Community Profile

County Government

Population Figures

Geography

Climate

Douglas County Snapshot:

Douglas County is 751 square miles in area with approximately 47,000 residents. Its proximity to the Reno, Carson City, and California markets are leveraged for major business opportunities from a small town atmosphere. As the gateway to outdoor adventure, its boundaries encompass the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe as well as the Carson River and Topaz Lake. Significant BLM and US Forest Land holdings provide a unique setting and opportunity for high desert and backcountry adventures on horseback or off road vehicles. Elevations vary from a low of 4,625 feet on the valley floor to a high of 9,500 feet in the Sierra Nevada. An arid climate prevails with warm summers, moderate winters, and cool night temperatures throughout the year.

The major employees are in the fields of gaming and tourism, research and manufacturing, government and services. Douglas County offers the facilities and amenities of a metropolitan area, yet remains pleasantly rural with easy access to all services. Additionally, the county has one of the best school districts in the state, with scores well above the national standard.

Genoa

Genoa is the oldest permanent settlement in Nevada and one of the most attractive communities anywhere in the American West. Mormon Station, the original name of the settlement, was established as a trading post in 1851 to serve the wagon trains as a resting and reprovisioning place between the deserts of the Great Basin and the granite barricade of the Sierra Nevada. The town that grew up around the old Mormon stockade was named the seat of Carson County, Utah Territiory, in 1854 and of Douglas County, Nevada Territory, in 1861. Mormon Station was Nevada's first town and its first boomtown, not because of mining, but because of agriculture.

Minden/Gardnerville

Gardnerville is the elder of these two siblings towns founded to serve the agricultural population of Carson Valley. The area is one of the earliest-settled, richest and most productive of the state's agricultural regions. That is why Gardnerville is known as "Nevada's Garden Spot." While Minden is located north of Gardnerville, the two towns have fused together to form one larger community. After the turn of the century, the county seat was moved from Genoa to Minden.

Stateline/Kingsbury

The Stateline/Kingsbury area provides opportunities for cluster growth in the areas of Health & Wellness, Environmental Innovation, and Tourism & Visitor services. The casinos and ski resorts of Lake Tahoe's south shore are famous for their breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra and provide a majority of the county's room tax revenue.

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.

 

County Government

 

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 see where in Nevada Douglas County is located
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

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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

 

 

The major employees are in the fields of gaming and tourism, research and manufacturing, government and services. Douglas County offers the facilities and amenities of a metropolitan area, yet remains pleasantly rural with easy access to all services. Additionally, the county has one of the best school districts in the state, with scores well above the national standard.