Changing and Growing in the Town of Truckee

If there is one thing we can count on, it is change. I have been in the Truckee/North Lake Tahoe area for over 30 years and have seen Truckee change from a small town with a population of about 4,400 residents to one now with well over 16,000. Tourism has increased dramatically as well. I can recall when there were two very distinct shoulder seasons: one in the spring after the ski resorts closed and one in the fall after the summer tourism had subsided. You could walk down the street and it would not be unusual to know at least half of the people that you encountered. Recently though the winter and summer tourist seasons have started to blend into each other, creating a constant stream of new faces to encounter.

With such an increase in visitors and permanent residents, it’s no surprise that the Lake Tahoe Region is thought by many to be a fantastic place to live and recreate. Living in a tourist economy does, however, come with a price. With such an influx of visitors during the peak winter and summer seasons it can become near impossible to get across town quickly, let alone get in and out of the grocery store! There is no doubt; one quickly learns to shop at non-peak hours of the day. The growth in tourism has of course had huge upsides for the community as well. It may not have been quite that difficult to get around 30 years ago, but things are without a doubt much easier and convenient today. Examples include an elaborate, and growing, public transportation system and the joy of getting to listen to our local radio station any time – it used to go off the air at midnight.

So while the industry has its drawbacks, tourism has been a great economy for Lake Tahoe. It has generated numerous funding streams for road maintenance/expansion, infrastructure improvements, increased amenities and so much more. As residents, visitors, or just admirers of the region, we all want to celebrate Lake Tahoe and its surrounding communities, and we all want to make it even better. By Supporting the Sierra Business Council you help steward this outcome as well as directly support SBC’s efforts to promote, develop and amplify the Sierra Nevada and its local communities’ social, environmental and economic capital.

One of my deepest desires is that all people on the planet will make it their quest to make this a sustainable planet for ourselves now, and for all future generations. I am proud to say that SBC’s work is helping make that happen. So while change is inevitable, why not do what we can to make sure it’s positive change?

Photo courtesy of Grant Kaye & the Town of Truckee