Community Profile
***********************
Douglas County History
Douglas County is a political subdivision of the State of Nevada, operating under provisions of Title 20 of Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). On November 25, 1861, Douglas County became one of the first nine counties established by the first Nevada Territorial Legislature, with the county seat located in the town of Genoa. The county was retained when the territory became a state on October 31, 1864. Douglas County is named for Stephen A. Douglas, a former United States Senator from Illinois, who opposed Lincoln in the 1860 election for President.
Douglas County is the site of some of Nevada's earliest development. Many small communities are scattered along the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, remnants of some of the first towns in the state. A good number of these communities were established in the 1850's as trading posts and centers of ranching and farming. Genoa, originally known as Mormon Station, is the oldest of these and was settled in 1851. In 1910, the Douglas County Courthouse in Genoa was badly damaged by fire. This disaster, along with a population decline within the town of Genoa and subsequent growth in the town of Minden, prompted the Nevada Legislature to change the location of the county seat during the 1915 session. Today, the county seat is located in the town of Minden.
Historic Courthouse & Administrative Building
 |
***********************
County Government
County residents elect officials to provide community leadership and administration. Currently, the county operates under a commission-manager form of government. Douglas County government includes elected officials, departments, boards, commissions, and committees.
The various departments, boards, commissions, and committees within Douglas County government provide a full range of services to residents. Services provided by the County include:
Airport
Animal control
Building safety
Community access television
Emergency management
Fire protection and paramedic services
General administrative services
Geographical Information System (GIS) Mapping Services
Judicial
Law enforcement
Library
Parks and recreation
Planning and zoning
Road construction and maintenance, including traffic signalization
Water and sewer services
Weed abatement, and
Welfare and social services
***********************
Geography
The county covers an approximate area of 751 square miles, and is located in the western portion of the State. Douglas County borders the State of California to the west, Lyon County to the east, and the state capital of Carson City to the north. Included within the County's boundaries are portions of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Lake Tahoe, Topaz Lake, and the Carson and Walker Rivers. Since statehood, the boundaries of Douglas County have only been realigned two times: between Douglas County and Ormsby County (now Carson City) in 1965, and between Douglas County and Lyon County in 1967.
Click here to view map of Nevada’s counties
Click here to view a map of Douglas County
Mileage from major U.S. cities to the County’s seat, Minden, NV
|
Major U.S. Cities
|
Miles
|
|
Reno, NV
|
46
|
|
Las Vegas, NV
|
439
|
|
San Francisco, CA
|
222
|
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
564
|
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
753
|
|
Denver, CO
|
1093
|
|
New York, NY
|
2762
|
Climate
Elevations within the County vary from a low of 4,625 feet on the valley floor to a high of 9,500 feet at East Peak. The proximity of the Carson Valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountains creates one of the most comfortable daily temperature ranges in the continental United States. Generally, the climate is arid, with warm summers, moderate winters, and cool evening temperatures year around.
|
Average Temperatures
Minden, Nevada – Carson Valley Area
|
|
Average Temperatures
Stateline, Nevada – Lake Tahoe Area
|
