With Lake Tahoe real estate and vacation rentals our business, the Coldwell Banker offices in Lake Tahoe would like to share with you information about the area. This presentation includes local highlights, statistics on climate, population, schools, transportation, recreation, hospitals, and unique information about each area of the Lake Tahoe basin.

Where is Lake Tahoe/Truckee? Lake Tahoe is located in the Sierra Mountains, 6200 feet above sea level. This beautiful alpine lake, 72 miles in circumference, is divided by the California and Nevada state borders. It is approximately 200 miles east of San Francisco and 30 miles west of Reno. This year round playground offers skiing, gaming, golf, boating, hiking, bike riding, tennis, fishing, fine dining and just about anything you want in a mountain setting.

Truckee Tahoe City Incline Village Stateline South Lake

Getting to Lake Tahoe/Truckee
Driving. There are several highways leading into the Lake Tahoe/Truckee area. Interstate 80 from the West (Sacramento, California) and from the East (Reno, Nevada) is a popular route to the Tahoe/Truckee region. For those driving from Sacramento to the South Shore of Lake Tahoe, there is Highway 50. Travelers from Los Angeles may prefer Highway 395 to the Highway 50 junction in Carson City, Nevada. Driving times from the San Francisco Bay Area vary, but given normal traffic conditions and clear roads, most folks figure on spending between 3.5 and 4.5 hours to drive to Lake Tahoe. Bring tire chains in the Winter months.

Flying - Reno. The Reno/Tahoe International Airport is less than an hour drive from Tahoe. Flights from around the United States arrive in Reno daily. There is a shuttle service to all three Lake Tahoe destinations from the airport and the usual variety of rental car agencies are available. In the Winter months, request a 4 - wheel drive!

Flying - Truckee. A small local airport, the Truckee-Tahoe Airport is located on Highway 267 just 5 minutes from Truckee. It will accommodate your private plane easily and is equipped with Unicom. Private business jets fly in here on a regular basis.

Flying - South Shore. South Lake Tahoe's airport is located 15 minutes south of the casinos on Lake Tahoe's South Shore. Check with your travel agent to determine the major airlines flying into South Lake Tahoe.

Weather
Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas all experience four seasons. Since Tahoe is predominantly a resort area there are definite patterns with respect to tourist visits. The high seasons, the summer and the winter ski season, bring visitors from all over the country with the majority from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento.

In the summer, we look forward to days that are usually warm with frequent afternoon thunder storms and cool clear nights. In the winter, days are usually clear and sunny with an occasional storm that supplies us with our famous Sierra snow. Grey overcast days are an exception. Days are comfortable and nights are cold. In the summer, bring light clothing and a light jacket for the evening. When Does it Snow? Snowstorms in the summer are a rare and pleasant change - don't be surprised if you see one in July or August! However, the snow never sticks to the ground during summer.

Winter snowfall in the Sierra is usually plentiful and can vary tremendously from area to area and neighborhood to neighborhood. Higher elevations accumulate much more snow, even a fifty or a hundred foot elevation change can make a big difference. Micro climates in the winter are very evident. As an example, changes from one neighborhood to the adjacent neighborhood can be significant. If you're going to be a winter resident you should ask us about these micro climates. If you're new to the area, bring your warm winter clothing and a pair of snow boots during cold weather.

History
Back in 1844, John Fremont, Kit Carson, and 40 others came upon Lake Tahoe. Fremont named it Lake Bonpland after a French botanist who accompanied an earlier expedition. City founders in Placerville renamed the lake Lake Bigler in honor of John Bigler, California's third governor, who led a rescue party to Lake Tahoe in 1852 to save a group of snowbound travelers. Bigler fell into disfavor after the outbreak of the Civil War when he was accused of being a Southern sympathizer. Other names were suggested and finally it was left to a map maker with the Department of the Interior, William Henry Knight, to choose a new name. He pursued the question with California writer Dr. Henry DeGroot who finally came up with "Tahoe" which he believed meant "big water or "high water" in the native Washoe Indian language. In 1945 Lake Tahoe officially got its name.