I've never had a problem with black bears, but I'm pretty careful as I'm not interested in a confrontation. Here's my list of close encounters:
1) black bears (mom and cub) came in the front yard and bent over a steel poll with a bird feeder on it. They had a snack and left.. still have the steel poll, just bent it straight and all is ok.
2) neighbor across the street had them go through his garbage cans, when he asked the mayor (who lived next door) what he should do the major said if they come in the backdoor, you go out the front door.
3) started a hike about a mile from the house, came around a corner and their was a very fresh steaming pile of bear doo in the trail. Couldn't have been minutes old. I decided on hiking another day.
4) I was hiking on a trail that was quite away from anything, came to a meadow and saw a mom and two cubs crossing the trail about 50 yards a head of me. Stopped and very slowly retreated they went on and nothing happened.
Of course these are all in the Cascade mountains in Oregon. But thought I'd share.