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Entering Nevada At Crystal Bay
Nevada›Washoe County

Crystal BayNV

A town of 131, settled in 1937.

2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay, NV · Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Crystal Bay a good place to live?

81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Crystal Bay, where Nevada’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 29%. No town among the 43 in Nevada we compare has a higher median age than Crystal Bay. Crystal Bay has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel and Withers Log House. Crystal Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

131 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Kings BeachIncline VillageKings BeachIncline VillageCrystal Bay
Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel
Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel · National Register of Historic Places
Crystal Bay’s story

89 years in pictures

The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 3 maps from 1955 on.

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1937Crystal Bay is settled
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

Lake Tahoe and 30 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crystal Bay. Close and well known come first.

All 36 attractions →
Sources: 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 · Donner Lake: J.smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley: Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Mount Rose Ski Tahoe: Beesmill, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Donner Memorial State Park: Joe Parks from Berkeley, CA, CC BY 2.0

Getting set up

Moving to Crystal Bay: who provides what

Crystal Bay is unincorporated, so Washoe County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerNV Energy13.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIncline Village Gid water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWashoe CountyWashoe County provides services here
SchoolsWashoe County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Nevada you can register online until 5 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereWashoe County Registrar of VotersWashoe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes89402, 8945189402 66% · 89451 34%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 Crystal Bay.

Work & commute

Crystal Bay stands out in Nevada and nationally, with more of its workers who work from home

100% of workers work from home in Crystal Bay, against 9% in Nevada’s towns and 11% across U.S. towns. 1.3% of Crystal Bay working residents work locally. Since 2013, Crystal Bay has lost 137 jobs, to 134 in 2023.

1%work in town
Crystal BayNevada townsU.S. towns
Work from home100%9%11%
Working residents who work in town1.3%17%8%

Where working residents work

In Crystal Bay1%
Incline Village35%
Reno21%
Truckee5%
Sparks4%
13 mi
median commute distance
134
jobs based in Crystal Bay
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Compared with most of Nevada and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Crystal Bay is cooler

The July high in Crystal Bay is 73°F. Crystal Bay has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers.

179″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–38°
Spring28–48°
Summer45–70°
Fall34–55°
Oct 13
typical first frost
May 17
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

Avalanches leads a high hazard risk in Crystal Bay

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.

61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
61High riskLowerHigher
AvalanchesInland floodingEarthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health

How healthy Crystal Bay is

Crystal Bay beats the Nevada average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 5.9% of adults smoke cigarettes in Crystal Bay. Of the 43 Nevada towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Crystal Bay.

Crystal BayNevada townsU.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)5.9%15%14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)10%19%17%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)13%25%25%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)84%74%79%
32 measures vs. Nevada
24 better5 too close to call3 worse
What stands outCrystal BayNV
Fewer adults facing food insecurity3.9%18%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity3.8%15.6%
More adults who have had cancer15.1%7.4%
Incline Village Community Hospital
2.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Housing

A home in Crystal Bay sells for about $14.35M at the median

Among 43 Nevada towns, just 3 have a higher share of households owning their home than Crystal Bay.

$14.35Mmedian sale price
2
homes sold in March

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Crystal Bay

15pages on Crystal Bay
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Crystal Bay

A job hub

Every workday, about 133 people come to Crystal Bay for work

Where Crystal Bay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

35% → Incline Village Incline Village 35% 21% → Reno Reno 21% 5% → Truckee Truckee 5% 4% → Sparks Sparks 4% 4% → Paradise Paradise 4% 3% → Carson City Carson City 3% Crystal Bay · 1% stay
134jobs based in Crystal Bay
1%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Landmarks

2 places in Crystal Bay on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

About Crystal Bay

Census-designated place in Nevada, United States

Crystal Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) located on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, Crystal Bay had a population of 337. It is part of the Reno−Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Prior to 2010, it was listed by the U.S. Census Bureau within the Incline Village–Crystal Bay CDP.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.8 sq mi
Elevation
6,230 ft
ZIP code
89402

Questions about Crystal Bay

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Crystal Bay, NV a good place to live?

Crystal Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.