PRINEVILLE OREGON
Believe it or not, but Prineville used to be the main hub of Central Oregon. While Bend has taken that title for some time now, Prineville has been growing right along with the rest of the cities that encompass the Central Oregon region. Prineville is located in Crook County and has a population of about 9,000 people (as of 2006).

Prineville Oregon is located northeast of Bend. Many new businesses have been moving to downtown Prineville which is getting quite the make-over in the past few years. More and more people have found that Prineville's The largest employer in Prineville is the very popular Les Schwab Tires, which has its corporate headquarters located here.

The elevation of Prineville is 2868 feet. Crook County enjoys the dry climate of the high desert. Sunny days, low humidity and cool nights characterize the semi-arid climate in the high desert. The temperature can drop more than 30 degrees in one day during the year. Like all of Oregon east of the Cascades, generally the Prineville and Crook County's weather is characterized bright sunshine, hot days and cool nights in the summer, and sunny days and cool and cold temperatures in the winter. There is approximately 11" of rainfall and between 9" to 14" of snowfall each year. Half of the precipitation falls between the months of October and February, much of the precipitation is experienced as snow in the higher elevations. There is between 9" to 14" of snowfall.

The Ochoco Mountains are a primary attraction for tourists and residents of Prineville. The Prineville Reservoir State Park is located on one of sunny Central Oregon's favorite lakes.
Campground quiet hours are from 10pm to 7am. The park features year round camping, fishing, water recreation, cabin rentals, and other recreational opportunities. Activities include swimming, boating, hiking, wildlife viewing and spectacular scenery. For anglers, Prineville Reservoir offers a variety of species, including rainbow trout, small and large mouth bass, crappie, and catfish. Crayfish are also plentiful in the lake. It is open year round and during extreme winter conditions, offers excellent ice fishing opportunities.
Prineville Reservoir offers excellent day use facilities, including a sandy volleyball court, swimming/sunbathing area, and a boat launch. An ADA campsite and accessible restroom/shower facility are available at Prineville Reservoir. Jasper Point State Park, also on the reservoir, offers electric and water campsites and a boat launch.
Prineville Reservoir and Jasper Point offer overnight vehicle parking for a fee for boaters wishing to camp along the banks of the reservoir at one of the many undeveloped sites.

Fans of mountain biking, hiking, archery, ATV and motocross riding will be thrilled with the new Prineville Adventure Park which is slated to open sometime in early 2007.