NORTH BEND: A HOMETOWN IN THREE PARTS, 1, 2, 3

North Bend, Oregon has the same parts as anywhere else in the world.

In my view, and I think you’ll agree, the three parts are:

What I thought it was.

What it is.

How others see it.

Sounds normal enough? It fits your hometown, too.

Part One

I was a kid when my family showed up, a mom, a dad, and three kids.

It was right after my dad graduated from college and landed his first big job.

He and my mom had other choices, like Coos Bay, Empire, or Charleston. He was a man with a territory to cover between Florence and Brookings and could have landed in any town in between.

Why North Bend?

The old man was a Marine before he was a husband and father and college boy. The Marine mascot is a bulldog. The North Bend High School mascot is a bulldog. I think he liked the idea of raising a bunch of bulldogs.

He wasn’t disappointed, but I was. As a pre-kindergarten boy I’d seen shows on TV about big cities. I had a notion of Wall Street and tall buildings.

Wall St. in North Bend wasn’t the Wall St. I expected. And the Empire State Building wasn’t in Empire? What was going on. I was a little surprised about my findings, but got over it. Kids, right?

Part Two

Everyone grew up in the same wind, sand, and rain, the sort of weather remembered on one hundred and ten degree days now.

Who didn’t go crabbing in the bay, clamming on the beach, fishing in the ocean? Deer hunting in the hills?

Even if it never happened you could find fresh seafood, if not deer meat.

Oregon Coast exploring goes far beyond the the usual suspects for the more intrepid. Canon Beach is nice. Seaside is fine. Astoria has a great story. Newport and Depoe Bay? All good.

The biggest difference in North Bend is the region. More beaches, more bay, more woods. Part destination, part industry, part long-time residents, things feel more authentic than a beach town geared for tourism.

Growing up in a community of hard working resource extraction creates a tougher culture more related to the Pacific Northwest. It’s the sort of environment people like to say ‘builds character’ without ever living there. Like Pittsburgh.

If you grew up here you found a similar attitude everywhere you go.

To test this idea I moved to Philadelphia and Brooklyn and found it accurate.

Part Three

Drag down I-5 and look at some of the Oregon towns. Lebanon, Sweet Home, Creswell, Drain, Elkton, Scotsburg, Reedsport, Winchester Bay all have something going on. And it’s something special.

Take the Creswell Bakers for example. This small town business would fit into any boutique neighborhood of discerning consumers.

Is the North Bend Bakery on the same level? I’m anxious to find out.

I’ll take a flyer here and say yes while munching on a hand-pie from Creswell.

I’ve always had a special affinity for local bakeries.

After doing research and taking notes, one extra stop before this busy blogger logs off.