La Pine was founded in the 19th century with Huntington Road as the main street. Today, La Pine is beginning to grow once again, but this time as a commuter town to Bend, making Deschutes County one of the fastest-growing counties in America. La Pine had remained an unincorporated community for many years. A measure to incorporate in the 2000 elections was rejected by a 2–1 ratio. In the elections of 2006, another incorporation measure was placed on the ballot. The La Pine measure passed, creating the City of La Pine. The city occupies, and at the time of incorporation, had 1,585 residents as of December 2006. Much of the former census-designated area lies outside the city limits.
At the 2010 census, there were 1,653 people in 698 households, including 412 families, in the city. The population density was. There were 942 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 93.5% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population. Of the 698 households 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couplesliving together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.0% were non-families. 31.2% of households were one person and 15.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 43.6 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
At the 2000 census, there were 5,799 people, 2,331 households, and 1,699 families in the CDP. The population density was 197.7 people per square mile. There were 2,975 housing units at an average density of 101.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.84% White, 0.09% African American, 1.28% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22% of the population. Of the 2,331 households 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 20.8% of households were one person and 10.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.82. The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males. The median household income was $29,859 and the median family income was $33,938. Males had a median income of $30,457 versus $20,186 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,543. About 9.5% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
