La Pine Profile

La Pine, Oregon

Because La Pine was an unincorporated area until 2006, official population figures for the area have not yet been developed. However, because the area offers popular home sites, typically with larger acreages on flat, wooded mountain valleys, a majority of new residential building permits in unincorporated Deschutes County have been issued in the La Pine area. Estimates for the greater La Pine area (south of Sunriver and north of the Klamath County line) are between 15,000 and 16,000 residents – making it potentially the second largest population “center” in the Central Oregon region. The population estimate for zip code 97739 in 2007 was 9,421 residents.  Portland State University's Population Research Center estimated in July 2008 that the incorporated town of La Pine had 1,610 residents.

Development
Fitting with its pioneering spirit, La Pine and its surrounding area has become a hub of activity for the renewable energy industry. The city boasts the first gold LEED certified building east of the Cascade Mountains, Midstate Electric Cooperative, and with the completion of Little Deschutes Lodge Retirement Center, will have the first platinum LEED building – the highest certification available. Recent interest and implementation of renewable energy projects including geothermal, biomass and solar have made La Pine the potential hub for renewable energy technology.

The commercial area of La Pine has several sizeable developments underway or recently completed including a new multi-million dollar senior/assisted living facility, elementary school, and several new commercial/retail businesses. Community leaders in the La Pine area have also been working diligently on development of municipal services including a community water and sewer system. As a result, the area’s new industrial park and surrounding areas have water provided by a new well, distribution system and 250,000 gallon storage reservoir managed by La Pine Water District. Sewer services are also available, provided by the La Pine Sewer District.

These efforts have been well timed with the development of the area’s business “drawing card,” the La Pine Industrial Park. This newer, fully serviced park offers flat and “rock-less” buildable lots from ¼ acre to 40 + acres at the very low price of $12,500 per acre or $1,250 per acre per year for lease. The park also has the advantage of easy access to both the Burlington Northern – Santa Fe Railroad mainline as well as U.S. Hwy 97, which connects with I-5 to the south in California, I-84 in northern Oregon, and I-90 in central Washington.

Livability
The La Pine area offers some of the least costly housing in the region, and on average, lots considerably larger than other cities in Central Oregon. This, combined with the fact that most are wooded, provides an atmosphere of privacy and seclusion preferred by many residents of Deschutes County – hence, it is one of the fastest growing areas in the state. Located only a half-hour by car from Bend and 15 minutes from Sunriver, La Pine also close enough to take advantage of the sizeable commercial/retail market in Bend. Many La Pine residents commute to work in either Sunriver or Bend.  

The area abounds with natural scenic and recreational sites, including Newberry National Monument (Paulina Peak Caldera, Paulina & East Lakes, Big Obsidian Flow and vistas with a view of five states); La Pine State Park which includes Oregon's largest Ponderosa Pine, Wickiup and Crane Prairie Reservoirs, Sparks, Elk, Odell, Crescent, Davis, Twin Lakes; Little Deschutes and Deschutes Rivers; Wickiup Butte and Lake, and Pringle Falls.  In addition, La Pine sports an award winning 18-hole public golf course, Quail Run; hosts La Pine Rodeo and Frontier Days every July 4th; and has many ATV track and trails, snowmobile trails, horse camping, kayaking, premier fly fishing, rafting, hiking trails, and great geocaching locations.

Shools in the Bend/La Pine District also rank among the best in the state as indicated by aptitude scores. The national average for SAT scores in 2007 was 1511, while Oregon scored 1550 and the combined Bend/La Pine School District scored 1552, both significantly above the national averages.  

History
La Pine has been in existence for nearly 100 years, but has the distinction of being Oregon’s newest incorporated city, created by a vote of local area residents in Deschutes County in late 2006. A community among thousands of tall pines, close to the Cascade lakes and the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, it boasts spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities through its hometown slogan “The Outdoors at Your Front Door.” Its rural, relaxed, friendly atmosphere offers spectacular sunrises and sunsets. The Deschutes River runs close to the town center and many nearby prairies offer panoramic vistas. Industrial, commercial and residential development has flourished in what is some of the tri-county area's most attractively priced land.

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La Pine Stats at a Glance

La Pine, Oregon
Elevation:	4300’
Population (July 2008)
Median Resident Age	44.7
Estimated Median Hh Income (2007)	NA
Median single family home price (YTD thru Dec 2008)	$160,000
Average household size	2.47
Property Tax Rate 2007/2008	$13.8339 per $1000 assessed value (for the industrial park)
Assessed Value 2008	$126,232,993
Telecommunications Infrastructure	BendBroadband, Qwest, Crestview Cable, Chambers Cable
Major Employers	Rays Grocery Stores, MidState Electric Coop, Sunriver Resort
Top 5 Deschutes County Taxpayers in 2008-09 (in order)	Cascade Natural Gas Corp., Qwest Corp., Gas Transmission Northwest Corp., PacifiCorp (PP&L), Pronghorn Investors LLC