dining at some wonderful restaurants. I also love that Oregon is tax-free on merchandise, so the price of goods is the total price. Bend still had that small town feel even though it is quickly becoming more popular with people moving here for a better family environment.

I feel like Bend is now known as a playground for Californians with too much money. Growing up, I…read moreonly visited a few times, mostly related to a youth organization I was in; it's about 2.5 hours east but my family wasn't into skiing or anything and there were rivers, lakes, and reservoirs much closer to home. But rather than just sit at home and stare at each other we decided to take a drive to Bend when I was home recently. When we go my mom likes to drive by the house which my grandparents lived in for a few years whilst she was in college, before moving back to Eugene, and there's not usually anything in particular we're here for. This was not really an exception. We did stop at the Last Blockbuster, since my nephew was along and wanted to. We went to the downtown district where there are some cute shops. I got a permanent bracelet at Nashelle and I love it; I wish that I was closer because they had some really nice charms to go with it. Bend Burger has good burgers. But what people usually come to Bend for is the recreation. Located in the Deschutes National Forest and at a high elevation, Bend is a place for skiers. Mt. Bachelor isn't too far away. Suttle Lake is nearby as well, so if lake recreation is more your bag you'll find it here as well. Volcanic eruptions in the state has left some of the area covered in lava beds. Fishing, rafting, and so on are all popular activities in the area.

Everything about the library sysyem was terrific until the planning started for the new library…read more The new library is in a word overkill and a hugh waste of taxpayers' money. And when thinking about the planning for the opening of the new library and the virtual closing of the existing downtown library the planning is in my mind nonexistent. Bend is a city of 100.000 and we virtually have no ibrary at this time. The plans for the remodeling of the existing downtown library are again a waste of $. It is in a word "perfect" as is. I would guess that if the public had any idea of how the $ were to be spent (wasted) the library bond issue would have been voted down! The plan of how to spend the bond proceeds should have been "as needed" instead of spend (blow) it all!

Human Citizens of Bend:…read more How are you so fortunate to have this amazing collection of resources? I came here to say: The staff have always been most helpful. Thank you for helping me with kindness and empathy when I needed it.

Too much money, no surprise unaffordable housing, but yet...just tax us some more…read moreIntended affordable housing at Stevens Ranch...800,000 dollars, who is this intended for?

If you love corporate sellouts and tax breaks for their developer buddies, you'll love the leaders…read moreof this place. If you love congestion, potholes, and completely closed roads for months, this is the place for you. Spending millions on projects that less than 1% of the population will use. It's sad how a handful of garbage leaders can ruin an entire city.