Sisters is second fastest growing city in Oregon

Not anymore. Now it's 1,490. photo by Jim Mitchell Sisters appears to be the second fastest growing city in Oregon.

Population surveys since the 2000 census indicate that Sisters has a whopping growth rate of 55 percent. On April 1, 2000, Sisters had a population of 959. The entry signs to the city now read Population 1,080. And the accepted figure, as of July 1, 2004, is 1,490.

The census count is the door-to-door count of the population conducted every 10 years. Cities, counties and states need relatively accurate numbers for the in-between years to adequately plan infrastructure.

Those in-between census years' population figures come from Portland State University's (PSU) Population Research Center, which produces annual population estimates for Oregon and its counties and cities. These estimates are used for revenue sharing, funds allocation (per-capita state revenue, such as cigarette, liquor, and gas taxes) and planning purposes.

PSU uses home building permits, birth and death figures, school enrollment, employment, voter registration, annexation information, and other data to estimate populations annually. The estimates are open to challenge by counties and cities.

For the period from the last census count until July 1, 2004, Deschutes County led the state, growing 17 percent since 2000, to 135,450 residents. The second fastest growth was in Washington County, at 8 percent. The State of Oregon grew at a 5 percent rate during that time.

Bend now stands at 65,210 residents, up about 25 percent. Redmond has a population of 18,100, up 34 percent.

Sisters' numbers put the city behind only Adair Village, west of Albany, in population growth rate.

Adair Village led Oregon city growth rates at 62 percent, increasing from 536 to 870 residents.