Everyone has heard La Pine is growing… and at the heart of the growth is still the friendly, small town that has made our community so attractive, to so many. The occasional “traffic jam” is nothing … you can still visit three grocery stores, post office, Bi-mart, three banks, ten-plus eateries, seven health/dental clinics, fitness centers, masseuses, veterinarians, feed store, hardware store, gift stores, insurance offices, hobby shop, gas stations, multiple beauty salons… and City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce, plus three schools… all within about a 1.5-mile circle. Then if you venture out another couple of miles, there is more food, services, and shopping just a skip up the highway to the north end of La Pine. On top of all this, nestled into this compact area is a burgeoning industrial and business park that is shovel-ready and boasts the best value for industrial real estate in Central Oregon. And you thought La Pine was just a “wide spot in the road!”
In our Mission Statement, the La Pine Chamber of Commerce calls ourselves the “connecting force” in the community. We are engaged on many levels… with all businesses of course, but also with our many nonprofit organizations, schools, youth groups and churches.
Two years ago we saw a need of some version of the defunct Wise Buys advertiser. We created the South County Shopper in response to the need. After being online only for a year, we made the leap to limited print to great response. We’ve added community news stories, interviews and public service announcements. In order to offer more local content, additional pages will added in the spring. The vision is to become the South County Shopper and Newberry News, and be the go-to source for accurate news direct from the community.
Our space also houses the studios for the local low-power radio station KNCP-FM. For over ten years they have been the local source for unique music shows, talk shows and live broadcasts of La Pine Hawks football and basketball games, (one of a few high school teams that have their own live play-by-play broadcasts in the state), the volunteer-run station is bringing a refreshed music format along with some new shows. The Chamber Connection will be back with new interviews that will become a pod-cast, embracing new tech and bringing a wider listenership for what’s happening in La Pine!
The Made in La Pine Gift Store is proud to be the only store in the area offering a venue for local crafters. Because the store is operated by volunteers, we keep overhead to a minimum and offer great pricing, plus a boon to our vendors. These volunteers are also some of the best in the region to answer your travel questions while visiting the Visitor Center.
A lot of “irons in the fire” — as we are being caught in the ebb and flow of growing pains, we try to stay grounded in our mission and our connection to the community. It is what keeps us enthused and engaged and loving La Pine!
