"What's important is that I know it."

Linda asked me what I mean by "it" in the last post.

I'm talking about the peculiar population dynamics of Bend. As I see it, we have two very unique differences: demographics and isolation. You can't just look at pure population numbers and averages to get at the truth.

We have way, way more motels and restaurants than any town our size should have, but that makes sense when you look at what our major industry is -- tourism. I'm not sure all the 'specialty' stores can be supported by the demographics --that remains to be seen -- but it explains why people are trying.

Anyway, anyone who moves here from somewhere else and doesn't spend some time investigating may very well get fooled by the population statistics alone.