33 Facts About Lake Tahoe

1.

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States.

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2.

Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction in both Nevada and California.

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3.

Name for Lake Tahoe derives from the Washoe word "da'aw, " meaning "The Lake.

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4.

Lake Tahoe is the youngest of several extensional basins of the Walker Lane deformation zone that accommodates nearly 0.

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5.

The West Lake Tahoe Fault appears to be the most active and potentially hazardous fault in the basin.

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6.

Sierra Nevada adjacent to Lake Tahoe were carved by scouring glaciers during the Ice Ages, which began a million or more years ago, and retreated ~15, 000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene.

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7.

Lake Tahoe has a dry-summer continental climate, featuring warm, dry summers and chilly winters with regular snowfall.

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8.

The beaches of Lake Tahoe are the only known habitat for the rare Lake Tahoe yellowcress, a plant which grows in the wet sand between low- and high-water marks.

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9.

Lake Tahoe was the center and heart of Washoe Indian territory, including the upper valleys of the Walker, Carson and Truckee Rivers.

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10.

Lake Tahoe became a transportation hub for the surrounding area as mining and logging commenced prior to development of railroads.

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11.

The first steamboat on Lake Tahoe was the 42-foot paddle wheel tugboat Governor Blasdel towing log rafts to a sawmill on the south side of Glenbrook Bay from 1863 until her boiler exploded in 1877.

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12.

Lake Tahoe City was founded in 1864 as a resort community for Virginia City.

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13.

Public appreciation of the Lake Tahoe basin grew, and during the 1912, 1913 and 1918 congressional sessions, congressmen tried unsuccessfully to designate the basin as a national park.

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14.

The lake level is controlled by Lake Tahoe Dam built in 1913 at the lake's only outlet, the Truckee River, at Tahoe City.

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15.

Lake Tahoe is divided by the prominent interstate boundary between California and Nevada, where the two states' edges make their iconic directional turn near the middle of the lake.

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16.

In California, Lake Tahoe is divided between Placer County and El Dorado County.

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17.

In Nevada, Lake Tahoe is divided among Washoe County, Douglas County and Carson City.

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18.

Lake Tahoe is a U S Navigable Waterway, under federal jurisdiction, and the public is allowed to occupy any watercraft as close to any shore as the craft is navigable.

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19.

The Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency does not have the authority to override existing federal law even if it was created by Congress.

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20.

The Compact established the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, a bi-state agency charged with environmental protection of the Basin through land-use regulation and planning.

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21.

Lake Tahoe is the location of several 19th and 20th century palatial homes of historical significance.

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22.

Lake Tahoe is a tributary watershed drainage element within the Truckee River Basin, and its sole outlet is the Truckee River, which continues on to discharge to Pyramid Lake.

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23.

Analysis of the temperature records in Lake Tahoe has shown that the lake warmed at an average rate of 0.

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24.

Until recently, construction on the banks of the Lake Tahoe had been largely under the control of real estate developers.

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25.

Currently, the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is regulating construction along the shoreline.

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26.

League to Save Lake Tahoe has been an environmental watchdog in the Lake Tahoe Basin for 50 years.

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27.

Much of the area surrounding Lake Tahoe is devoted to the tourism industry and there are many restaurants, ski slopes, golf courses and casinos catering to visitors.

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28.

Majority of the ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe region are on the northern end of the lake, near Truckee, California and Reno, Nevada.

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29.

Diving at Lake Tahoe is considered advanced due to the increased risk of decompression sickness while diving at such a high altitude.

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30.

One of the most popular trailheads used to access these popular destinations is Eagle Lake trailhead, located near Emerald Bay on Tahoe's west shore.

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31.

Lake Tahoe can be reached directly by car, and indirectly by train or air.

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32.

Primary routes to Lake Tahoe are on Interstate 80 via Truckee, U S Route 50, and Nevada State Route 431 via Reno.

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33.

Lake Tahoe is mentioned in the lyrics to the song "Unfair" by cult indie rock band Pavement.

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