The unique development of Central Oregon in the last few years has created a community that thrives on collaboration and harnesses the emerging highlights of the area: recreation, beer, art and a strong entrepreneurial drive.

Some may be tempted to focus on the recreation aspect, or beer, but these would be leaving out the richer picture of what we have cultivated here. People who choose to vacation in Central Oregon for the skiing, will also dine at one of the brewpubs and catch an ArtWalk in downtown Bend; the High Desert grows because of these visits, in fact, many tourists have such a positive experience, they choose to move, bring their businesses or start a new venture.

You can’t take the music, art or theatre out of the Bend experience; the reason we live in such an amazing community is the fact that we have access to the mountain biking, microbrews and professional Shakespearian theatre in our livable community.

There is creativity in business just like there is business in the arts. The launch of the Central Oregon Music & Arts Coalition (story on page 18) along with the current 34 member-strong Arts & Cultural Alliance means our cultural organizations see the power in collaboration, which in turn means an even more interesting and diverse lifestyle for Central Oregonians. And we all like to drink beer!