What part of Lake Tahoe is the best to live?

Enjoy majestic panoramic lake views along with immediate access to the crystal blue water. Lake Tahoe offers waterfront living at its finest.

Incline Village, NV

On Lake Tahoe’s North Shore and known for its sandy beaches, golf courses, hiking & biking trails, winter skiing, gambling, and acclaimed summer events, Incline Village homeowners enjoy incredible amenities and Nevada tax benefits.

Crystal Bay, NV

Named for its crystal blue waters, Crystal Bay reaps the benefits of both the North Shore location as well as Nevada tax incentives.

North Lake Tahoe

Recognized as one of the world's most beautiful locations, the North Shore of Lake Tahoe offers wonderful dining, entertainment, shopping, and family-friendly neighborhoods.

West Shore

Often referred to as the "best shore," Lake Tahoe's West Shore is known for its serenity, calm lake coves and access to extensive trail systems.

Truckee

Historic downtown Truckee offers an array of dining options and unique artisan shops. Consistently recognized as one of the world's best ski towns, Truckee is located just off of Highway 80 and is 13 miles from Lake Tahoe.

Martis Camp

Located midway between historic Truckee and North Lake Tahoe, Martis Camp is a 2,177-acre private, luxury community, which Barron’s ranked as Tahoe’s Best Place to Own a Second Home.

Northstar

Sitting halfway between Truckee and Lake Tahoe, Northstar offers unbeatable proximity to skiing, mountain biking and golf, as well as the many dining, shopping, and entertainment options in the Northstar Village.

Tahoe Donner

A community within Truckee, CA, Tahoe Donner offers a host of amenities for the whole family along with convenient proximity to town, trails, and ski resorts.

Olympic Valley

Olympic Valley sits halfway between Truckee and Tahoe City. Famed as the site of the 1960 Olympics, the valley is home one of the largest ski resorts in the United States, renamed Palisades Tahoe. With a Village at the base of the mountain and a golf course in the valley, homes have access to numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

Alpine Meadows

Alpine Meadows is a quaint and quiet mountain neighborhood with immediate access to skiing and hiking trails as well as convenient proximity to the Truckee River.

Lahontan

Lahontan is more than a renowned golf club. It is a community that offers unparalleled luxury and the very best in amenities and service, in a setting that's among the finest in the world.

The views expressed in this blog post are subjective

and based on my own personal experience.

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PROS:

Living in Lake Tahoe comes with a lot of perks. Here are some of the biggest ones.

1. Spectacular Scenery

The scenery in Lake Tahoe is nothing short of magnificent. In fact, it’s the number one reason why I moved here. The phenomenal clarity and color of the lake is something you have to see to believe. Adding to the beauty are the snow-capped peaks and alpine forests that surround the sparkling lake. Being able to wake up every day and enjoy such stunning scenery is a huge perk of living in Lake Tahoe.

2. Photographers Dream

With its granite peaks, towering forests, and turquoise beaches, Lake Tahoe is an outdoor photographer's dream. In addition to the beautiful scenery, there's ample wildlife to photograph such as black bears, eagles, and coyotes to name a few. If action/adventure photography is your thing, there's plenty of opportunity for photographing skiers, rock climbers, wakeboarders, paddleboarders, etc. Lake Tahoe also has an ever-expanding local art scene. South Lake Tahoe hosts an art walk once a month, and the community as a whole is very supportive of its local photographers and artists. So if you're a photographer/creative type, you'll be in good company.

3. Outdoor Activities

If you are an outdoor enthusiast or the adventurous type, then you'll feel right at home in Lake Tahoe. It's an excellent place for hiking, biking, skiing, snow-shoeing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, wakeboarding...I could go on and on. You don't even need to own your own gear as there are plenty of companies around the lake that rent by the hour/day.

4. Beautiful Beaches

If you're a beach person, then Tahoe won't disappoint. Lake Tahoe’s 72-mile shoreline is home to some of the most picturesque beaches in the country. A phrase I like to use to describe Tahoe's beaches is "alpine caribbean." Instead of palm trees, it's pine trees and snow-capped mountains that surround the clear turquoise waters and stretches of soft sand.

5. Seasons / Weather

Lake Tahoe has beautiful, ever-changing weather. It is said to receive about 300 days of sunshine a year, and its climate can best be described as dry and temperate. Even in the summer, there’s very little humidity, a huge perk if you're not a fan of muggy weather. Another great thing about living in Tahoe is that it has all four seasons. You'll get to enjoy spectacular fall foliage in autumn, epic snow conditions in the winter, wildflowers and flowing waterfalls in the spring, and perfect beach weather in the summer.

Tahoesouth.com does a great job of describing Lake Tahoe's year-round weather conditions.

6. Food / Entertainment

I live in South Lake Tahoe so I can't speak for some of the other areas around the lake, but South Lake Tahoe has a lively bar and restaurant scene. Living near Stateline is particularly fun because you’ll have access to not only the bars and restaurants but also the 24-hour casinos on the Nevada side. Breweries and taphouses are a big thing in Tahoe, as is live music. You can find live music (playing mostly rock covers) almost every night of the week at many of the bars and restaurants. Tahoe's restaurants range from divey to upscale and serve up everything from BBQ, to pizza, to burgers, to poke, to prime rib, etc.

7. Jobs

If you work in the hospitality or restaurant industry, then you are in luck, as these jobs are some of the easiest to get in Lake Tahoe. Bars, restaurants, hotels, and ski resorts are almost always hiring. Keep in mind that Lake Tahoe has busy seasons (summer and winter) and slow seasons (fall and spring). Be prepared to bank your money during the busy seasons, knowing that you might not be making that much during the slow seasons. As far as jobs that aren’t entry-level, I’ve heard from others that these are a little harder to get, as Tahoe is a small town. However, every community needs specialists such as doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc.

Also, if you can work remotely or have a freelance business (e.g. freelance photographer or videographer), then Tahoe might be a good fit.

CONS:

Now that you've heard the good, here are a few things that might deter you from moving to Tahoe.

1. Dry Climate

There is a downside to living in a place that is low in humidity and high in elevation. It can be very rough on your skin, eyes, and sinuses. I still wake up with the occasional bloody nose from the dry air. Honestly, I don't think I have ever used as much moisturizer and chapstick as I have since I moved to Tahoe. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a determent, but it can be annoying. On the plus side, because of the low humidity, you’ll never have a frizzy hair day, so there's that.

2. Get ready to shovel

Obviously Lake Tahoe gets a lot of snow. Unless you have covered parking, you will more than likely have to shovel your car out quite a few times during the winter season, which can be a pain. On the plus side, Lake Tahoe does an excellent job of plowing the roads. So much so, that I was able to get through an entire snowy winter without having to put chains or snow tires on my car.

3. Isolation

Living in Lake Tahoe can feel socially isolating at times, especially if you move here by yourself. This is probably my number one issue living here (dry skin coming in a close second). The best way to meet people is probably through your job. And of course, you can go out to the bars and meet people that way. It's also worth noting that Tahoe is a transient community. People tend to live and work here for a season (e.g. ski season) and then leave. So even if you make a few friends, they might be leaving in a few months.

Lake Tahoe can feel physically isolating as well, as it's a small town in the middle of the Sierra Mountains. However, Reno airport is only an hour away and very accessible from both north and south Lake Tahoe. So there's always the option to hop a flight and visit friends and family when you need a little break from the isolation.

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