Watson Log Cabin · National Register of Historic Places
Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s story
Sunnyside-Tahoe City in pictures
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Sunnyside-Tahoe CityCA
A town of 1,599.
Chapel of the Transfiguration · Photo: Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,599
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$1.02M
Census ACS
Household income
$118K
median
Median age
40.3
years
Jobs based here
1,652
A job hub
Is Sunnyside-Tahoe City a good place to live?
Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s best subject grades are an A+ for health and walkability and an A− for schools; its weakest is a D− for cost of living. Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s July high is 76°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). On health, just 62 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. 42% of the land in Sunnyside-Tahoe City is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Sunnyside-Tahoe City has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lake Tahoe Dam and Watson Log Cabin. Sunnyside-Tahoe City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sunnyside-Tahoe City stand out
Where Sunnyside-Tahoe City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
32 measures vs. California
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
| Widest gap | Sunnyside-Tahoe City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 10.6% |
HealthA+
Healthier than 97% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here1,652
Residents who work707
Work
2.3 jobs for every working resident
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 96% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Avalanches and inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,511 people come to Sunnyside-Tahoe City for work
Where Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,652jobs based in Sunnyside-Tahoe City
20%of working residents work in town
44 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sunnyside-Tahoe City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Sunnyside-Tahoe City is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $1.02M, 10.5 years of the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household incomeD−Open →HealthTahoe Forest Hospital 12.3 miles awayA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.5 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 12.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA+Open →Hazard riskavalanches tops the listDOpen →SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & incomeB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 76° summer afternoons, 179″ of snow–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 40.3; 57% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 38 attractions →Lake Tahoe and 30 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sunnyside-Tahoe City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi LakeLake Tahoe
5 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical
13 mi LakeDonner Lake
13 mi State parkDonner Memorial State Park14 mi Ski areaSugar Bowl Resort94 runs · 1,452 ft vertical4 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Alpine Meadows95 runs · 2,270 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lake Tahoe: Lara Farhadi, CC BY 2.0 · Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley: Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Donner Lake: J.smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Donner Memorial State Park: Joe Parks from Berkeley, CA, CC BY 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Sunnyside-Tahoe City: who provides what
Sunnyside-Tahoe City is unincorporated, so Placer County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerLiberty Utilities27.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTahoe City PUD - Main water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPlacer CountyPlacer County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePlacer County Registrar of VotersPlacer County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2023
ZIP code9614596145 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sunnyside-Tahoe City.
HealthA+
Sunnyside-Tahoe City stands out in California and nationally: a smaller share of its adults get no exercise outside work
14% of adults get no exercise outside work in Sunnyside-Tahoe City. Sunnyside-Tahoe City beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Sunnyside-Tahoe City.
97%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Sunnyside-Tahoe City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 22% | 19% |
32 measures vs. California
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Sunnyside-Tahoe City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 6.4% |
Tahoe Forest Hospital
12.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA−
On state tests, Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s schools beat 82% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Tahoe-Truckee Unified school district. Its one school is below.
82%of CA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tahoe Lake ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 282 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, fewer of Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s residents live below the poverty line
1.4% of Sunnyside-Tahoe City residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Sunnyside-Tahoe City grew to 1,652 in 2023, 577 more than in 2013. The median household income in Sunnyside-Tahoe City is $118,000.
20%work in town
| Sunnyside-Tahoe City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 38 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $118,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sunnyside-Tahoe City20%
Truckee8%
Sacramento8%
Roseville3%
Incline Village2%
44 mi
median commute distance
1,652
jobs based in Sunnyside-Tahoe City
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA
Nearly a third of Sunnyside-Tahoe City is conserved land
15 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Sunnyside-Tahoe City’s trail density is 4.0 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is 64-Acres Park, at 54 acres.
42%conserved
42%
conserved · 1,018 of 2,425 acres
15 mi
of trails · 4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 64-Acres Park | 0.4 mi | 54 |
| 2. Ward Creek | 0.2 mi | 8 |
| 3. Lake Tahoe Commons Beach | 0.1 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Avalanches leads a very high hazard risk in Sunnyside-Tahoe City
91risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Sunnyside-Tahoe City has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Sunnyside-Tahoe City has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 6 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower January low than Sunnyside-Tahoe City.
179″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–41°
Spring30–52°
Summer46–73°
Fall35–59°
Sep 25
typical first frost
Jun 9
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D−
Homes in Sunnyside-Tahoe City sell for about $2.39M
$2.39Mmedian sale price
4
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sunnyside-Tahoe City
17pages on Sunnyside-Tahoe City
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sunnyside-Tahoe City; the nearest are
Lake Tahoe Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · South Lake Tahoe18.6 mi$1,131 in-state tuitionUniversity of Nevada-RenoUniversity or college · Public · Reno, NV33.3 mi$9,578 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Sunnyside-Tahoe City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Get outside
15 miles of trails in Sunnyside-Tahoe City
42% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Landmarks
4 places in Sunnyside-Tahoe City on the National Register of Historic Places.
Questions about Sunnyside-Tahoe City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sunnyside-Tahoe City, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,019,000, 34% above the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.