It’s easy to get caught up in Bend’s 300 days of sunshine, natural wonderland, and uniquely Central Oregon culture without giving it a second thought. But Bend is uniquely weird, with ten uniquely Bend phenomenons to prove it.

You may be a bendite if…

Dressing up for a black-tie event means wearing a tie with your jeans.

You own a blue or green subaru (Bonus points if you have any of the following bumper stickers: Be nice, you’re in Bend, I <3 Central Oregon, life is good, make local habit, BEND, COCC parking pass) A part of you dies every time someone has never skied or snowboarded. You view others honking as their ticket to hell. You have a Chalkos or Birkenstock tanline. Having more local breweries than Starbucks is a given. You spend more money on your dog than your kid. Fast food means just-add-water quinoa and a locally grown greens mix chased down with organic kombucha and a raw granola bar on the run. You complain about traffic when you have to stop at a light. You don’t know how to pump your own gas. Abigail Stevens | The Broadside