Sisters is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. The
population was 959 at the 2000 census. By 2005 the population had grown to about 1500 with growth predicted to 4700 by 2020.
History
Camp Polk was established as a military post in 1865 in response to the
Paiute Indian wars that were raging throughout eastern Oregon during the 1860s and 70s. Named
after the Oregon county from which the camp’s commanding officer hailed, it
consisted of a group of cabins along the west bank of Squaw Creek, about three miles northeast of Sisters. The troops spent the
winter of 1865-66 there. After discovering that there was no Indian problem they left. Around 1870, the area was homesteaded by
Samuel Hindeman who also ran the post office. The post office at Camp Polk was moved to the present site of Sisters in 1888, and
the name was changed to Sisters after the Three Sisters mountains that dominate
its western skyline.
Geography
Sisters is located at 44°17′27″N, 121°32′56″W (44.290828,
-121.549024)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²).
Whychus Creek runs through the southern half of town.
The main highways through downtown, U.S. Route 20 and Oregon Route 126 also have a lot of pedestrian traffic, and are known for their many specialty stores
and galleries.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 959 people, 397 households, and 262 families residing in the
city. The population density was 255.4/km² (663.0/mi²). There were 482 housing units
at an average density of 128.3/km² (333.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.83% White, 1.56% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 1.36% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.59% of the population.
There were 397 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were
non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from
45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,000, and the median income for a family was $43,977. Males had a median
income of $35,563 versus $21,771 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$17,847. About 7.4% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Sisters area is served by Sisters School District #6, one of the most successful and
highly acclaimed school districts of its size in the state of Oregon.[citation needed] The district is responsible for the education of approximately 1,300
students at four facilities.[citation needed]
- Sisters Elementary School - Kindergarten through Grade 5.
- Sisters Middle School - Grades 6 through 8.
- Sisters High School - Grades 9 through 12.
- Sisters High School Alternative Programs - Grades 9 through 12.
The Sisters Schools Foundation [1] helps to fund programs that have been reduced by budget problems.[citation needed]
Media
The local newspaper is The Nugget published weekly on Wednesdays. It is free and
available at most businesses in town.[1]
Recreation
Sisters is surrounded by the Sisters District of the Deschutes National
Forest. Hiking, biking and horse riding trails go from the city limits into the Three Sisters Wilderness. The Sisters Community Trails Committee is working to improve the
trail network.
The Sisters area is also home to several mountain biking trails, including the Peterson Ridge and Suttle Lake trails.
Hoodoo ski resort and many snow parks are nearby.
Transportation
References
External links
Coordinates:
44.290828° N 121.549024°
W
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