Yeah, the Northwest has many vanagons.

  Poor Bend!  In fact, the whole northwest has been growing outrageously
fast.  While I am not a 'native' I've been living here for about 13 years.
Moved here from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to escape the influx of  the well
funded in that area.

  The Northwest is "in denial" about it's new-found population.  Yes, if
you've recently moved here from San Francisco or L.A., like it seems
everyone has, it is still better than where you left.  But those who are
running the states and cities are not even close to keeping up with the
rapid and large influx of new population.
 We now have huge traffic problems, getting worse quickly...Maybe not huge
compared to the Bay Area and LA (yet) but the whole I-5 corridor through
Oregon and Washington often encounters grid lock and the greater Seattle
area is especially bad.
  Bend, until just a few years back, had just the old highway to get
north/south  through that city.  4 lanes,  with stoplights and large truck
and trailer traffic. Lined with stip malls and gas stations.   It took an
hour to get through Bend, (about 8 miles) and then you were in
Redmond...more stoplights and strip malls..
  Bend finally finished a "Parkway"  a few years ago that helped the north
/south flow of traffic somewhat..but it, too has stoplights and a 45mph
speed limit.  I guess the city fathers and ODOT never expected the
population to keep growing.....Bend must think they are still a 'little
town'...but not so.
   Weekends and holidays, the route through central Oregon is  as bad as
I-15 between Las Vegas and LA, only it is  still just a 2-lane highway..It
reminds me of  US 99 through the central valley of California...
  Yeah, Mike...'you shoulda been here yesterday'...  I think I saw  "Bend,
Or. Pop. 370,000" last time through there.

  Don Hanson

Date:    Tue, 6 May 2008 22:42:23 -0700
From:    Don Hundt <dhundt@BENDBROADBAND.COM>
Subject: Re: Bend, OR -- my goodness, lots of Vanagons!

You think it's nice now, you should have seen it in the early 70's before
everyone started moving here from socal ; ) 7000 people, no big box stores,
no traffic, no jobs...............