How Sisters, Oregon became a charming prosperous town

It wasn’t through allowing property owners to do whatever they wanted, an instructive lesson for those who seek to dismantle Oregon’s pioneering land use laws. No, Sisters changed from a town on the decline into a charming artsy Western-themed community because of central planning.

My wife and I love Sisters. We share ownership of a cabin in Camp Sherman, about fifteen minutes away. We go to Sisters a lot. It’s a great place to walk, shop, eat, and relax. Plus, they now have spiffy centrally located public bathroom facilities. What else could you want? (especially after a triple latte at one of the fine coffee houses)

Last weekend Laurel read a history of the Sisters area that was sitting on a cabin bookshelf. She learned that the developer of nearby Black Butte Ranch (a beautifully planned residential resort) wanted Sisters to be a classy place for Ranch owners and visitors to enjoy.

So, according to a history of Black Butte Ranch:

"When Brooks Resources began developing the Ranch [in the 1970s], they offered merchants in Sisters $5,000 and free architectural help to create a “theme” look to the town. The Sisters planning commission adopted an 1880’s theme, which improved the town’s attractiveness and returned it to its original roots.

The theme adoption has made Sisters a thriving community creating a unique, quaint town with excellent gift and souvenir shopping."

Currently there isn’t a garish oversized neon sign anywhere in Sisters. Nor any other obnoxious symbol of unfettered commercialism. Even the McDonalds on the edge of town (many residents wish it didn’t exist at all) melds harmoniously with the Sisters western theme.

Thus let’s tip our cowboy hats to foresighted planning. And dedicate the next line dance to Oregonians past, present, and future who recognize that places where anybody can do whatever they want with their property aren’t worth wanting compared to well-planned locales like Sisters.

(For more about why we like Sisters so much, take a look-see at “Belly dancing and fast food in Sisters”).

Comments

[Roger]

Brain;

Loved your discussion on the Sisters. Sounds like a great place to vacation.

[Michael Smith]

Brian,

I congratulate Sisters on its success, but as one who is interested in sustainability aren’t you bothered by their dependence on traffic? If it wasn’t for a seasonal flow of SUVs and mobile homes bringing tourists to the cutesy little shops, would Sisters dry up and blow away? Do they have any indigenous commerce, industry, productivity, or GDP other than tourism? I think there’s a speck of agriculture and logging in the area, but if it wasn’t for their ability to sell the “view” to yuppies wanting vacation or retirement homes, what resources would they have? Does their success come at the expense of gasoline-induced global detriment? Even the artisans that reside there must ship their wares out to the rest of the world. Did they plan as a conscious alternative to “doing whatever they wanted”, or did they do the only thing that limited resources and high traffic flow would bear?

Just wondering,

Michael

[Rachel]

My in-laws live in Redmond, not too far from Sisters. Whenever we visit them, it is always a pleasure to drive over to Sisters. We live in Chicago, so the small town atmosphere is very refreshing; people are polite and (gasp!) friendly and willing to cut an out-of-towner a break. I love walking around visiting all the shops and there are some absolutely incredible local artists. I look forward to visiting again soon, and encourage others to do the same. It's a great town!

[Checkers]

Yes, Sister's is a great place for out-of-towners to visit. Should that be the driving force behind all development?

I don't think property owners should be forced to accomodate outsiders. It's obnoxious. Encouraged, yes, and adopt building codes to foster attractive downtowns. But I don't think Sisters should be held up to people in, say, Pendleton, as everything a small western town should be, based on the fact that they've become a tourist town that people from New York think is real "cute".

Prop