Prineville Oregon, a hidden gem of a small town
Prineville Oregon is a fairly small town with a lot going on. Founded in 1880 and presently home to just over 11,000 residents, it is the county seat for Crook County, Oregon. Prineville developed primarily as an agricultural community and is within reasonable commuting distance from Bend, Redmond and Madras.
The recent addition of Facebook and Apple data centers provided a boost in construction and trades employment.
What brought us to Prineville?
Today we were tagging along with Christina Tsuitsui-Tharp, Principal broker for TnT Real Estate (‘cuz she’s the bomb, get it?) as she filmed for an upcoming segment on American Dream TV (estimated air date is August 2023). Now, when I say ‘tagging along’ that was really just me, acting as associate cat wrangler. Sandra was doing the heavy lifting coordinating with our extras, feeding Christina her lines and making sure that the details were being attended to.
Our first filming location was the historic Courthouse at the heart of town
We shot the intro and some establishing shots there and then moved on to the fun part, getting to know the people of Prineville and learning what makes this small town ‘tick’
Getting to know the people
We started at Rick Steber’s shop – ‘Makers’ – which represent well over 100 artists all of whom are based east of the Cascades in Central and Eastern Oregon
All manner of art and homemade jewelry is available
Paintings, metalwork, custom walking sticks and cowboy hats, the list goes on
The real reason we were there was for Christina to get some thoughts from Rick on “why Prineville?”
Rick is a globally known and highly acclaimed author; the gallery space is a way for him to help support his fellow artists and the community
From Makers we all had a wander over to Rick’s favorite coffee shop in town – Auntie’s Coffeehouse and Bakery on Main St
Tonya offers up a variety of pastry treats which selection changes at least partly based on her mood.
A wide selection of hot and iced drinks are on offer and a community feel is the order of the day every day. The story of what led to the creation of Auntie’s is an interesting tale I don’t have space for today, suffice to say it’s a community story.
What else should I do in Prineville?
Prineville is a jumping off point for a huge number of recreational ventures from the Ochoco and Prineville reservoirs for boating and fishing, the Ochoco mountains for camping and hunting to the John Day fossil beds and the Painted Hills. Central Oregon and the Prineville area are home to hundreds of thousands of acres of public land for a wide array of recreational opportunities. Rodeo fans should plan to visit in the summer for the Crooked River Roundup
Okay, but now I’m hungry
Dining options abound – from 3 different food truck pods to the casual but fantastic Dillon’s Grill (one of our personal favorites) to the slightly more upscale Club Pioneer or Barney Prine’s Steakhouse. Tasty Treat offers a nostalgic setting for a burger and shake with a modern menu and The Sandwich Factory has a mouth watering array of sandwiches
If you’re headed out to the Painted Hills or John Day fossil beds, Tiger Town Brewing in Mitchell or the Dayville Cafe in… wait for it… Dayville…. offer good opportunities for a tasty meal as well
What else should I look for in Prineville Oregon?
Prineville is home to a number of cool sculptures on public display (although you need to look sharp to spot them all) as well as a couple of historical museums. The Crook County – Prineville Chamber of Commerce is a great source of information on local events and things to do
A great little town to explore on foot there are several nice parks including the Kiwanis Splash Park
An awesome municipal golf course
If you’re a golfer then you should definitely get in a round at Meadow Lakes golf course; Prineville’s wastewater treatment facility cleverly disguised as a golf course. Meadow Lakes is, BTW, one of almost 2 dozen courses within an hour drive of Bend and none of them suck. There is something on this course for most everyone to enjoy whether you’re a scratch golfer or a duffer. Not surprisingly, water is in play a LOT and balls lost in the water hazards should probably be treated as truly lost unless you carry a bucket of hand sanitizer. To be fair, if you didn’t know it was a wastewater facility there certainly isn’t anything to obviously give it away except the signs reminding you not to chew on your tees. Holes 9 and 18 offer a risk/reward option crossing the river – if you’re a confident and accurate 260 yard driver and playing the white tees, go for it. Elsewise, lay up at about 180 and make your second shot a short- or mid-iron across the water. It’s a super-walkable course, not a lot of elevation change on the banks of the river. To fortify before or after your round, Ron’s Comfort Food Café in the clubhouse is worth checking out; heck, even if you aren’t playing it’s a nice little spot to grab a meal or a snack
To make a long story even longer….
In short – although brevity is hard for me – I think it’s safe to say that Prineville Oregon has something for almost anyone who wants to avoid the metropolitan hustle and bustle, you should check it out. Let us know what you find on our community forum page or catch up with us on the Book of Faces at The Mobile Retiree
And if you still aren’t convinced, check out this view out to the Cascades taken at one of TnT’s recent listings just north of town
Curious as to what we are doing and why? Start here
