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History · Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay’s post office opened in 1937, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel and the Withers Log House. Below: maps from 1955 on.

1937first post office
2on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Crystal Bay began

When was Crystal Bay founded?

1937

The Crystal Bay post office opened in 1937, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 33789 years
Founding year: the first Crystal Bay post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Crystal 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 Crystal Bay are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Crystal Bay’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Crystal Bay, in brief

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

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.

Its first post office opened in 1937. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 305 to 337 (+10%).

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

Timeline

Crystal Bay, 1935 to 1955

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1935BuiltCal-Vada Lodge Hotel is built
  3. 1937Post officeThe Crystal Bay post office opens
  4. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Crystal Bay, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Entering Nevada At2020Entering Nevada AtCrystal Bay to Truckee aerial2018Crystal Bay to Truckee aerial2015-10-28 13 48 32 "Welcome to Nevada" sign along southeastbound State Route 28, crossing from Kings Beach, California…20152015-10-28 13 48 32 "Welcome to Nevada" sign along so…Native American2011Native AmericanCal-Neva Casino, NV, Lake Tahoe, Pool on State LIne 9-20102010Cal-Neva Casino, NV, Lake Tahoe, Pool on State LIne 9…Cal-Neva Casino, Lake Tahoe, State Line 9-20102010Cal-Neva Casino, Lake Tahoe, State Line 9-2010Assignment- 48-DPA-08-17-08 SOI K Lake T Air) Secretary Dirk Kempthorne making helicopter tour of Lake Tahoe area (with…2008Assignment- 48-DPA-08-17-08 SOI K Lake T Air) Secreta…
On the map

Crystal Bay on the map, 1955 to 1992

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

Crystal Bay on the 1955 USGS mapCrystal Bay on the 1969 USGS mapCrystal 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 Crystal Bay.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Crystal Bay

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1994
Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel
Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel, built 1935Withers Log House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow1
Craftsman1
Rustic1
Cal-Vada Lodge HotelBungalow · Built 1935
Withers Log HouseRustic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Crystal Bay

Nobody well known was born in Crystal Bay itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jamie AndersonAmerican snowboarder · b. 1990
Hobart CavanaughAmerican actor · b. 1886
M
Maddie BowmanAmerican freestyle skier · b. 1994
Mark AmodeiAmerican politician · b. 1958
Maurice E. McLoughlinUS tennis player · b. 1890
Stacey CookAmerican alpine skier · b. 1984
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Incline VillageIts storyD

Questions about Crystal Bay’s history

What year was Crystal Bay founded?

The Crystal Bay post office opened in 1937, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Crystal Bay?

Two places: the Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel (listed 1994) and the Withers Log House (2000).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.