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Orchard District Neighborhood

If you’re looking for something on the affordable side but still want to be close to the action of Old Town, this neighborhood deserves to be on your shortlist.

Traditionally, this neighborhood has been known as the Orchard District. Of late though, the name “Midtown” has been catching on. It makes sense: find yourself here, and you’ll be smack dab in the middle of Bend. North, South, East, or West: take your pick; you’ll be bound to land somewhere interesting.

That’s not to say that you’ll necessarily need to go anywhere else. Traditionally, Midtown has been primarily residential. Fifties and sixties mid-century modern homes predominate with a sprinkling of seventies-vintage properties. A number of these were lovingly built by Bend’s original production builder, Clyde Purcell, the mastermind behind the impressive Riverhouse on the Deschutes.

NE 3rd Street on the western edge of Midtown, however, is one of Bend’s main shopping corridors. Truth be told, it’s a bit of a pedestrian-unfriendly traffic snag at present, but with a redevelopment plan in the works, that’s due to change soon.

The Bend Central District Initiative will create new mixed-use housing/office complexes, improve walkability and bikability, and improve access to downtown. The Makers District already features a number of local businesses that are leading the push to bring new juice to Midtown–some of them quite literally.

These include several cycling and outdoor stores, an indoor year-round farmer’s market (Central Oregon Locavore), not one but two kombucha brewers (Caboost Kombucha and the Humm Kombucha Taproom) and one of Bend’s premiere performing arts venues, the 2nd Street Theater.

Apart from Midtown’s busy commercial district, there’s another landmark you’re not likely to miss: the iconic Pilot Butte, one of the only volcanoes you’ll find in city limits in the Continental United States.

Wait, a volcano?! Relax: it blew its lid long ago and is now extinct. Hiking trails wind up to the caldera, and the views can’t be beat. It’s also the launch site for Bend’s annual Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza.

The Orchard District is our pick for one of Bend’s top neighborhoods because its future is bright. We advise prospective Bend homeowners to get in before Midtown home prices go the way of Old Town, Southern Crossing, or River West.