Bend Wins Spot on PETA’s ‘Vegan-Friendly Cities’ List

For Immediate Release:
December 14, 2020

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382

The results are in for PETA’s 2020 ranking of the Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Towns and Small Cities in the U.S., and Bend’s vegan companies and food—including dozens of vegan-friendly restaurants—have landed it the number nine spot on the list. In recognition, PETA has sent an award certificate to Mayor Sally Russell.

For many years, PETA has named the most vegan-friendly big cities in the U.S. This year, as so many people are migrating to less-populated areas in the midst of the pandemic, PETA has shifted its sights, too, picking the country’s top 10 most vegan-friendly small cities.

“The small cities on PETA’s list are big hot spots for the delicious animal-friendly cuisine that today’s diners demand,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Whether you’re looking for a vegan radio show, a cruelty-free beauty company, or just a hearty helping of BBQ jackfruit ribs, Bend’s got it.”

Bend’s many standout vegan restaurants include Root Down Kitchen, where customer favorites include the hoisin and roasted cauliflower tacos (drizzled with green tahini sauce) and the sesame Dijon tempeh sandwich. For meals on the go, don’t miss food truck Lively Up Yourself and its Buffalo jackfruit mac and cheese bowl, and for dessert, there’s the dairy-free sorbetto at Bonta, available in a variety of flavors, from chocolate coconut to marionberry blood orange. Unique to Bend are “All Things Vegan” (airing the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. on 88.9 KPOV); Broken Top Candle Company, a vegan candlemaker; and Axiology, a local vegan lipstick company that sells its products around the world.

The number of vegan Americans has increased by 600% in just three years, according to research firm GlobalData. Each person who goes vegan prevents nearly 200 animals a year from enduring daily suffering and a terrifying death; dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint; reduces their risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; and helps prevent future pandemics. SARS, swine flu, bird flu, and COVID-19 all stemmed from confining or killing animals for food.

Topping PETA’s list is Asheville, North Carolina, followed by Dayton, Ohio; Frederick, Maryland; Tacoma, Washington; Boise, Idaho; San Marcos, Texas; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Bisbee, Arizona.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.