November 27, 2005
The New York Times
National Perspectives
Can a City Grow Quickly and Stay Simple?
By LINDA BAKER
Bend, Ore.
WHEN Tommy Ocel, a 40-year-old software engineer, lived in Sacramento, he spent an hour driving to and from work and another 45 minutes transporting his 9-year-old son to a private school 10 miles from home. But since Mr. Ocel and his family moved here last July, the car has spent more time in the garage than on the road. Mr. Ocel and his wife, Arielle, telecommute to their jobs in Sacramento, and their son, Duncan, rides his bike to a public school less than a mile away.
"Being able to walk and bike downtown and to school is a huge benefit," said Mr. Ocel, who lives with his family on the city's west side, just minutes from Drake Park, Bend's downtown greenway bordering the Deschutes River. The clean air is good for his son's asthma, Mr. Ocel said, and he has already bought a season's pass to Mount Bachelor, the state's largest ski area, 20 miles away.
"We moved here because we wanted a simpler life," Mrs. Ocel said. "We couldn't be happier." .....
Candy O'Rear, who is 55 and lives in Olympia, Wash., bought a 1,672-square-foot $665,000 town house in Bend's Mill Quarter development, a renovation of a historic lumber mill four blocks from the central core. "I'm in search of sun," said Ms. O'Rear, who expects to spend her time skiing, river rafting and attending performances in the new Les Schwab Amphitheater. .....
