Can anybody tell me about Prineville? (Portland, Bend: foreclosed, renting, high crime)

[ak.nessa]

I LOVE PRINEVILLE!!!!!

Oh my goodness I am so glad you posted this, FloridaMD. Prineville is a WONDERFUL place to live in my opinion. My husband was born and raised out there. I lived there for about 7 or 8 months and I absolutely LOVED my time there. I am hoping to return someday soon. Of course like any small town there are some people who do drugs, but you can avoid them easily. I'm sure there is some crime on occasion too but I never saw any while I lived there. There are some great neighborhoods in Prineville where I would easily trust my kids to go out walking by themselves, that's how safe it is in some areas. I just joined this CityData thing because I just moved from Oregon up to Alaska and I miss Oregon so badly (not even because of family, though I do miss them, that is not why I miss Oregon). It is so depressing in Alaska - so many alcoholics! Anyway, all of the people in Prineville that I have met are abnormally friendly, loving, warm, inviting, outgoing. I guarantee if you walked from house to house asking if someone could serve you dinner because you were hungry, there would definitely be some nice old lady who would welcome you in with open arms. It is quite rural, much smaller than any other town I've lived in but I adore it. IF you are into "night life" (as in clubs, dancing, shopping, etc) you should move to Bend. If you are into seeing thousands of stars at night, deer prancing through your back yard, and having wonderful neighbors - I recommend Prineville. It has a slower paced lifestyle feel to it - but this is a very good thing in my opinion.

I suppose I am quite biased - but I just had to say how much I love Prineville. I have lived in Portland, Lake Oswego, Corvallis, and Prineville (all in Oregon) and out of all of those towns Prineville wins by a million points! Corvallis was fun for my college years but not so much fun for someone who wants to have quiet, privacy, and lack of crime. I heard ambulances and cops all the time living in Corvallis. I never saw or heard one ambulance the entire time I lived in Prineville. The only time I experienced being around any sort of emergency was a house fire. Make sure you have a METAL ROOF and don't let any sagebrush grow near your home. Fire is a problem, but not as bad as some of the other smaller towns in Central Oregon.

Prineville has a movie theater, but I think it only plays 1 or 2 movies, it's very small. They have 3 or 4 Grocery Stores, a few gas stations, at least 1 hospital, a few veterinary hospitals, places to get your hair cut, etc and lots of little random shops. Everything you need in one little package! All within easy driving distance to Ochoco National Forest, many Rivers and Lakes for great fishing, and of course Smith Rock State Park which is a beautiful place to visit.

If you do move to Prineville, I recommend not living near downtown. The beauty is more outside of town, so if you can live on the edge it is much better.

Ochoco West is a neighborhood located 10 miles north of Prineville (but it's still technically Prineville) - there are great houses with yards up there, great place for a family, they have a pond for fishing trout you can walk to, and a swimming pool in the summer time (which isn't super busy like you'd think it would be). There is also a horse stable, and farmland nearby. It's much prettier than downtown.

It has more extreme temperatures/seasons than the rest of Oregon though. You basically have Winter and Summer. Winter is cold, snows on occasion. Summer is HOT (100s sometimes), sunny and dry, with occasional thunder and lightning. My ideal climate I can't wait to move back!

[FloridaMD]

Originally Posted by ak.nessa

I LOVE PRINEVILLE!!!!!

Oh my goodness I am so glad you posted this, FloridaMD. Prineville is a WONDERFUL place to live in my opinion. My husband was born and raised out there. I lived there for about 7 or 8 months and I absolutely LOVED my time there. I am hoping to return someday soon. Of course like any small town there are some people who do drugs, but you can avoid them easily. I'm sure there is some crime on occasion too but I never saw any while I lived there. There are some great neighborhoods in Prineville where I would easily trust my kids to go out walking by themselves, that's how safe it is in some areas. I just joined this CityData thing because I just moved from Oregon up to Alaska and I miss Oregon so badly (not even because of family, though I do miss them, that is not why I miss Oregon). It is so depressing in Alaska - so many alcoholics! Anyway, all of the people in Prineville that I have met are abnormally friendly, loving, warm, inviting, outgoing. I guarantee if you walked from house to house asking if someone could serve you dinner because you were hungry, there would definitely be some nice old lady who would welcome you in with open arms. It is quite rural, much smaller than any other town I've lived in but I adore it. IF you are into "night life" (as in clubs, dancing, shopping, etc) you should move to Bend. If you are into seeing thousands of stars at night, deer prancing through your back yard, and having wonderful neighbors - I recommend Prineville. It has a slower paced lifestyle feel to it - but this is a very good thing in my opinion.

I suppose I am quite biased - but I just had to say how much I love Prineville. I have lived in Portland, Lake Oswego, Corvallis, and Prineville (all in Oregon) and out of all of those towns Prineville wins by a million points! Corvallis was fun for my college years but not so much fun for someone who wants to have quiet, privacy, and lack of crime. I heard ambulances and cops all the time living in Corvallis. I never saw or heard one ambulance the entire time I lived in Prineville. The only time I experienced being around any sort of emergency was a house fire. Make sure you have a METAL ROOF and don't let any sagebrush grow near your home. Fire is a problem, but not as bad as some of the other smaller towns in Central Oregon.

Prineville has a movie theater, but I think it only plays 1 or 2 movies, it's very small. They have 3 or 4 Grocery Stores, a few gas stations, at least 1 hospital, a few veterinary hospitals, places to get your hair cut, etc and lots of little random shops. Everything you need in one little package! All within easy driving distance to Ochoco National Forest, many Rivers and Lakes for great fishing, and of course Smith Rock State Park which is a beautiful place to visit.

If you do move to Prineville, I recommend not living near downtown. The beauty is more outside of town, so if you can live on the edge it is much better.

Ochoco West is a neighborhood located 10 miles north of Prineville (but it's still technically Prineville) - there are great houses with yards up there, great place for a family, they have a pond for fishing trout you can walk to, and a swimming pool in the summer time (which isn't super busy like you'd think it would be). There is also a horse stable, and farmland nearby. It's much prettier than downtown.

It has more extreme temperatures/seasons than the rest of Oregon though. You basically have Winter and Summer. Winter is cold, snows on occasion. Summer is HOT (100s sometimes), sunny and dry, with occasional thunder and lightning. My ideal climate I can't wait to move back!

Wow, quite a ringing endorsement. You should write brochures for their Chamber of Commerce! Thanks for the info. I was trying to figure out if I did go there, if it would be better to live near downtown so I would be a close drive to work, or live somewhere outside of town. Might look into around Powell Butte, as that would at least put me between Redmond/Bend and Prineville and an easier drive to get to any cultural activities.

[ak.nessa]

Wow, yes I am sorry for such the long post last night. I was feeling a bit restless and apparently overly enthusiastic, haha! Anyway, yes it would be much better to NOT live downtown or near downtown. It's not quite as clean, quiet, and not quite as safe (simply because there is more traffic). You can easily find rentals and houses for sale just outside of town, almost in any direction. I like NW and NE Prineville the best (just outside of town). It is beautiful, and honestly it hardly takes any time to drive into town, even if you live 5 - 15 miles outside of town. If you live 10 miles north it is a very quick and easy commute into town every morning for work, not a big deal at all, you could even ride your bike. Powell Butte is very nice (though MUCH more expensive to live in), as is Crooked River Ranch (toward Smith Rock State Park) - in Terrebonne (another nice small town). Powell Butte is a longer drive into Prineville but it is closer to Bend AND from Powell Butte you get an AMAZING view of the 3 Sisters Mountains -breathtaking! If you are concerned at all about rental costs/housing costs, Powell Butte is extremely expensive compared to Prineville. Prineville is very cheap right now, I think if someone bought a house there right now they would not regret it 5 or 10 years from now when the economy gets better. Prineville is growing, they say someday it might be more like Bend. I hope it stays small though, I like small towns!

[FloridaMD]

Originally Posted by ak.nessa

Wow, yes I am sorry for such the long post last night. I was feeling a bit restless and apparently overly enthusiastic, haha! Anyway, yes it would be much better to NOT live downtown or near downtown. It's not quite as clean, quiet, and not quite as safe (simply because there is more traffic). You can easily find rentals and houses for sale just outside of town, almost in any direction. I like NW and NE Prineville the best (just outside of town). It is beautiful, and honestly it hardly takes any time to drive into town, even if you live 5 - 15 miles outside of town. If you live 10 miles north it is a very quick and easy commute into town every morning for work, not a big deal at all, you could even ride your bike. Powell Butte is very nice (though MUCH more expensive to live in), as is Crooked River Ranch (toward Smith Rock State Park) - in Terrebonne (another nice small town). Powell Butte is a longer drive into Prineville but it is closer to Bend AND from Powell Butte you get an AMAZING view of the 3 Sisters Mountains -breathtaking! If you are concerned at all about rental costs/housing costs, Powell Butte is extremely expensive compared to Prineville. Prineville is very cheap right now, I think if someone bought a house there right now they would not regret it 5 or 10 years from now when the economy gets better. Prineville is growing, they say someday it might be more like Bend. I hope it stays small though, I like small towns!

I don't think I will be able to buy anything for a while, and I probably wouldn't want to until I've worked a job there for a while to make sure it's a good fit for me. Plus, I have a home in Florida I have to find a way to sell, which with the way housing values have plummeted, is going to make it difficult. Will have to scour the classifieds for good rentals when I go out there next.

[malachai23]

Crooked River Ranch is a BEAUTIFUL area! I just had to chime in when I saw it mentioned. CRR is the type of place that just takes your breath away. At least it does mine.

[Hawkbacker]

I visited Prineville this summer passing thru on Hwy. 26. As a visitor, I was not as impressed with it as I was with other cities in Central Oregon such as Bend, Redmond, or even Terrebonne. It is at a lower elevation than those cities, has less vegetation, and I didn't find much in the way of interesting scenery or a downtown there. We did stop at the overlook west of the city, which is a worthwhile stop. The Ochoco Reservoir just east of town looked like a great spot for water sports and the Painted Hills, which are about an hour's drive east near Mitchell, are really neat. I cannot vouge for the community aspect, but did find the baristas at the Starbucks in town to be more friendly than usual.

[ak.nessa]

The vegetation in Prineville is very different from anything you'd see in the valley, and it is slightly different from anything west of Prineville (Bend, Sisters, etc). There are a lot of sagebrush bushes and Juniper trees in the areas that haven't been covered by grassy farmland. I for one love Juniper and sagebrush, I think they smell great! I LOVE how there aren't any tall trees in Prineville - gives you the "big sky" effect and if you're outside of town a little ways you can see an immense amount of stars at night. My husband claims to have seen the Northern Lights once from there in the winter time. There are Pronghorn Antelope, Deer, Elk, and lots of sage rats (look like prairie dogs). You have to get used to running over sage rats - they are in abundance in Pville and love running across the road. Snow in winter is fluffy/powdery and dry - so much nicer than the slushy stuff you get in the western valleys. Prineville is great for sledding!!!

It is easy to miss all of the beautiful scenery if you are not familiar with the area, just drive 15 minutes to see Smith Rock State Park, or drive 15 minutes another direction to enter Ochoco National Forest where you can go on hikes into the woods that will lead you to some gorgeous volcanic rock formations (i.e. Brennan Palisades, Stein's Pillar). Yes there is Prineville Resevoir as well, for people who want to go swimming, fishing, boating, etc. If you live in Prineville you are in the heart of outdoor recreation without sacrificing the small town community, and unlike living farther east in towns like Mitchell, you are still within a reasonable driving distance to larger cities like Bend.

One thing you should know about Prineville is there is not much of a "night life." This is one of many things I LOVE about Prineville. It is nothing like the other towns in Oregon I have lived in (Portland=yuck). If you are outdoorsy at all you will appreciate Prineville. And your paycheck will appreciate the inexpensive rent!~

The only thing I would change about Prineville is the rattlesnake population!!!


I know LOTS of people who do NOT like Prineville, FYI. I don't understand why but most people from the Portland area think it's just some ghetto little farm town, but if you live there it really does grow on you - there is SO much more to do than you would expect. Fishing, hunting, hiking, swimming, fabulous places for photographers, farmers, horseback riders, dog-lovers, growing families, church-goers, beer-drinkers.

IT IS NOT A TOWN FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BIG CITIES, NIGHT LIFE, etc.

The place is not perfect, obviously, but I love it to pieces!

[ak.nessa]

In response to the last couple posts:

Malachai: Yes CRR is beautiful, last time I went I saw a beautiful piece of property with lovely horses grazing in it, and then less than a mile away was Smith Rock State Park. Definitely a great little community out there as well. It is so much nicer than Redmond (no offense to Redmond, but you and Madras are 2 of my least favorite towns in Central Oregon)!

Hawbacker: Passing through on Hwy 26 would not be a very impressive tour of Prineville. Passing through downtown isn't beautiful at all, it's very small and not much going on. But they have all the stores you could need, you really don't need to leave town for anything unless you are bored. Prineville's awesomeness is in the beautiful outskirts, and within the community.


I love driving down into Prineville coming from Bend - does anyone know what I'm talking about? There is a viewpoint and you can lookout over the city. On a clear, sunny day with blue skies it is a beautiful little town and you can see soooo far in the distance. Smith Rock, Grizzly Mountain, and the cute little golf course in the foreground adds that necessary splash of green! Just don't stand up there during a thunderstorm holding an umbrella - we do get pretty serious lightning in Prineville sometimes.

[ak.nessa]

I just had to add one more thing:

Driving through downtown Prineville and then leaving would be like flying to Alaska, driving through Anchorage and then leaving. Alaska is a beautiful state but Anchorage is gross! An odd comparison I know. But it's the best I can do considering I've only lived in Oregon and Alaska.

[FloridaMD]

Originally Posted by ak.nessa

I just had to add one more thing:

Driving through downtown Prineville and then leaving would be like flying to Alaska, driving through Anchorage and then leaving. Alaska is a beautiful state but Anchorage is gross! An odd comparison I know. But it's the best I can do considering I've only lived in Oregon and Alaska.

I'm getting good mental images of the town, thank you. Just set up a trip to go out that way again in 2 weeks, so I will drive over to check out Prineville in person.