The population of Bend and Central Oregon grew in spectacular fashion since the 2000 US Census, driven by multiple factors: desirable climate, myriad outdoor recreation opportunities year-around, and economic opportunity.
While the rates overall were not as steep, growth continued between July 2007 and July 2008, according to estimates by the Portland State University Population Research Center. And in fact Bend registered a 5.0% growth rate over the year, up from 3.3% in the 2006-2007 period. Rates elsewhere in Central Oregon declined, but in absolute numbers growth continued at nearly 4% in Deschutes and Crook counties and just under 2% in Jefferson County.
Bend, with a population of 81,640, ranks seventh among Oregon cities. Between the 2000 Census and 2008, Bend added 29,611 people and Deschutes County as a whole added 51,698 people. Estimates suggest that Bend will break the 100,000 mark by 2020, indicating that the market for real estate will sustain itself in good fashion over the long run.
The dominant reason for past and future population growth in Central Oregon is, in the words of demographers, inmigration. Individuals and families move to the Bend area in overwhelming numbers. Principal sources are Portland and the Willamette Valley, Seattle and California. Inmigration is expected to account for nearly 85% of the population growth in Deschutes County between 2005 and 2010 and the proportion will increase in future years. (The balance of growth is the net gain of births over deaths.)
To read the numbers, go to next page: Population Statistics
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