BEND, OR

Bend is a city in Central Oregon and the seat of government of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River.

The site became known by pioneers as a fordable crossing point of the river, where it ran through a bend. An 1870s ranch popularized the name “Farewell Bend,” with the post office later distinguishing the area as Bend. It was incorporated as a city in 1905, starting off as a logging town. In 1910, Mirror Pond was created as a dammed river reservoir to provide energy. In 1950, the two major logging companies were consolidated due to depleted timber, causing an economic drop. In later decades, it experienced rapid growth as a center of tourism and recreation.

Situated in the Oregon High Desert, Bend is bordered by the Deschutes National Forest to the southwest. Economically, it is a tourist destination, featuring recreational attractions (e.g. breweries, an amphitheater, Mt. Bachelor, and the last Blockbuster video-rental store) as well as outdoor sports, including mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, skiing, paragliding, and golf.

Bend is Central Oregon’s most populous city. In the 2020 census, it had a population of 99,178,^[3] with the eponymous metropolitan statistical area (MSA) population totaling 247,493. This makes the city and MSA the sixth-most populous city and fifth largest metropolitan area in Oregon, respectively.