Larry,
The skies in Bend proper are clear 300 days a year (barring the summertime thunderstorms and forest fires), but the sky glow is disappointing. Moving a few short miles out of town offer draumatic improvement in the sky conditions.
I own a home in Sunriver, 10 miles south of Bend. As an astronomer, I didn't hesitate a nanosecond to buy in here rather than in Bend.
The Sunriver Observatory, with numerous scopes up to 16", is one of the many reasons I chose to buy here. The skies in SR are very good, but the presence of 2000 homes in the immediate vicinity inevitably adds to the sky glow despite very restrictive lighting covenants. You cannot escape the Bend light dome to the north. I agree with Bortle sky rating of 4-4.5, http://cleardarksky.com/lp/SnrvrORlp.html?Mn=apochromatic.
I love the Sunriver community goals, but the covenants will restrict any attempt to construct permanent infrastructure to aid in viewing from your home -- it is out of the question if it isn't environmentally stealth.
Compared to Bend, Sunriver receives 1/3 more precipitation (15" yearly); 5-10 degrees cooler; and 1000' higher (4200'). Winter temperatures in Sunriver routinely fall to 0 to 20 degrees below zero (last year I recorded -19F); low temps are occasionally below freezing August. Summer high temps can hit the upper 90's. October is the most amazing month with temps in the upper 70's at the start of the month, but can fall to 0 by the end of the month. Expect snow of variable depth from November to April, often with substantial accumulation when Bend is dry as a desert. The microclimates of Sunriver and nearby LaPine are substantially different from Bend despite the short distance.
Sunriver has it's own airport, resort, golf courses, police and fire departments, grocery stores, quaint shopping and restaurants. The best skiing and fishing in the Northwest is 20-60 minutes away. Sunriver is unique in the Northwest with a very dedicated community of permanent residents augmented by the amenities brought by a destination resort. The residents view the resort as an adjunct, rather primary focus, to the community.
Bend, with a population of about 80,000, offers amenities shockingly good for a town of its size in the middle of country dominated by breathtaking mountain peaks, cowboys and farmers. The diverse attraction of culture and country fueled a boom that pushed Bend's real estate values to the top of the list of overpriced US market. The giddy days quickly flipped into a bust that will continue to crush entrepreneurs and residents for the next 3-5 years. Home prices have retreated to levels of 5-7 years ago.
Rural locations a few miles out of town offer much darker skies and somewhat cheaper land; and every mile eastward will deliver fewer clouds with the dry sagebrush and juniper.
The Pine Mountain Observatory, operated by the University of Oregon, is about 45 minutes east of Bend. The Oregon Star Party is held in the mountains about 2.5 hours east-northeast of Bend, offering spectacular dark skies that rival the best in the US. The Mt Bachelor Star Party is held either in Sunriver, or at Mt Bachelor 20 minutes northwest of Sunriver (30 minutes from Bend).
I hope this gives you a sense of the area.
