This graph is from the Portland Housing Blog. It shows what I've always maintained. We all drank the kool-aid, but Bendites drank twice as much.
Back at the height of the boom, I'd be talking to a tourist about the housing bubble, and they'd say, "Oh, yes. It's happening where we came from."
And it always sounded lame when I'd say, "Yeah, but Bend is a bigger bubble than anywhere else."
But I think we were. At least we were head to head with Naples, Florida and a few other places.
And don't give me the old line about Bend being 'special.' This graph is relative to local conditions, which makes that whole argument moot.
Back at the height of the boom, I'd be talking to a tourist about the housing bubble, and they'd say, "Oh, yes. It's happening where we came from."
And it always sounded lame when I'd say, "Yeah, but Bend is a bigger bubble than anywhere else."
But I think we were. At least we were head to head with Naples, Florida and a few other places.
And don't give me the old line about Bend being 'special.' This graph is relative to local conditions, which makes that whole argument moot.