The last time I saw Bend, Oregon, its population was somewhere in the vicinity of 15,000

August 1975.  The blue dots across the middle of the map and up along the Oregon coast indicate the route I took hitchhiking from Montana to Mountain Home, Idaho, to Seattle.  Near the eastern outskirts of Bend, I pitched a tent for the night in a sheltered location off U.S. Highway 20.

Close-up of Retiring Guy photo

Source:  Wikipedia

At the U.S. 97 and U.S. 20 crossroads

Apparently, it's all about outdoor recreation and beer.