Deschutes by the Decades

1920

At the start of the 20th century the western edge of Crook County experienced fits and starts of many a township—Bend and Redmond took root, while Opal City, Deschutes, and others became footnotes.

1930

Deschutes County entered the 1930s with 14,749 residents. Not surprisingly, The Great Depression slowed growth in the county, and even halted Deschutes Library’s plan for the first permanent Bend Library building.

1940

Bend entered 1940 with a brand-new library on Wall Street—a building that now serves as Deschutes Public Library’s administrative offices. New libraries were also in place in Redmond and Sisters.

1950

Deschutes County entered the 1950s with 21,692 people, a nearly 20% increase over the preceding decade. Not only was the county population on the rise, so was the library’s circulation of books.

1960

Deschutes County reached 23,100 residents in 1960, with 11,936 in Bend and 3,340 in Redmond, and the growing pains were being felt. The December 12, 1960, editorial of The Bend Bulletin noted that “Bend needs paved streets just as it needs to get the chickens, hogs, goats, and cows out of the city and into the country.

1970

Deschutes County residents numbered 30,442 in 1970, with 13,710 people in Bend and 3,721 in Redmond. The 1970s brought change to Deschutes County, as lumber mills began their slow contraction and destination resorts like Sunriver, Inn at the Seventh Mountain, and Black Butte Ranch began reshaping the economy of the area

1980

Deschutes County residents numbered 62,142 in 1980, a number more than double the county’s population just a decade before. The 1980s were pivotal for many reasons, from a new library in the county to regional events that garnered national attention.

1990

Deschutes County residents numbered 76,034 at the end of 1990, a year in which the curve of the growth chart grew steeper. It was in this decade that the county population topped 100,000, reflecting a steady growth pattern that would be a hallmark of the decades to come.