Communities Around Lake Tahoe

Best communities in Lake Tahoe

SO MANY CHOICES.  SO MUCH MOUNTAIN CHARM.

Throughout Lake Tahoe and in and around the High Sierra there are small pockets of communities; each of which host their own charm and personality.   To help you find the perfect spot to call ‘home,’ we’ve provided you with some highlights below. 

Alpine Meadows

With a classic collection of ski cabins and Swiss chalets, one’s first impression of the community of Alpine Meadows is a throwback to vintage Tyrolean. Blend that vision with recent architectural award-winning residences and you have a true mountain community that is well known for its quiet peaceful and pristine setting just minutes from the popular Truckee and Tahoe City communities. The heartbeat of the residents and visitors from around the world is the iconic Alpine Meadows Ski Resort which has been sheltered from mass development and still holds its own old-world charm with miles of ski runs and good old-fashioned guest service.

Incline Village & Crystal Bay

Located on the pristine North Shore of Lake Tahoe in the state of Nevada, Incline Village, and its neighbor Crystal Bay offers some of the most diverse options for living the good life, every day.

As each section of this rather prestigious region of the Lake has its own personality, we created a special page that highlights each neighborhood. Click here to view our Incline Village neighborhood profiles.

Kings Beach

Kings Beach is the heart of summer fun in North Lake Tahoe and one stop at its impressive beach will tell you why. Farmers’ markets and weekend craft fairs provide lots of summer fun and activity. Known as North Shore’s banana belt, the area falls in the sun’s path from early morning into the evening during summer. Restaurants are plentiful here as well. During the winter ski season, Kings Beach is a perfect base camp and is located within 20 minutes of world-class ski resorts like Northstar at Tahoe, Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley.

North Lake Tahoe

Home to twelve nationally acclaimed alpine ski resorts and just 13 miles from Truckee, North Lake Tahoe is comprised of several small towns, such as Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, Agate Bay, Dollar Point, Tahoe City and the expansive West Shore.

With a wide variety of real estate options, from breathtaking lakefront homes to luxury townhomes, charming cabin chalets, to contemporary mountain homes, North Lake Tahoe offers something for every mountain and alpine lake lover.

Northstar

Having invested millions of dollars in its structural as well as recreational assets, it’s a destination that deserves all of the accolades it has received from some of the top real estate and vacation magazines in the nation.

The investment made by Northstar-California and the Village at Northstar is evident with continued improvements that equate to one of the ski industry’s most iconic luxury Villages. Accessible all year long, the Village is filled with boutique shops and incredible restaurants overlooking a main plaza area that transforms nicely from an ice rink in winter to a roller rink in summer. This resort community is easily at home as a winter ski destination and a mountain bike riders’ paradise

Squaw Valley / Olympic Valley

At the base of the mountain, Squaw Valley is a small community rich in history and offers a wide range of real estate options from condominiums to contemporary luxury homes. Squaw Valley has 15 real estate subdivisions, six of which are private: Hidden Lake, Homesites at Squaw Creek, Painted Rock, Squaw Creek Estates, Squaw Summit and Creekside Estates.  You can choose a homesite that is nestled back with a sweeping view of Olympic Valley, or situate yourself in the heart of all the action, at The Village at Squaw Valley.

If you’re an avid skier, looking for the best of the best in skiing terrain, and a home or vacation spot with breathtaking valley views, then look no further.  Squaw Valley is an illustrious combination of majestic, extraordinary and elite.

Tahoe City

If you would enjoy a taste of ‘Old World’ Tahoe in a traditional alpine chalet or lakefront estate with tremendous character, then Tahoe City beckons. Tahoe City has several subdivisions that are bursting with local culture, and communities primarily comprised of single-family homes: Dollar Point, Dollar Hill and Dollar Heights; Granlibakken; Lake Forest; Ridgewood Estates; Tahoe Tavern; and Talmont.

The buzzing summer activity in Tahoe City can be found in the heart of town at Commons Beach.  Here you’ll find the largest farmers’ market at North Lake Tahoe every Thursday from June to October and during the summer nights are concerts at Commons Beach on Sundays or catch Movies at the Beach on Wednesdays.  With a large grassy area and playgrounds for children and young-at-heart to enjoy, Commons Beach is the friendliest choice for a family picnic or special gathering.

For winter lovers, Tahoe City occupies a portion of Lake Tahoe with endless outdoor activities. Alpine Meadows ski resort and Squaw Valley are just a hop, skip and jump down Highway 89

Tahoe Vista

Although one of the smallest towns in North Lake Tahoe, don’t let the one traffic light deceive you.  Tahoe Vista packs a mighty punch in the summertime and heralds some of the most coveted shoreline and lakefront real estate in the entire Lake Tahoe basin. With three premier beaches, crowds flock here to stretch their water sport muscles, from their very own private docks, or a short walk nearby – sometimes just a jaunt across the street!

Tahoe Vista has historically been an eclectic neighborhood of mom-and-pop motels, comfy bed and breakfasts, and other picturesque vacation lodging options. But in recent years, this lakefront community has undergone noticeable re-development, with Tonopalo as the token lakefront real estate community and Vista Pines constructing a small division of luxury homes on the mountainside of the main road. Today you will still find a dizzying array of lodging options, but choose from a mountain or lakeside home, or condominium, and expect many unbelievably sunrise and sunsets here.

Truckee

At the heart of Truckee, California’s 33 square miles, with a river running through it, Historic Downtown Truckee is the heartbeat of the many burgeoning golf and ski resort communities that have led to this region’s incredible popularity and real estate growth.  A classic train and logging town of times gone by, Truckee’s charm is just the beginning of its true character that makes living in and around this region so much in demand.

Many of the original buildings erected in the “rough and tumble” days of the Old West stand today — known as Commercial Row.  Commercial Row holds a great deal of character for the Town of Truckee, where visitors can step back in time along a stretch of swanky boutiques, galleries, restaurants, wine bars, and even historical landmarks.  Take a tour through the Old Jail Museum on Jibboom Street, or the truly curious can purchase a walking tour through Historic Downtown Truckee in the summer and fall seasons.

West Shore

Just a few miles south of the North Shore community of Tahoe City is the historic West Shore of Lake Tahoe.  It’s one of the Lake’s most established communities that provides many options from lakeside residences to mountain-view homes.

The West Shore of Lake Tahoe covers the Homewood, Tahoma and Meeks Bay areas—a very historic area of Lake Tahoe and is best known as the home of  Homewood Ski Resort, a small mountain which locals say – hands down – has the best lake view and powder skiing in the whole Lake Tahoe basin.

Travel even further down its shoreline and you will encounter nautical history, with Obexer’s Marina (now over 100 years old), Sugar Pine Point State Park, and the blue-green waters of Emerald Bay.