Sisters is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,064 at the 2020 census.
The community takes its name from the nearby Three Sisters mountains.
History
Pre-European history
Human activity before the arrival of the Europeans was present in the area, and the local natives of various clans traversed the regions, creating various trails that passed through Warm Springs, and some crossing the Cascade passes of McKenzie and Santiam. The various ethnic groups that composed the demographic of the area at the time were Paiute, Warm Springs, and Wasco peoples.
First European settlements
The first notable European presence in the area was the construction of Camp Polk, which existed from September 1865 to May 1866, just 3 miles away from the current location of the town. After the site was abandoned, in 1870, Samuel M. Hindman was the first to settle the area properly, even building a shop and a post office. hinting at an alleged earlier European presence. However due to unknown reasons, the postal authorities shortened it to "Sisters".
Records from the time seem to indicate that several hundred people from the area gathered to watch the blaze, which could be seen from neighbouring towns and nearby areas.
The Santiam Highway (U.S. Route 20) and the McKenzie Highway (Oregon Route 126) merge briefly to form Cascade Avenue, the main thoroughfare through downtown Sisters. On Cascade Avenue, there is a lot of pedestrian traffic and many specialty stores and galleries. East of Sisters the two highways split, with 126 heading to Redmond and 20 going to Bend. West of Sisters, the road splits once more, with the McKenzie Highway becoming Oregon Route 242
Demographics
thumb|Former Hotel Sisters, built in 1912 by local businessman John Dennis
thumb|City hall
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Sisters had a population of 3,064. The median age was 48.3 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.7 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,342 households in Sisters, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.8% were married-couple households, 15.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 2,690 || 87.8%
|-
| Black or African American || 6 || 0.2%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 20 || 0.7%
|-
| Asian || 26 || 0.8%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 56 || 1.8%
|-
| Two or more races || 264 || 8.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 194 || 6.3%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,038 people, 847 households, and 557 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,109 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.9% White, 1.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.1% of the population.
There were 847 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.
Sisters was also home to Sisters Christian Academy, a non-denominational Christian school. It closed in 2020.
Deschutes Public Library operates the Sisters Library.
Media
The local newspaper is The Nugget Newspaper, published weekly on Wednesdays. The Small Farmer's Journal also originates in Sisters.
Events
thumb|Rodeo parade
- The Sisters Rodeo is held the second weekend in June, held since 1941.
- Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is on the second weekend of July.
- The Sisters Glory Daze Car Show is held in mid July
- Sisters Folk Festival is held the weekend after Labor Day in September.
- Fourth Friday Artwalk is a monthly event, occurring all year.
- Artists Studio Tour is held on the last weekend in September. Hiking, biking and horse riding trails go from the city limits into the Three Sisters Wilderness. Sisters Trail Alliance builds and maintains hiking, biking and equestrian trails near the city.
The Sisters area is also home to several mountain biking trails, including the Peterson Ridge Trail and Suttle Lake trails.
Hoodoo ski resort and many snow parks are nearby.
Camp Tamarack is nearby. as is Big Lake Youth Camp operated by Seventh-day Adventists since 1963.
Transportation
thumb|Forest in city
- Oregon Route 126
- Oregon Route 242
- U.S. Route 20
- Sisters Eagle Air Airport
Notable people
- Jenny Boyd, actress
- Melody Carson, author
- Charity Gaye Finnestad, author
- Dan Fouts, former professional football player
- Susan Hyde, political scientist
- Chris Klug, Olympic snowboarder
- Ken Ruettgers, former professional football player
- Johnny Werhas, former professional baseball player
- Rainn Wilson, actor known for The Office
References
External links
- City of Sisters (official website)
- Entry for Sisters in the Oregon Blue Book
- Sisters Chamber of Commerce
- "Sisters becomes the second International Dark Sky Community in Oregon", DarkSky International (January 22, 2025)