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South
Lake Tahoe Info.
About South Lake Tahoe...
In South Lake Tahoe, the lakeside's
largest community, many restaurants, modest motels and pine-bound
cottages stand side-by-side with the high-rise casinos and
resorts of Stateline, Nevada just across the state border.
You can enjoy playing
with money at the tables and slot machines, and you can
also explore the beautiful hiking trails, parks and beaches
that populate the surrounding area.
Just next to South
Lake Tahoe, the prettiest part of the lake is along the southwest
shore, at Emerald Bay State Park, 10 miles to the west of South
Lake Tahoe. It's not far from city amenities and there are paved
walking and bicycling paths that take you along the Lake Tahoe shore
and right up to the beach. You will find many parking places, nestled
in the tall pine trees next to the beach. Campers also can find
several good shoreline campgrounds, suitable for every visitor,
whether you have a large motor home or a small tent.
Majestic Emerald Bay
is just a small part of this beautiful and pristine State Park covering
1,830 acres of the Sierra Nevada mountains at Lake Tahoe. Here you
will find six miles of both rocky and sandy beaches on the magnificent
shoreline of Lake Tahoe. Also available to visitors are picnic areas,
camping and miles of hiking trails. Enjoy nature and see the beautiful
variety of trees and plants that are indigenous to the Lake Tahoe
area. Along with the Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines, red and white
fir, cedar, junipers and cottonwood, the park is brimming with gnarled
and stunted sugar pines that grow in thin granite soil. Take a stroll
along the Balancing Rock nature trail and see a 130-ton rock that
balances precariously on a slender stone base. This has been a favorite
attraction since the late 1800s. It's a short and easy half-mile,
self-guided walk that you really must try. Plan on spending the
entire day, because once you get here, you won't want to leave.
This is your jumping off point for a road
tour around Lake Tahoe. Traveling northward up the west shore road,
you can decide visit a castle as part of your tour! A mile from
the parking lot at Vikingsholm is an unlikely reproduction Viking
castle! The castle is open to the public in the summer (a fee is
charged).
Travel 2 more miles north to Sugar Pine
Point State Park, the home of the huge Ehrman Mansion (open daily
- a fee is charged). The mansion is decorated in 30's era furnishings.
You may have seen the extensive lakefront grounds before if you
watched the movie The Godfather II.
The rest of the 75-mile drive around Lake
Tahoe is lovely, and some travel brochures claim that it is "the
most beautiful drive in America."
Another way to see it is to take a paddlewheel
boat cruise on the MS Dixie II, from Zephyr Cove, which is in Nevada
just to the north as you travel up the east shore. To get to the
cruise boat, start at South Lake Tahoe. If you ask one of the resort
concierges, you can find out where and when you can board the free
shuttle to the dock, or sign up for other boat tours through one
of the larger casinos.
But let's get back to South Lake Tahoe.
Some Interesting Stats About
South Lake Tahoe
Country United States
State California
Land Area
- Total 16.5 sq mi (42.7 km²)
- Land 10.1 sq mi (26 km²)
- Water 6.4 sq mi (16.7 km²)
Elevation 6,237 ft (1,901 m)
Population (2000)
- Total 23,609
- Density 1,430.8/sq mi (552.9/km²)
Time zone Pacific (PDT) (UTC-8)
ZIP code 96150
Area code(s) 530
FIPS code 06-73108
GNIS feature ID 1659822
South Lake Tahoe is a city in El Dorado County, California,
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Living in South Lake Tahoe
As of 2010, South Lake Tahoe's population is 23,620
people. Since 2000, South Lake Tahoe had a boom in growth and real
estate, but after the recession started, now the town reports a
population "growth" of 0.07 percent, which is more of
a flat line than growth at all.
The median home cost in South Lake Tahoe is $302,250.
Home appreciation during the last year was down -17.76 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, South Lake Tahoe's
cost of living is 28.80% Higher than the U.S. average.
South Lake Tahoe public schools report that they spend
$4,917 per student.(The average school expenditure in the U.S. is
$5,678.) The schools report that there are about 19 students per
teacher in South Lake Tahoe.
The unemployment rate in South Lake Tahoe is 12.10
percent or higher. Recent job "growth" is negative, meaning
that the unemppoyment rate is growing.
The east end of the City of South Lake Tahoe, on the
California-Nevada state line, is mainly geared towards tourism,
with T-shirt shops, restaurants, hotels, and the Heavenly Ski Resort
with the Nevada casinos just across the state line in Stateline,
Nevada. It's a little difficult to know whether you are still in
South Lake Tahoe or if you have crossed the border to Stateline,
however just keep in mind that casinos are only allowed on the Nevada
side, and that will tell you which state you are in. The border
is right there at Embassy Suites.
The City of South Lake Tahoe extends about five miles
west-southwest along highway 50, also known as Lake Tahoe Blvd.
The western end of town is mainly residential and vacation rental
properties, and it clusters around "The Y", the X-shaped
intersection of US Highway 50, state highway 89, and Lake Tahoe
Boulevard after it loses its federal/state highway designation.
At The Y, you will find factory stores, coffee shops and other businesses
to explore. There's also a bus terminal where the bus to and from
Sacramento arrives and departs.
So, the town is pretty spread out! According to the
United States Census Bureau, the City of South Lake Tahoe has a
total area of 16.5 square miles (42.7 km²), of which, 10.1
square miles (26.1 km²) of it is land and 6.4 square miles
(16.7 km²) of it (39.03%) is water. Elevation is 6260 ft. which
is quite a bit more than a mile high! Due to the extreme elevation,
remember to drink your water and also that it might be a little
more difficult when climbing stairs and mountain trails. For old
folks and those with heart conditions, Lake Tahoe can be quite a
strain, in fact. So, just take it easy and enjoy your visit at a
slower pace.
South Lake Tahoe is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The racial makeup of the city was
75.73% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.97% Native American,
6.01% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 12.48% from other races, and
3.90% from two or more races. 26.66% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino of any race.
There were 9,410 households out of which 30.9% had
children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married
couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no
husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households
were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50
and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.2%
under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9%
from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 107.0 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,707,
and the median income for a family was $40,572. Males had a median
income of $26,352 versus $22,280 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,452. About 9.1% of families and 12.5% of the
population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those
under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Are you looking for geological and geographical
information about Lake Tahoe? The folks at US Geological
Survey have created a fabulous site that includes beautiful animations
of Tahoe below the water! It includes: U.S. Geological Survey, Lake
Tahoe Initiative, Geography and History, Lake Facts, GIS Data, DEM,
DOQ, DLG, DRG, Bathymetry, Landsat 7, Landcover, Census, Soils,
Partners, Help Desk, General Maps, Pictures, and more Lake Tahoe,
and more Lake Tahoe Sources.
Click on the image below to go the USGS Lake Tahoe
Data Clearinghouse...
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