I know I probably could recreate this for 420-500k but it would take me a year, or two, and have to find the best deals.

My office is near the Cecil and Herlong Recreational Airports (highway 228).

As the area improves I believe proximity to the lake for recreational purposes and proximity to the train to downtown will be a key factor for people moving into the area. 

Maybe we are just dumb newbies hoping to recreate what podcast hosts have done.

but the speculators of the day especially in the high desert out of LA always sold it that it would be the Next LA  well they been saying that for 100 years.. although Palmdale Lancaster has grown to be 50k populations maybe more and people drive into LA to work.. and Edwards airbase is there and it ebbs and flows with govmit jobs.. but most of the other areas are all what we call recreational lands  surrounded by nothing and or border vast tracts of BLM  and State lands and federal lands  be them state parks or federal parks.. just google it.. you will see.one needs to understand in your area lands were divided and lived on starting in the 1600s or earlier in some cases and well established in the 1700 and 1800s  these areas in those areas were still lands of Mexico in some instances and or Spanish land grants.

In Bend, I'm not quite sure what the economy is, other than recreation.

I've actually not heard mention of recreational vehicle or boats for STRs yet, so I don't know how much they've thought about it.

It allows you to start EXTREMELY simple and free, while adding tools to your skill-set, without having to recreate or alter your data.

The whole area here is planned around outdoor recreation, with winter and summer sports everywhere.

It's a popular outdoor recreation area.