Black Butte Ranch is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) and unincorporated private

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

communityDeschutes County Code
/ref> in

Deschutes County Deschutes County ( ) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 198,253. The county seat is Bend. The county was created in 1916 out of part of Crook County and was named for the Deschu ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States. It is located in the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

, northwest of

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

. The population was 366 at the 2010 census. Black Butte Ranch allows public access to its restaurant, golf courses and horse stables, but is primarily oriented to its year-round residents and seasonal guests.

History

The

planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

of Black Butte Ranch was developed starting in 1970 by

Brooks Resources Brooks Resources is a real estate development company with significant land holdings in Central Oregon, United States. The company was formed in 1969 as a subsidiary of Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company. It became an independent corporation in 1979. ...

, a subsidiary of

Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company was a lumber products company with large sawmills and significant land holdings in Minnesota, Florida, British Columbia, and Central Oregon. The company was formed in 1901 with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnes ...

on the site of the former Black Butte cattle ranch directly south of Black Butte. The first residents arrived in 1971 and Black Butte Ranch post office was established the same year.

Geography

Black Butte Ranch is located in northwestern Deschutes County to the southwest of

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

; it is surrounded by

Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States national forest (NF) located in Central Oregon, in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties. It was established in 1908, with border changes following in 1911 and 1915. The f ...

. The summit of Black Butte overlooks the community to the northeast. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.29%, is water. The area drains east via Black Butte Swamp to Indian Ford Creek, then Whychus Creek, then to the

Deschutes River The Deschutes River ( ) in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the drier, easte ...

, a north-flowing tributary of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

Demographics

In 2001, the estimated population of full-time, year-round residents was 337. The population was 366 at the 2010 census. During the peak tourist season, the population, including guests who do not own property but are renting residences within the community, is estimated to rise to 5,000.

Wildfire

Black Butte Ranch has been threatened by many

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s, especially since 2002, when the Cache Mountain Fire burned two homes in the northwest corner of the ranch. Black Butte Ranch was once again threatened by the

B&B Complex Fires The B&B Complex fires were a linked pair of wildfires that together burned of Oregon forest during the summer of 2003. The fire complex began as two separate fires, the Bear Butte Fire and the Booth Fire. The two fires were reported on the sa ...

in 2003, and in 2007 the GW Fire came within a quarter of a mile of some homes on the ranch.

Education

It is in the Sisters School District 6.

References

External links

Black Butte Ranch official website
{{authority control Census-designated places in Oregon Planned communities in the United States Unincorporated communities in Deschutes County, Oregon 1970 establishments in Oregon Census-designated places in Deschutes County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon