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History · Carnelian Bay

Carnelian Bay’s post office opened in 1908

Most of Carnelian Bay was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1955 on.

1908first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Carnelian Bay began

When was Carnelian Bay founded?

1908

The Carnelian Bay post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 518118 years
Founding year: the first Carnelian Bay post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Carnelian Bay’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Carnelian Bay are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Carnelian Bay’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Carnelian Bay’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Carnelian Bay, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Carnelian Bay yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Carnelian Bay (formerly, Cornelian Bay) is an unincorporated community on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, United States. The Cornelian Bay post office operated from 1883 to 1887 and from 1891 to 1893. The Carnelian Bay post office opened in 1908. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Carnelian Bay as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The population was 518 at the 2020 census. The elevation is 6,325 feet (1,928 m). Nearby cities and towns include: Tahoe Vista, Brockway, Kings Beach, Crystal Bay, Incline Village, Truckee, Ta…

Its first post office opened in 1908. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 524 in 2010, 518 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Carnelian Bay on the map, 1955 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Carnelian Bay. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Carnelian Bay on the 1955 USGS mapCarnelian Bay on the 1969 USGS mapCarnelian Bay on the 1992 USGS map1955Kings Beach sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Carnelian Bay.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Carnelian Bay’s post office has been open since 1908.

Gone or out of use
Carnelian Bay Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cedar FlatIts storyC−Tahoe VistaIts storyD

Questions about Carnelian Bay’s history

What year was Carnelian Bay founded?

The Carnelian Bay post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.