TahomaCA
A town of 873, settled in 1946.
Is Tahoma a good place to live?
Tahoma’s July high is 80°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Among 847 California towns, just 4 have a lower January low than Tahoma. 48% of the land in Tahoma is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Tahoma has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Tahoma has shrunk 13% from 2010 to 2020
1,191 counted in 2010 and 1,034 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Lake Tahoe and 29 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tahoma. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi LakeLake Tahoe
11 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical
19 mi LakeDonner Lake
8 mi State parkEmerald Bay State Park2 mi Ski areaHomewood Ski Area70 runs · 1,639 ft vertical
10 mi Park & preserveDesolation WildernessPhoto 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 · Emerald Bay State Park: Michael, CC BY 2.0 · Desolation Wilderness: Phreakdigital at English Wikipedia, GFDL
Moving to Tahoma: who provides what
Tahoma is unincorporated, so El Dorado County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Tahoma.
Conserved land covers nearly a third of Tahoma
11 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Tahoma’s trail density is 4.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park | 0.2 mi | 66 |
| 2. Edwin L. Z'berg Natural Preserve | — | 2 |
| 3. Kailua Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Very high risk in Tahoma, with avalanches at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Tahoma’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Tahoma for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Tahoma is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Tahoma fell to 101 in 2023, 33 fewer than in 2013.
| Tahoma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer children than California overall
Children under 18 are 10% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (16% statewide). 45% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Tahoma.
| Tahoma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.2 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
42% women, 58% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.3 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 81% are men (CA 51%).
| Tahoma | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.3% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 20.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.7% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.1% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 36.6% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.6% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Homes in Tahoma are worth about $947K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Tahoma home is worth about $947,000, up 5.2% in a year, 24% above the California typical home.
| Tahoma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,843 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Tahoma has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Tahoma has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 22° and about 179 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Tahoma is
Tahoma beats the California average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 30% of Tahoma adults feel lonely.
| Tahoma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 4.1% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Tahoma | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Tahoma
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tahoma
About 8 of every 100 Tahoma residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
873 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
About Tahoma
Census-designated place in California, United States
Tahoma (formerly Chambers Lodge) is a census-designated place in Placer and El Dorado counties, California, United States. Tahoma is located along Lake Tahoe 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Homewood. As of the 2020 census, Tahoma had a population of 1,034. Tahoma has a post office with ZIP code 96142, which opened in 1946.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,270 ft
- ZIP code
- 96142
- Area code
- 530
Questions about Tahoma
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Tahoma, CA a good place to live?
Tahoma has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.