Possible Move to South Lake Tahoe (Alpine, Squaw Valley: ski resort, for sale, real estate)

[mattyj46]

Hey, I;m currently 17 and live in New Zealand. I'm possibly moving to South Lake Tahoe in the winter to work at a ski resort. Just a few questions if anyone can answer them:

1. Is it cheaper to just live out of a motel for the 5months I am staying than rent out an apartment or condo?
2: How is the commute from South Lake Tahoe to Reno during the winter months? (time, weather etc.)
3: How easy is it to meet new people in South Lake Tahoe?

Just any other general info would be much appreitchaed

Cheers

[greatbasinguide]

Find a house with room mates, that will be the least expensive.
The commute you mention is not worth it, it will be a solid hour or more in good weather, you could easily double that with snow.
People are people, if you are a decent fellow you won't have any trouble.

Regarding South Lake Tahoe. Kirkwood is a great ski area, Heavenly is pretty intermediate, big, but not exciting.

If you are a good solid Skier, you will want Kirkwood, or head to North Shore and Squaw Valley or Alpine Meadows.

I personally don't care for South Shore, it is a big town dominated by the large Casinos on the Nevada side. It is sort of the Auckland of the Lake, whereas Tahoe City would be more akin to the Christchurch.

Regarding the fire you may have read about, while tragic, it affected only about 1% of the South Shore area.

Good Luck! Lots of Kiwis around here, good solid hard working people, they have the better than American work ethic.

One of my neighbor's is a kiwi, grew up on a sheep ranch, used to ride his horse to school, and of course, sailed.

Your Prime Minister comes to our town and stays with a local family, not fancy, just plain folk, she does not bring the imperial guard that our Presidents travel with.

[krudmonk]

It probably wasn't in the news there, but the area was just devastated by fire. Stay tuned to the story and see how this affects your relocation.

[greatbasinguide]

Krudmonk read my post, no more than 1% of the area was affected.

[mwinburn]

Don't worry about the fire, as of july 1st 2007, it's contained. It didn't reach south lake, it was miles away. Your lucky, it's one of the most beautiful places i have ever been to.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by mattyj46

Hey, I;m currently 17 and live in New Zealand. I'm possibly moving to South Lake Tahoe in the winter to work at a ski resort. Just a few questions if anyone can answer them:

1. Is it cheaper to just live out of a motel for the 5months I am staying than rent out an apartment or condo?

I don't think that would save money, especially since the weekend & vacation-week rates go WAY up during ski season... you can pay upwards of $90/night for a Motel 6 (cheap hotel chain) during those times. I lived in South Lake Tahoe in the mid-90's, and at least back then, rental rates were pretty reasonable. If you get a roommate, you could probably find something for around $400-500/month, which I'm guessing is cheaper than paying nightly for a hotel. You might find a hotel with monthly rates, but they'd probably be less than nice. Check on these sites for rentals:
craigslist: reno / tahoe classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events
Tahoe Daily Tribune Real Estate - For Rent

2: How is the commute from South Lake Tahoe to Reno during the winter months? (time, weather etc.)

In good weather, you can get to Reno in about 45 minutes... but that road can get VERY snowy in the winter, and shuts down quickly because of the danger. I almost got stuck in Reno a few times, when it started snowing before I got back up the hill - so keep that in mind, and know that you could end up spending occasional nights somewhere else. And it doesn't matter if you get a 4-wheel drive (though it does help!), since they often close the road to ALL vehicles.

3: How easy is it to meet new people in South Lake Tahoe?

Well, that depends... it is a fairly small town (only about 25,000 full-time residents), and lots of the younger people come & go rather quickly. But on the other hand, people are very friendly & warm for the most part, with kind of a "small-town" attitude. So as long as you're open and receptive, you shouldn't have a problem making friends!

The Lake Tahoe area is absolutely gorgeous, and I think you'll have a great time living there. Btw, you don't have to answer on here, but are you going to be working at Heavenly? I worked there for a while, and actually hated my job... but that was because of my boss, who I assume is long gone by now. Aside from that, I had a fantastic time there, and have always thought of returning - only reason I left was to attend school, since there wasn't anything for me in Tahoe. Have fun & good luck!

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by greatbasinguide

Krudmonk read my post, no more than 1% of the area was affected.

I was talking about the fire with someone, and they said there will be long-term damage... something about the forests taking 100+ years to recover, the water changing color, etc. Do you know if this is true??

[mattyj46]

Thanks for the great info espiscally from greatbasinguide (with the comparisons to the NZ cities, very useful) and gizmo980. Just a question with the rent, im guessing that doesn't include power and what not, just wondering what the average power price would be and just any other billing?

Thanks heaps

[greatbasinguide]

Gizmo, the land will take 100 years plus to recover. That does not mean it will look like Mars though. The time it takes for a seedling to mature here is 100 years plus. The Forest Service and other agencies will work hard to contain erosion, replant etc. In fact that red stuff dropped out of airplanes to stop fires, contains fertilizers and sometimes grass seed.

If the erosion were unchecked it would affect the lake clarity, but so does the presence of man at the lake.

Here is a good article on the effects of the fire. RGJ.com: Experts gauge Angora's impact

Matty, you will enjoy your time here.

[CADRMNDANES]

Is there anyone here who has a family (kids) in the Tahoe area?
How is the area for families?
What do you think about the Schools & teachers?