A long list of visitors: Donner Party, film crews and Olympic skiers
Before it was a town, Truckee was a pit stop on the Emigrant Trail. Thousands of Californians brought wagons through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the 1840s — the Donner Party, for one — in pursuit of gold and a better life. As more people flocked to the area in the 1860s, a lumber mill and railroad were constructed, and ice harvesting from nearby lakes had taken off. The early 1900s brought film crews from Hollywood, and by 1960, the Olympic games came to Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort. “The town was incorporated in the 1990s,” says Christy Morrison with Home & Slate, a Truckee resident since 1988 and a Realtor since 2006. “Before that, there were a bunch of teeny neighborhoods and ski areas, and there wasn’t really a sense of community. You’d see your friends on the ski hill, but a central meeting place didn’t exist. Then the real estate boom happened in the 2000s, and people started getting a sense of place. They started congregating in other areas besides the recreation spaces. New restaurants and shops started popping up downtown.” This downtown, along with ski resorts and Lake Tahoe, now attracts millions of tourists per year. About 17,000 locals are here year-round or part-time, and some keep second homes.
Gateway got its name from the Historic Donner Party and the passage they attempted in town.
The Union Pacific Railroad runs through the Southern portion of Glenshire-Devonshire.
Palisades Tahoe, a jewel in Tahoe City's crown, hosted the Winter Olympics.
The Downtown Holiday Festival spans the length of Historic Truckee in front of the shops.
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More than Lake Tahoe
Some tourists pass through Truckee on the way to Lake Tahoe. For locals, nature is ingrained in the culture. “Our community values the outdoors,” says Ross Collins with Diamante Realty, who moved here in the 2000s and has over 35 years of real estate experience. “It’s water sports with boating, fishing and water skiing; it’s golf with world-class courses in Lahontan and Schaffer's Mill; and, of course, it’s skiing and snowboarding with all the snow.” The area’s seven resorts straddle the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and they can get busy in high season. “People put in effort to make it up here despite severe weather and road conditions,” Collins says. “Skiing here is an addiction. Once you get the taste of gliding on fresh powder, you’ll do anything to get on that hill.” Hiking and mountain biking are other popular activities, as the Tahoe National Forest covers the region. Less crowded than Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake is a few miles west of downtown, and Prosser Creek Reservoir is about 10 miles north.
Gray's Crossing is a luxury community in rural Truckee with plenty of aquatic activities.
Historic Truckee is surrounded by Championship Golf courses, many of which host PGA events.
Stunning panoramas from Northstar, South Truckee's snowy crown.
The Truckee Bike Park can be ridden to from Olympic Heights by hopping on the Legacy Trail.
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Downtown Truckee, other spots on Donner Pass Road
Downtown Truckee — or Historic Truckee — is the main landing spot for tourists, but locals can enjoy its shops and restaurants too. With brick buildings dating back to the 1860s, this district has bars that used to be banks and gift shops that used to be taverns. Casual restaurants cluster on Donner Pass Road, the main thoroughfare, and fine dining arrived in the 2000s. Galleries often feature work from local artists, and museums center around railroad or Wild West history. The Truckee River flows through this area, too, so visitors have a waterfront walking and biking path. The Gateway district is just west on Donner Pass Road with grocers, coffee houses and other restaurants.
Historic Truckee was named one of the best ski towns in America by Outside Magazine.
Old Town Tap in Historic Truckee offers a great selection of tapas and cocktails.
Historic Truckee caters to high end boutiques, with local art and handmade clothing.
Historic Truckee has numerous art galleries, often reflecting scenes from the Tahoe Region.
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Truckee Thursdays and other events
Truckee draws crowds for its events. Locals and tourists pack downtown for Truckee Thursdays, a weekly street fair in June, July and August; live music, games and vendors butt up on either side of Donner Pass Road. This event also holds the Truckee Farmers Market, but from May through October, it’s across the river at Truckee River Regional Park. The Truckee 4th of July Parade is at Truckee Tahoe Airport with a fun run and elaborate floats.
Truckee Thursday begins in June and wraps up each year at the end of August.
Cell phones and lighters come out at night at The Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival.
Truckee Certified Farmer's Market has beautiful organic produce for sale each week.
You never know what will be on floats at the Truckee 4th of July Parade.
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Mountain-style homes in neighborhoods like Tahoe Donner, Glenshire-Devonshire
Historic Truckee has homes with hillside or river views, and most properties are historically protected. In the hills north of downtown, Tahoe Donner has cabin-style homes from the 1970s and onward, and Gray’s Crossing has modern chalets from the 2020s. Glenshire-Devonshire is at a lower elevation east of town, and it has mostly ranch-style homes from the 1980s and ‘90s. Lahontan, Schaffer’s Mill and Martis Camp are luxury golf course communities to the south, and topping out around $4 million, they’re the highest end of the market. Fixer-uppers in Tahoe Donner and Glenshire-Devonshire can go for $600,000, though. The median sale price is $1.2 million, roughly doubling the median for nearby Reno.
The newest construction in Historic Truckee is on East River Street on the Truckee River.
Traditional cabins in Tahoe Donner have strong, steeped roofs to contend with annual snow.
Metal siding and meticulous rock work define the custom build exteriors in Gray's Crossing.
Schaffer's Mill in Truckee has newly constructed modern cabins on a luxury golf course.
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High marks for Truckee-Tahoe Unified Schools
Truckee-Tahoe Unified School District serves about 4,000 students across 700 square miles. Of the district’s 12 schools, most are in Truckee, and they get an overall A from Niche. Sierra Expeditionary Learning School is an A-rated standout for kindergarten through eighth grade. It also ranks as the No. 1 charter elementary school in the Reno area, ahead of 10 others.
The entry sign at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School.
An aerial view of Truckee Elementary School facing North West.
Students burn calories walking the stairs at Alder Creek Middle School.
Students thrive at Tahoe Truckee High School.
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Truckee crime: less than half of national levels
In 2023, Truckee had a monthly average violent crime rate half that of state and national rates. The monthly average for property offenses was about 75% less than state and national levels.
Interstate 80 and winter driving
Intersecting with Donner Pass Road, Interstate 80 is the main route in and out of Truckee. It goes 30 miles east to Reno and 100 miles west to Sacramento, but traffic can clog in high seasons. That’s especially true during summer road maintenance and wildfires. Winter snowstorms can also slow traffic, and chains are required under severe conditions. Alternatively, Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit has routes to Lake Tahoe and the area’s ski resorts. Amtrak’s California Zephyr goes through Truckee, too, with final stops in San Francisco and Chicago. Truckee Tahoe Airport has regional flights, but the Reno-Tahoe International Airport is the closest commercial option.
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