Young families still moving to Sisters

Sisters is a picturesque community, nestled in the mountains and surrounded by natural beauty. The community is supportive, helpful and rural - the picture of small-town America. It's not hard to believe that people want to live here.

While enrollment numbers are down from projections in the Sisters School District, families are still moving to Sisters. Many have secured work before they arrive or are bringing work with them - and some simply come with a dream in their heart.

The Deschutes County Planning Department website shows 10 new family home dwelling permits this past September and the median home price is hovering around $379,000, an increase of 8.41 percent over the last year.

Sara Brang - along with her husband and two boys, ages 6 and 7 - moved to Sisters last December from Marina del Ray, California.

"I was born and raised in Bend and have family in both Bend and Sisters," said Brang. "We visited in August of 2015 and my husband fell in love with the town. He was born and raised in California. We were both ready to leave.

"We may live in a small community, but the opportunities the community provides for kids is amazing," she said. "I feel blessed that my kids get to live in Sisters and attend one of the best school districts in Central Oregon. My husband and I were paying for private school in California because the public system wasn't good. I love the elementary school. The faculty is great, the programs are great and the class sizes are small (which is something every parent dreams of)!"

Brang and her family were fortunate to find a home that worked for their family in town.

Mallory Corcoran and her husband, Chris, moved last year to a rental in Sisters from Bend with their three kids, ages 7, 5, and 1. Chris has worked with Jeff Wester at Ponderosa Forge for the last 10 years, and they finally had the opportunity to move in July 2016.

"When we had the opportunity to move our family we were excited to finally have us all in one place," says Corcoran. "We've talked about a move to Sisters for years, we love the small-town feel - living in Bend most of our lives, it's just not the same any more."

Other families are having a difficult time finding work and housing. Another family moved to town this past spring. The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, along with her husband, their two children ages 5 and 7 and their dog have been living in a four-person tent in the National Forest for the past several months.

"We moved from Florida last April when my husband lost his job," she said. "We started in Bend, but there were so many people it reminded us of where we were. Someone told us about Sisters, and we came here and never left."

Working through the Family Access Network and NeighborImpact, they are currently looking for a place to stay at least through the winter to get out of the elements. Median rent in Sisters, according to the real estate website Trulia, is close to $1,500 a month.

"We can afford about $500 a month in rent, but it's hard to find a place for that amount," the woman said. "NeighborImpact has a program but we aren't sure how much they'll be able to support us - and the program is for a year; we're fine camping in the summer. We just need to get out of the elements now.

"We don't want to move. We fell in love with Sisters," she said. "It's a great community - everyone is so nice and helpful."

Clare and Andy Neito moved from Black Forest, Colorado, in October of 2015. With two small kids in elementary school, they had driven through Sisters and fell in love. Andy works from home in the tech industry and travels on occasion.

"We looked in Corvallis, Washington state, Salem and Eugene where you can get a lot more house for your money," said Clare. "Honestly, the deal-breaker for us was the schools. I did a ton of research and Sisters came to the top in all my lists."

Andy spent much of his life in the military; because of that his family has moved quite a bit.

"I'm a mover," said Clare. "I don't ever want to move from Sisters; I love it here."