The Sunrise Community Guide Series

Find Your Community

Choosing where you build shapes nearly every part of the life you'll live there.

This guide helps you compare Central Oregon's premier luxury communities so you can begin with the place—not just the floor plan. Some are centered on golf and resort living; others on forest privacy, mountain views, modern architecture, or wide-open high-desert landscapes. After more than 25 years building custom homes throughout the region, we created it to help you understand the differences before you choose.

The Sunrise Community Guide Series

The home of the series — an ongoing, editorial look at Central Oregon's premier luxury communities, written by a builder with more than 25 years designing and constructing custom homes throughout the region. Every Sunrise Community Guide begins here.

Why this guide exists

The right community comes before the right home.

Most buyers begin by looking at floor plans. The better place to begin is with lifestyle — because every community creates a different experience, and the same house rarely belongs in two of them.

A home perfectly at ease in Brasada Ranch would feel completely different in Tanager. Likewise, a lake home designed for Caldera Springs would never belong on an estate lot in Highlands at Broken Top. The setting shapes the architecture, not the other way around.

Our philosophy is to understand how you want to live first, and only then begin designing the home. So the goal here isn't to tell you where to build — it's to help you discover which community feels like home before the design process begins.

City & regional guides

Building in Bend

A builder's guide to Bend homesites, permitting contexts, design decisions, and high-desert construction — the city-level companion to the individual community guides below.

Read the Bend guide →
Communities at a glance

Central Oregon's premier luxury communities.

Central Oregon's premier communities, each with its own character. Explore each in depth through its Sunrise Community Guide, with more on the way.

Brasada Ranch

High-desert resort living with expansive Cascade views, championship golf, equestrian amenities, and some of Central Oregon's most dramatic custom homes.

ResortGolfEquestrianPowell Butte
Read the guide →

Caldera Springs

A forest community built around lakes, trails, recreation, and year-round family living just south of Bend.

ForestLakesFamilySunriver
Read the guide →
Crosswater, Sunriver Oregon

Crosswater

Private golf estates surrounded by rivers, towering pines, and one of Central Oregon's most exclusive residential communities.

GolfRiverPrivateSunriver
Read the guide →

Juniper Preserve (Pronghorn)

Luxury resort living defined by championship golf, wellness, privacy, and expansive high-desert landscapes.

ResortGolfWellnessBend
Read the guide →

Broken Top

An established private golf community combining timeless mountain architecture with exceptional access to Bend.

GolfEstablishedWest Bend
Read the guide →
Tetherow, Bend Oregon

Tetherow

A modern golf community between downtown Bend and Mt. Bachelor, known for its David McLay Kidd course and striking high-desert contemporary architecture.

GolfModernWest Bend
Read the guide →

Tanager

A modern Bend neighborhood where thoughtful architecture, mature pines, and walkability create an entirely different lifestyle than the region's resort communities.

WaterfrontPrivateWest Bend
Read the guide →

Westgate

Luxury west-side Bend living with larger homesites, privacy, and quick access to everything Bend has to offer.

Estate lotsForestWest Bend
Read the guide →
Sunrise-built

North Rim

Private estate homes overlooking Bend with sweeping Cascade views and exceptional privacy.

EstateViewsAwbrey Butte
Read the guide →
Sunrise-built

Ranch at the Canyons

One of Central Oregon's most spectacular canyon communities — expansive acreage and dramatic beauty, where Sunrise is an approved builder with more than a decade of experience.

AcreageCanyonTerrebonne
Read the guide →

Sisters

Mountain-town living with custom homes, western character, and immediate access to forests, trails, and recreation.

Mountain townForestSisters
Read the guide →
Sunrise-built

Tumalo

Rural acreage and equestrian estates just northwest of Bend, where room to roam meets quick access to town, trails, and the Deschutes River.

AcreageEquestrianTumalo
Read the guide →
Community comparison

A side-by-side, at a glance.

The shorthand version — lifestyle, setting, and what each community does best. Read the full guide for the depth behind every line.

CommunityLifestyleGolfPrivacyViewsForestResortMin. to BendBest for
Brasada RanchHigh-desert resortChampionshipGated ranchCascade panoramasJuniper high desertFull resort~30 minResort & equestrian estates
Caldera SpringsForest resortFamily par-3Wooded lotsFiltered forestPonderosa pineLakes & pools~25 minFamily & lake recreation
CrosswaterPrivate golfChampionshipHighly privateRiver & fairwayRiverside pinesSunriver resort~25 minExclusive golf estates
Juniper PreserveLuxury resortNicklaus & FazioSecludedExpansive desertAncient junipersSpa & wellness~20 minGolf & wellness resort life
Broken TopEstablished golfWeiskopf/MorrishMature, gatedCascade & courseTall pinesClub amenities~10 minTimeless golf living
TetherowModern golfDavid McLay KiddWest-sideMt. Bachelor & desertHigh desertResort & dining~10 minContemporary golf living
TanagerModern west Bend—Waterfront privacyCascade & waterPonderosaPrivate lakes~15 minModern waterfront living
WestgateWest-side estate—Estate acreageCascade viewsDeschutes forestTrails & parks~12 minForested estate lots
North RimEstate & privacy—Very privateSweeping CascadeRim & pine—~8 minPrivate view estates
Ranch at the CanyonsCanyon estate—AcreageCanyon & Smith RockHigh desertVineyard estate~25 minDramatic acreage
SistersMountain townNearby coursesTown & countryThree SistersNational forestTown amenities~25 minMountain-town living
TumaloRural acreage—AcreageCascade & high desertPine & juniper—~15 minAcreage & equestrian estates

Drive times and details are approximate — read each community's guide for the full picture.

Which community fits your lifestyle?

Start with how you want to live.

Geography is only part of the story. It's often more useful to begin with the life you picture — and let that point you toward the right community.

Luxury Resort Living

For those who want the amenities of a fine resort as an extension of home — golf, spa, dining, pools, and an easy, lock-and-leave rhythm built for entertaining and for travel. The home is your retreat; the community does the rest.

Brasada RanchCaldera SpringsJuniper PreserveCrosswater

Luxury Golf Communities

Built around championship courses, where the fairways shape the neighborhood and the clubhouse is the heart of social life. Ideal for those who want to play, gather, and live the golf lifestyle through all four seasons.

Broken TopCrosswaterJuniper PreserveBrasada RanchTetherow

Forest Lifestyle

Life among the pines — shade, trails, and a quieter pace, with the outdoors woven into daily life. For those drawn more to the forest and the creek than to the fairway, where privacy comes from the trees themselves.

Caldera SpringsTanagerSisters

Estate & Privacy Living

Large parcels and elevated settings for those who value seclusion, space, and a home that answers only to its land. Room to create something singular, with views and privacy that smaller lots can't offer.

North RimRanch at the CanyonsTumaloHighlands at Broken Top

Modern Bend Living

Design-forward neighborhoods close to the city, where architecture and walkability matter as much as the setting. For buyers who want Bend's culture, dining, and trails at their doorstep without the formality of a resort.

TanagerWestgateBroken TopTetherow

Mountain Town Living

The unhurried rhythm of a true mountain town — walkable and western in character, wrapped in national forest with trails and rivers at the edge of everything. For those who want small-town life without giving up the mountains.

Sisters

Linked communities have a published Community Guide; others are on the way.

Central Oregon map

Where the communities sit.

An overview of the region — approximate locations for each community relative to Bend, Sunriver, Redmond, and Mt. Bachelor.

BEND REDMOND RDM · Redmond Airport SUNRIVER MT. BACHELOR ← Cascade Lakes Hwy Ranch at the Canyons Sisters Juniper Preserve Brasada Ranch North Rim Tanager Tumalo Westgate Broken Top Highlands at Broken Top Caldera Springs Crosswater N

Approximate locations · Central Oregon · not to scale

More places we build in Central Oregon

Distinctive Central Oregon Communities

Some communities are highly established, private, or serve a more specialized market. While they may not warrant a full builder guide today, they remain an important part of the Central Oregon landscape where Sunrise has experience building exceptional custom homes.

Eagle Crest

An established resort community on the Deschutes' high-desert bench near Redmond — golf, trails, and easy Central Oregon living with wide Cascade views.

ResortGolfRedmond
Sunrise-built at Eagle Crest

Tree Farm

A gated westside Bend community set against the foothills and forest, with private trail access and a quiet Northwest sensibility.

GatedForestWest Bend
Sunrise built the award-winning “Golden Mantle” here
Thornburgh Resort, Central Oregon

Thornburgh Resort

A new destination resort taking shape on Cline Buttes — golf, lodging, and custom homesites in a dramatic high-desert setting, with the Cascades on the horizon.

New resortCline ButtesRedmond
Up & coming · early homesites ahead
The Peaks 360, Central Oregon

The Peaks 360

A brand-new Central Oregon community designed around the views in every direction — and Sunrise homes are already in progress among the first to build here.

New communityViewsCentral Oregon
Now under construction with Sunrise
Highlands at Broken Top

Highlands at Broken Top

Large estate homesites offering privacy, custom architecture, and room to create truly one-of-a-kind homes on Bend's west side.

Estate lotsPrivateWest Bend
Estate homesites · West Bend
Choosing the right homesite

The lot matters more than the floor plan.

It's tempting to fall for a floor plan first. But the same plan can be a triumph on one lot and a compromise on another. How a home meets the sun, the wind, the slope, and the view — and how it sits among its neighbors and its trees — does more to determine whether it succeeds than the plan alone ever could. Choosing the right homesite, and understanding it fully before you buy, is the single highest-leverage decision in the whole process.

Here is what we look at when we walk a property with a client and their Realtor, ideally before an offer is ever made:

Views & orientation

Where the Cascades, the fairway, or the forest open up — and how to orient the home and its glass to capture them.

Sun & wind

Where the light falls through the seasons and how prevailing winds move across the site, shaping comfort and outdoor living.

Topography

Slope, rock, and grade — what they cost to build on, and the opportunities a change in elevation can create.

Privacy & neighbors

How the lot screens itself today, and how likely future construction on nearby parcels is to change your views and seclusion.

Utilities & access

Where power, water, and septic or sewer connect, and how the driveway and approach will work — practical realities that shape cost.

Review & trees

What the community's Architectural Review will allow, and which mature trees can be preserved to root the home in its setting.

Read our guide to choosing a lot →
Building throughout Central Oregon

We begin with the land.

We don't begin with a floor plan. We begin by understanding the land — the community, the homesite, the orientation, and the way you intend to live.

Before construction ever begins, we help clients evaluate communities and lots, weigh architects and design directions, and think through the lifestyle they're really after. It's the part of the process that pays the largest dividends, and the part most often skipped.

Whether you're still exploring communities, already own property, or arrive with completed plans in hand, Sunrise adapts to your process rather than asking you to adapt to ours. Wherever you're considering building across Central Oregon, we can help you understand the opportunity before the first sketch is drawn. See how we build →

Good questions

Frequently asked questions.

How do I choose the right community?

Start with how you want to live rather than with a floor plan. Consider whether you're drawn to golf and resort amenities, forest privacy, modern in-town living, or wide-open estate acreage, then weigh the daily realities of each community — the drive to town, the views, the neighbors, the recreation at your door, and the architectural character. Our community guides and lifestyle groupings above are built to help you compare, and we're glad to talk it through before you decide.

Can Sunrise help before I purchase a lot?

Yes, and it's one of the most valuable things we do. Bringing us in before you buy lets us evaluate a community or a specific homesite honestly — the views, sun and wind, topography, privacy, likely future construction nearby, utilities, and the architectural review that will shape what you can build — all before the decision is made.

Should I choose my builder before buying land?

Ideally, yes. A builder's read on a lot or an existing home can change which property you buy and what you pay for it. Involving Sunrise early means the land, the design, and the budget are aligned from the start, rather than discovered to be at odds after the purchase.

Can Sunrise evaluate a homesite?

Absolutely. We'll walk a homesite with you and your Realtor and give you a straight assessment — how the home should sit, where the views and privacy are, how sun, wind, slope, and trees will shape the design and the cost, and what the community's guidelines will allow. It costs nothing to ask.

Do I have to use your architect?

No. We collaborate with the architect and interior designer you already have, or help you assemble the right team. If you're choosing an architect, we'll recommend designers whose philosophy and personality fit your project, and our in-house Sunrise Interiors team can coordinate selections and construction details from the very beginning.

What if I already have plans?

That's perfectly fine. We regularly build homes designed by architects our clients selected and are equally comfortable joining projects with completed construction documents. Whether your plans are just beginning or already permit-ready, Sunrise adapts to your process rather than asking you to adapt to ours.

Which communities have Architectural Review?

Most of Central Oregon's premier communities — including Brasada Ranch, Caldera Springs, Juniper Preserve, Broken Top, Tanager, and Westgate — maintain design guidelines and an Architectural Review Committee to protect their character. The specifics vary by community, and we design with each one's expectations in mind so approvals move smoothly.

Can Sunrise build throughout Central Oregon?

Yes. For more than 25 years we have built and renovated custom homes throughout Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver, Powell Butte, Terrebonne, and the region's resort, golf, ranch, and estate communities. Wherever you're considering, we can help you evaluate the opportunity and build there.

The land comes first

We've never believed clients should choose a floor plan first.

Every great custom home begins by understanding the property, the community, the views, the climate, and the way you'll live there. The architecture should always grow from that foundation—not the other way around.

Whether you're still comparing communities or already know exactly where you'd like to build, we're happy to help you understand the opportunities each location offers before the first sketch is ever drawn.

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