page_title: Bend, Oregon
section_title: Arts and culture
hierarchical_section_title: Bend, Oregon / Arts and culture
caption_attribution_description: English: Tower Theatre in Bend, Oregon in 2012
context_page_description: Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population density of that area. Bend recorded a population of 76,693 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, up from 52,029 at the 2000 census. The estimated population of the city as of 2019 was 100,421. The Bend metro population was estimated at 197,488 as of July 16, 2019. It is the fifth largest metropolitan area in Oregon.
  Bend is located on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range along the Deschutes River. There the Ponderosa pine forest transitions into the high desert, characterized by arid land, junipers, sagebrush, and bitterbrush. Originally a crossing point on the river, settlement began in the early 1900s. Bend was incorporated as a city in 1905. Economically, it started as a logging town but is now identified as a gateway for many outdoor sports, including mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, skiing, paragliding, and golf.
context_section_description: The city is becoming well known for its burgeoning art scene, and is home to numerous visual and fine art galleries as well as the independent BendFilm Festival.
  There are numerous public art displays, including the Roundabout Art Route tour of outdoor sculptures throughout the city.
  Museums
  Deschutes Historical Museum (located in the historic Reid School building)
  High Desert Museum
  National Register of Historic Places
  Bend Amateur Athletic Club Gymnasium
  Charles Boyd Homestead Group
  Downing Building
  Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District
  George Palmer and Dorothy Binney Putnam House
  Goodwillie–Allen House
  N. P. Smith Pioneer Hardware Store
  O'Kane Building
  Thomas McCann House
  Trinity Episcopal Church
  Venues, restaurants, and shopping
  Les Schwab Amphitheater
  Old Mill District
  Pine Tavern
  Tower Theatre
  Old St. Francis School
  Natural history
  Mirror Pond
  Pine Mountain Observatory
caption: Tower Theatre, Bend, OR - 2012
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