OMG!!!! La Pine is hitting the BIG TIME!!!! I might have to take a drive, just to see the new lights.

We don't have a downtown, we lost our only gas station about five years ago. We have two stop signs. My mother says there used to be a cannery, an ice cream factory and a hotel. I vaguely remember a small variety store and a bank -- both closed when I was quite young. However, we have at least six churches.

I see you have a Best Western too...Very cosmopolitan :-)

I bought my home in a very small town, intentionally. That was in 2006, the economy tanked two years later, and I guess you know what that did to property values. Our small town decided to build a medical college less than a mile from my home ( only the second in Oregon), which prevented our property values from dropping very far. Nice, but now the town is growing by leaps and bounds. So much for living in a small town.....I still love it here.

Yes we are! La Pine has three motels and lots of RV places to camp at.

We bought our house in 2009 for a good price, $155,000. It's 1639 sq.ft. with a two car garage, a 28 x 30 shop. And two sheds, 2 carports and two dog kennels. Although we are planning on dividing the big kennel into two smaller ones come spring time. Our Realtor neighbor says our house is worth close to 230k in this market. But, we have no plans to leave.

I found out recently, our little town I grew up in was actually 2 for awhile. The railroad tracks divided it. One side was Yoder, Indiana and the other side was Sheldon. Had 6 bars back then (early 1800-1900). Then prohibition and the WCTA, WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION burned a couple down and the others shut down and were turned into private homes. That is what I was told. It is now for some time Yoder, Indiana. The livery stable became a blacksmith shop. The currier was a short little man with arms as wide and solid as he was tall. He made a stubborn mule get up off its rear so he could change the shoes. He never allowed anyone in his shop for obvious reasons. An Amish man insisted on standing near his rowdy horse and got kicked clean out the door. Only his ego got bruised but he never went back into the building.

It' still very bad on 97 between La Pine and Bend. Just yesterday some guy cut us off because he couldn't wait till we passed. There wasn't anyone behind us, he just didn't care. There weather is starting to change here, snow tires are allowed starting Sunday. They give people a false sense of security and drive like its still summer on icy and snowy roads.
We learned rather quickly to slow down in such weather. Our first winter here a guy passed us and a semi, where the highway merged into one lane. The semi was starting to jackknife but straightened out, we ended up in the snow bank. As for the driver of the truck who was in such a hurry......he had the nerve to ask us to help him get out. We ended up with a $500.00 repair bill on tour truck.