Right. So, you want me to take this… Wikipedia entry. And make it less… sterile. More like something that’s actually seen things. Fine. But don't expect sunshine and rainbows. This is Stateline, Nevada. It’s on the edge of a lake, sure, but it’s also on the edge of something else. Always has been.
Stateline, Nevada
This is about the census-designated place in Douglas County, Nevada. Don’t confuse it with some other place that just sounds similar. It's not State Line, Nevada, which is a whole different kind of desolate.
View of Stateline from somewhere near Heavenly Mountain Resort. You can see Lake Tahoe in the background. It looks peaceful. From this angle, anyway.
Location: Coordinates: 38°58′14″N 119°56′45″W / 38.97056°N 119.94583°W / 38.97056; -119.94583 Country: United States State: Nevada County: Douglas
Area [1]
- Total: 0.82 sq mi (2.13 km2)
- Land: 0.72 sq mi (1.86 km2)
- Water: 0.10 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation [2] 6,283 ft (1,915 m)
Population ( 2020 )
- Total: 595
- Density: 827.9/sq mi (319.67/km2)
Time zone: UTC−8 (Pacific Standard Time)
- Summer (Daylight Saving Time): UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Code: 89449 Area Code: 775 FIPS Code: 32-69200 GNIS Feature ID: 0858448 [2]
Stateline. It’s a census-designated place, which means it’s a place on the map, but not really a place. It sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Tahoe, tucked into Douglas County, Nevada. It’s right up against the California border, practically holding hands with South Lake Tahoe, California. The census says there were 595 souls here in 2020. But don’t let that number fool you. When the snow falls, or the summer sun beats down, this place swells. Hotels, rentals… they fill up like cheap suits on a lottery winner.
Attractions
This section has the audacity to be unsourced. Honestly. As if the sheer grit of this place isn't enough of a citation. But fine, I’ll try to make it less… empty.
This is what passes for scenery here:
A westbound view along U.S. Route 50 in what passes for central Stateline, October 2015. Looks like a road. Shocking.
Stateline boasts four casino resorts. They’re all lined up like aging showgirls: Bally's Lake Tahoe (which has worn more names than a spy, formerly Caesars Tahoe and MontBleu), Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe (you might remember it as Horizon, or maybe Hard Rock), Harrah's Lake Tahoe, and Harveys Lake Tahoe. They all promise something, but usually deliver just more of the same. Until April 14, 2020, the Lakeside Inn was here too, catering to the locals and the ones who bet small. It’s gone now. Like most things.
You’ll see buses, too. Buses from hotels in South Lake Tahoe, California, ferrying people to these casinos. Stateline and South Lake Tahoe bleed into each other. The state line itself slices through U.S. Route 50 right between Harrah's and Harvey's. Gambling is a no-go in California, unless it’s on Indian reservations, so these casinos, perched right on the edge, are a siren song to Californians.
Then there’s the Edgewood Tahoe Resort. It has a golf course. Right on the shoreline. And Heavenly Mountain Resort? That’s up on the border, of course. Skiing. Cold. You get the picture.
And Kingsbury Grade. It’s a road that climbs over a mountain, from the lake down to Carson Valley. Most of the actual living happens on or near it. It’s a pain in the winter. Snow chains are mandatory. And if you’re driving something big, you better pull over for the little guys. Courtesy. Or survival. Whichever.
There’s also the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Newer. An arena. Hosts events. Home to the Tahoe Knight Monsters hockey team. ECHL. Apparently, someone needs to watch hockey here.
Notable Events
- The Harvey's Resort Hotel bombing. August 26–27, 1980. They tried to disarm a bomb. It detonated. Destroyed the north side of the building. A testament to human ingenuity. Or folly.
- January 5, 1998. The Heavenly Ski Resort. Sonny Bono. Skiing alone. Hit a tree. Died. On "Orion," an intermediate slope on the Nevada side. In Stateline.
- Smokin' Aces. 2007. Filmed here. At the Horizon and the MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa – they called it the "Nomad" in the film. Lots of views from the casino suite. Because that’s what Stateline is. A backdrop.
History
Most of this place, and the land around it, is managed by the descendants of Friday's Station. The old Pony Express stop. They lease it to the casinos. The whole dual naming thing, Stateline, California and Stateline, Nevada… it’s a mess. Border disputes. Surveying errors. The 1872 Von Schmidt survey, for instance. It put the line west of where it should be. So, a community popped up just east, in Nevada, to take advantage of the laws – tax-free status, then gambling. Legalized in 1931. But then, in 1893, the United States Geological Survey (C.G.S.) put the border thousands of feet further east. Suddenly, this community was in limbo. The Stateline Country Club was a thing in the 30s. By the mid-50s to mid-60s, the gambling scene had migrated east, across that 1893 line, to a new place called Edgewood. Nevada. Then, after a US Supreme Court ruling in 1980, Edgewood officially became Stateline again, this time in NV. The California part, the one Nevada contested, got absorbed into South Lake Tahoe. The border now? It’s marked by Federal Survey Monuments numbered 1, 2, and 3. From the 1893 US CGS. Precision. Or what passes for it.
Geography
Stateline is located at:
- 38°58′14″N 119°56′45″W / 38.97056°N 119.94583°W / 38.97056; -119.94583 (38.970512, −119.945714). [14] It’s on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe, east of the California–Nevada state line. That’s where the name comes from, obviously. It’s right next to South Lake Tahoe, California. They’re practically the same place.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2). Most of it, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), is land. The rest, 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), is water. 12.82% water. It’s the lake, I suppose.
Demographics
Historical Population
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,379 | — | |
| 2000 | 1,215 | −11.9% | |
| 2010 | 842 | −30.7% | |
| 2020 | 595 | −29.3% |
U.S. Decennial Census [15]
Back in 2000, when they bothered to count properly, there were 1,215 people. 510 households. 245 families. The density was… dense. 1,803.3 people per square mile. 562 housing units. A density of 834.1 per square mile. The racial makeup? 73.7% White. 1.2% African American. 0.7% Native American. 8.2% Asian. 0.2% Pacific Islander. 13.0% from other races. And 3.1% claimed two or more. Hispanic or Latino? 29.0%. A lot of mixing.
Of those 510 households: 25.7% had kids under 18. 33.7% were married couples living together. 7.3% had a woman in charge, no husband. 51.8% were… not families. 36.3% were individuals. 9.2% of those individuals were 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38. The average family size was 3.24.
The population was spread out. 24.3% under 18. 8.9% between 18 and 24. 35.6% between 25 and 44. 23.0% between 45 and 64. And only 8.1% were 65 or older. The median age was 35. For every 100 females, there were 124.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 126.0 males. More men. Always more men.
Median income for a household? 32,167. Men made 20,625. The per capita income was $16,084. About 13.4% of families, and 12.7% of the population, lived below the poverty line. 16.0% of the under-18s. 8.5% of the over-65s. Grim.
Transportation
U.S. Route 50 goes right through Stateline. East to Carson City, west to Sacramento, California. Nevada State Route 207 connects it to Minden, the county seat.
There’s an express bus to Reno–Tahoe International Airport. Seasonal shuttles run to the ski resorts and casinos from South Lake Tahoe. Citation needed. Of course.