Haritha Lakireddy has worked in her family's Indian restaurant, the Taj Palace, for the 10 years it's been open. Although she likes working with her parents and grandparents, she doesn't want to take over the business. Her parents don't want her to, either. "My parents want to see me go further than this. They are working this hard, seven days a week, to see me somewhere other than here."
John Rosman
Deschutes Brewery
John Rosman
Dave Sims has been working for Sun Country Tours, a rafting company, for 17 years. Sims estimates that they have 85-90 employees in the peak July season. But staff shrinks down to around two in the winter. During the off months, Sims works on his passion project: running dog sled tours. "Boy, if I could run dogs all year round, I would."
John Rosman
Drake Park at night
John Rosman
Burl Smith is working one of six jobs she has in town. Smith says, "Every six or seven months, a good job will open up and there will be 300 people who apply." Her husband bought a home more than three years ago, just when the market went bust. Reaching out for family support and maxing out a few credit cards, the couple was able to avoid foreclosure.
John Rosman
John Rosman
Kimberlyn Smith is getting ready to turn in the last of her papers for her nursing degree. After getting a divorce and watching the economy tank, Smith came to a realization: "I need an education to get a decent job." If she accomplishes her goal, the plan is to work. "I want to get as many hours as possible to make enough to support my kids, and reach as far as I can."
John Rosman
John Rosman
Ladawna Samples' family has been in Bend for many generations. But Samples sees changes when she goes out to hunt. "There's all these people hiking and biking on the trails. They're not even wearing orange in the middle of hunting season." But when she says something, she is met with blank stares. "They look at you like, 'Why are you here?' "
John Rosman
Melanie and Lawrence Fisher are getting ready to move into their new home, but getting it wasn't easy. "It's crazy how competitive it is to buy a home under the $300,000 price range." The Fishers found this home for around $250,000. In two days, there were already four offers; one was in cash. The Fishers won the bidding war and are now in the process of choosing what color to paint their home.
John Rosman
Tower Theatre
John Rosman
Mike Scott moved to Bend from Bondurant, Wyoming, hoping to leave the long winters behind. Although going from a town of 100 to a city with 80,000 has taken a little adjusting, he's happy to have Bend as his home. Scott is retired from years of working as an estate caretaker and recently bought a house. "The fact that it's yours, instead of someone else's, counts for a lot."
John Rosman
John Rosman
Mark Campbell was three years away from retirement when the housing market crashed. With two kids in high school and another in college, they talked about their financial situation, and grew to be a stronger family. Now, Campbell is working more reguarly. "After something like this, you get to appreciate the simple things in life, like family and friends."
John Rosman
Many Oregonians are familiar with Bend, whether it's because of the biking, the beer or the real estate bubble that brought the economy to a halt.
That infamous bubble led many to christen Bend as a place to live in "poverty with a view." Bend saw the largest drop in house prices in the country, and the trend of Californians buying second homes in the region disappeared.
View the slideshow above to meet some of the people who have made Bend their home.
This slideshow is part of Think Out Loud's Our Town series, in which we go beyond the daily news cycle and into the places some OPB listeners call home, including Camas, Astoria, Monument, Warm Springs, Woodburn, Lakeview, Roseburg and Bend.
