When Barney Prine pulled up to the banks of the Crooked River in 1868 and hammered together a blacksmith shop, a store, and a saloon — all under one roof, naturally — he probably wasn’t thinking about data centers. But then again, Barney Prine wasn’t the type to think small.
He gave his name to what would become Central Oregon’s oldest city, and from the very beginning, Prineville had a flair for doing things its own way.
For decades, Prineville was the only real town in a 10,000-square-mile stretch of high desert, the lone outpost between The Dalles to the north, Klamath Falls to the south, Eugene to the west, and John Day to the east. It was the wild heart of Central Oregon, a ranching and trading hub built on cattle, timber, and hard work. Back then, protecting what you built meant a handshake and a good neighbor. Insurance, like everything else out here, was about community holding
community together.
Then the railroads came and went right past us. When the Union Pacific and Oregon Trunk lines extended south to Bend in 1911, Prineville was left off the map. Most towns would have quietly faded. Not Prineville. In 1917, the townspeople did something remarkable: they voted to build their own railroad. The City of Prineville Railroad still operates today, making it one of the last municipally owned short-line railroads in the country. That’s not stubbornness. That’s character.
Fast-forward a century, and Prineville is doing it again.
When Meta (then Facebook) and Apple planted their massive data centers here in the 2010s, the rest of Oregon did a double take. Prineville? The rockhound capital of the U.S.? Yes, that Prineville. Those campuses didn’t just bring jobs; they rewired the local economy entirely. Crook County wages have surged over 80% in five years, the highest growth rate in Oregon. The region recently ranked among the top ten most dynamic micropolitan economies in the entire country.
And that’s exactly where those of us in insurance lean in.
Growth changes a community’s risk profile in ways people don’t always see coming. Median home prices are up nearly 17% year-over-year as of early 2026. New residents are arriving without deep roots in the local market, and many are underinsured simply because they don’t know what they don’t know. Long-time residents are finding that the coverage that fit their life five years ago may not fit it today. Businesses are expanding, contractors are busy, and the pace of change can outrun the policies meant to protect it all.
Prineville has always had a gift for rising to meet its moment. Barney Prine built everything under one roof because that’s what the moment required. The question now is whether the community can grow without losing the things that made it worth growing in the first place, including the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re properly protected.
I think it can. I’ve been doing business here long enough to know this town doesn’t fold. And I’m here to make sure the people and businesses building its next chapter don’t have to either.
