About Central Oregon

The Central Oregon region encompasses the dramatic snow capped mountain ranges, farmlands, and high desert plateaus of Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties.  Equally diverse are business opportunities here with a mix of well-established manufacturers, an expanding high technology sector, world-class tourist destinations and some of the nation’s fastest growing communities.

With 300 days of sunshine a year (as many as Arizona!) and oodles of fresh powder come winter; the high desert country of Central Oregon is an idyllic playground for sports lovers. Rekindle your spirit with a gamut of possibilities such as world famous golf at more than 25 unique courses, coveted fly-fishing at over 150 rivers and lakes, and outdoor adventures including hiking, rock climbing at Smith Rock and an abundance of snow sports atop Mt. Bachelor. And what’s more, the region boasts an equally impressive selection of restaurants and breweries, a vibrant nightlife, unique lodging and a growing arts scene.

Topography & Climate

The geographical climate for Central Oregon is predominately High Desert. Summer temperatures range from an average high of 85 degrees Fahrenheit to a low of 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Average highs in winter are in the 40's to lows in the 20's. Precipitation ranges from 10.5 to 12.04 inches, annually. Every community in Central Oregon has its own variations of temperature and precipitation, relative to its elevation and proximity to the mountains.

Elevation
Bend	3623'
La Pine	4300'
Madras	2242'
Prineville	2868'
Redmond	3077'
Sisters	3200'
Warm Springs	1575'

Climate

With only an average of 8 -15 inches of precipitation per year, warm days and cool nights it appeals to many from areas with a reputation for rain (Portland, Seattle) as well as those used to sunny, warmer climates such as (San Jose and Los Angeles).

Every community in Central Oregon has its own variations of temperature and precipitation, relative to its elevation and proximity to the mountains. Central Oregon’s weather is influenced by storms that come off the Pacific Ocean, which typically bring warmer, moist air. Most of the moisture is dumped in Western Oregon in the form of rain (and lots of it) in the lowlands and snow in the upper elevations as the storm system hits the Cascades. Little of this moisture makes it to Central Oregon, thereby creating our desirable high desert climate.

Average Annual Precipitation  (in inches)
Bend	11.70
Culver	0.86
Madras	10.90
Metolius	9.96
Prineville	10.74
Redmond	8.62
Sisters	4.18

	Bend	Madras	Prineville	Redmond	Sisters
January Average Max. Temp.(F)	41	41.7	42.1	41.2	41.2
January Average Min. Temp.(F)	21	21.6	20.6	21.8	20.9
July Average Max. Temp.(F)	81	87.5	85.6	85	83.9
July Average Min. Temp.(F)	45	45.4	42.7	46.7	41.7

Population

Between 1995 and 2005, the Central Oregon population grew by an incredible 53%. Most of this growth is due to in-migration. Other areas of the nation, especially in the Southwestern states, also have high in-migration rates, but the demographics of those new residents vary greatly from Central Oregon.

2005 Total Area Population: 185,231

	Actual
Counties & Cities	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000*	1995	1990*
Crook County	21,150	20,650	20,300	20,200	19,850	19,182	15,700	14,111
Prineville	9,082	8,640	8,500	8,150	7,750	7,356	8,205	5,355
Unincorporated	12,068	12,010	11,800	12,050	12,100	11,826	9,947	8,756
Deschutes County	143,481	135,450	130,500	126,500	122,050	115,367	89,500	74,958
Bend	70,328	65,210	62,900	57,750	55,080	52,029	29,425	20,469
Redmond	21,110	18,100	17,450	16,110	14,960	13,481	9,650	7,163
Sisters	1,706	1,490	1,430	1,080	960	959	765	679
Unincorporated	50,337	50,650	48,720	51,560	51,050	48,898	49,660	46,647
Jefferson County	20,600	20,250	19,900	19,850	19,400	19,009	15,400	13,676
Culver	1,019	850	840	840	800	802	600	570
Madras	5,592	5,430	5,370	5,290	5,200	5,078	4,290	3,443
Metolius	804	790	780	770	660	635	540	450
Warm Springs	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	5,727	NA	NA
Unincorporated	13,185	13,180	12,910	12,950	12,740	6,767	9,905	9,213
Total Area Population	185,231	176,350	170,700	166,550	161,300	153,558	120,600	102,745

*U.S. Census Bureau
Annual estimates - Portland State University Population Research Center

Deschutes County Population Projections
	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025	% Growth 2005-2025
Bend	66,357	78,042	87,953	98,689	107,632	62%
Redmond	21,582	27,873	34,795	41,051	47,169	119%
Sisters	1,572	2,390	3,085	3,872	4,837	208%
Non-Urban County	52,327	56,094	60,132	64,461	69,101	32%
County Total	141,838	164,399	185,965	208,073	228,739	61%

Source: Deschutes County Coordinated Population Forecast

County Population Projections
County	2003	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025	2030	2035	2040
Crook	20,300	21,035	23,051	25,249	27,590	30,125	32,796	35,569	38,553
Deschutes	130,500	139,994	158,792	178,418	197,150	214,479	229,933	244,069	257,088
Jefferson	19,900	20,491	22,168	24,079	26,065	28,298	30,831	33,390	36,094
Tri-County Total	170,700	181,520	204,011	227,746	250,805	272,902	293,560	313,028	331,735

Source: Oregon Bureau of Economic Analysis

City	Median Age
Bend	34.8
La Pine	44.7
Madras	28.7
Prineville	32.9
Redmond	32.7
Sisters	38.8
Warm Springs	23.7

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

One of the leading reasons people are flocking to the region is our climate. With an average of 10-15 inches of precipitation per year, yet four distinct seasons, the region appeals to many from areas with a reputation for rain (Portland and Seattle) as well as those used to sunny, warmer climates (San Jose and Los Angeles). When it comes to sun, Central Oregon has more sunny days on average than Houston, Texas and just 14% less sun than Phoenix, Arizona.

Due to a well-established and growing visitor industry, Central Oregon offers many “big city” amenities such as four-star restaurants, some of the West’s best brewpubs, the largest concentration of destination resorts and golf courses in the Northwest, and world-class recreation facilities. At the same time, the region still enjoys the benefits of small-town America: low crime, excellent schools, quality yet affordable housing, and active grass-roots civic involvement from its residents.

Jefferson County is the most ethnically diverse in the region with nearly 33.6 % of the population either of Hispanic or American Indian origin.  Deschutes and Crook County are predominantly comprised of white residents, however population demographics are changing in these counties as more new residents with a variety of ethnic heritage call the region home.  For example, Crook County’s Hispanic population doubled over the past decade, going from 338 to 1,082 or 5.6% of total residents.

Because Bend and Central Oregon have been celebrated in national and regional press as one of the most desirable places to retire, many assume that our population is skewed toward older residents.  Actually, the region has a healthy mixture of ages, with higher than average percentage of school age children 5-14 than either state or national averages (a testimony that people believe it is a good place to raise children) and higher than state averages for the 35-44 and 45-54 age categories.  Still, Central Oregon’s climate and relative low cost of living is attractive to retirees – we also have a higher percentage of people living here between the ages of 55 to 74 than either Oregon or the U.S. as a whole.