Where people live and work, how and where they recreate,
the kinds of jobs they have and how they flow into and
out of the Basin all have a direct impact on the environmental
health of Lake Tahoe.
Because decisions about restoration and planning initiatives
affect human interests and activities, demography and
economy data are collected and studied as part of the
planning and restoration decision-making process.
Demography describe various population characteristics
of the Basin´s people. Primarily collected
by local, state, and/or federal agencies such as the Census
Bureau and local public health departments, demographic
information covers a range of topics including population
size, sex, age composition, ethnic backgrounds, household
characteristics, geographic distribution, part-time versus
full-time residents and other vital statistics. Demography
and economy data are frequently displayed in graphs and
charts for ease of interpretation. Figure 1. shows that
in 2000, 18% of the population in the Lake Tahoe Basin
resided in Placer County.
Figure 1.
Economy includes economic conditions and employment
and describes the Basin´s economic history, current
economic well-being, and often its potential for future
economic development. This information takes into account
such factors as employment levels, types of jobs, per
capita income, poverty and unemployment rates, the range
of incomes in the community, and trends in employment
opportunities (e.g., family-owned businesses versus national
chain businesses). Because tourism and recreation are
an integral part of the economy of the Lake Tahoe Basin,
these statistics are especially important to collect and
understand.
Why are Demographic and Economic
Information Important?
Restoration and planning initiatives must take into account
impacts these initiatives might have on housing, jobs,
and local commerce. The quality of the Lake Tahoe environment
and the viability of a sustainable recreation economy
in the Basin are interrelated. The center of the Lake
Tahoe economy is tourism. Tourists are attracted to Lake
Tahoe because of its environmental beauty as well as the
recreation offered by the environment. Because of the
inter-relationship between the environment and the economy,
it is important to track population trends, visitor movement,
and other demographic and economic information to ensure
the presence and transportation of people will not adversely
affect Lake Tahoe Basin environmental quality. Likewise,
it is also important to ensure the means for protecting
environmental quality do not place an undue burden on
people living and working in the Basin. Demographic and
economic information help provide vital statistics relevant
for decision-making to ensure this delicate balance is
maintained.
Demographic and economic information are used in other
ways and provide important information about the community.
Some of the information provided includes:
- Background data on the diversity of residents who
make up the community´s population;
- The structure of family units;
- Education level of residents;
- Descriptions of subgroups within the population; and
- Different values present within the community.
This information can be used to effectively design public
participation, outreach and education strategies for community
environmental goal setting and planning that reflect the
different age, educational and economic backgrounds present
in the community.
Demographic information also describes characteristics
of the existing population as well as the ways in which
the community´s demographics are expected to change
in the future (e.g., population growth or decline, ethnic
or age make-up). Seasonal residential patterns may highlight
sewer and water quality/quantity issues for the community.
Demographic information is also useful for assessing the
existing community´s need for public services and
natural resources (e.g., clean water, land), estimating
how population changes may increase pressures on natural
resources, and developing strategies that address the
environmental concerns associated with growth in the community.
Information on economic conditions and trends in a community
help determine how to develop environmental protection
strategies that account for local economic needs as well
as environmental values.
Economic data can tell you how much of the economy is
based on commerce, industry, outdoor recreational, other
categories of tourism, small versus large businesses,
and other categories. Comparing these figures to proposed
economic development plans can help the community decide
how it can grow its economy while still protecting its
natural resources. One can also analyze what economic
endeavors in the past have been successful and which look
promising for the future. Specifically, employment data
can be used to identify the major sources of employment
for communities. It can help identify what proportion
of the community relies on certain economic sectors (e.g.,
natural resource-based jobs, tourism, service) for personal
livelihood and the ways in which environmental protection
strategies may affect jobs in the local economy. Figure
2. shows that employment in the lodging and gaming industry
surpassed by far, any other single industry in the region.
Figure 2. Lake Tahoe Region Employment by Major Industry
Group, 1998
Economic information can determine the employment conditions
in the community, determine causes of past job dislocations
(e.g., restrictions on logging or mining activity), anticipate
important changes in the employment base, and identify
potential sources of local environmental change that result
from employment activities. This information is also important
for targeting areas of environmental concern and identifying
activities within the community (e.g., population growth,
urban sprawl) that may compete with development of certain
environmental protection strategies. Economic information
can determine the relationship of dominant employment
patterns to the environment and natural resources, and
may be critical in designing environmentally compatible
economic development strategies
Information on economic conditions and employment can
lend important insights into the trade off between money
and other values in the community, thus allowing
development of strategies consistent with both.
What Kind of Demographic and
Economic Information are Important for Lake Tahoe?
The
economics chapter (Chapter 11) of the 2001 Threshold
Evaluation Report, provides an updated economic
description of the Tahoe Basin, including population characteristics,
economic trends, and a section highlighting travel and
tourism in the Basin. It also establishes some goals for
monitoring and using economic and population information.
These goals are to routinely monitor economic conditions,
develop a framework from which to consider economic impacts
associated with policies and regulations, and assist in
strategies for economic development and diversification
consistent with the established environmental threshold
carrying capacities. The 2000
Lake Tahoe Watershed Assessment report for Lake Tahoe
found that, “relatively little comprehensive or
integrated social and economic analysis has been done
in the Basin to date". TRPA is hoping to improve this
condition in the future.
All kinds of demographic and economic information are
important to understand for the Lake Tahoe Basin. The
following list identifies the kinds of statistics that
are currently being compiled. The next section describes
a few of these in more detail, including current characteristics.
Refer to the reports themselves for more details.
- Population characteristics and trends
- Population by geographic area (e.g., county)
- Population growth
- Population by age and race
- School enrollment
- Employment and earnings
- Employment by industry group
- Earnings by industry group
- Unemployment rate
- Sources of personal income
- Economic measures of visitor trends
- Transient occupancy tax receipts
- Gaming revenue
- Skier days
- Housing and commercial development
- Residential construction
- Sale price of residential/vacation home units
- Median home sales prices in the Lake Tahoe Region
- Commercial and accommodations (non-residential)
construction
- Highway traffic
- Highway travel routes
- Average daily traffic
- Seasonal variation in traffic
- Visitor traffic
- Commuting patterns
- Location of residence for Lake Tahoe Region employees
- Economic impacts generated by travel spending
- Spending by type of accommodation
- Spending by type of activity
- Employment generated by travel spending
- Indirect employment generated by visitor spending
- Visitor volume for the Lake Tahoe Region
For the purposes of economic analysis, decision makers
divide the Lake Tahoe Basin into two primary areas: the
Lake Tahoe Region and the Greater Tahoe Area (2001
Threshold Evaluation) .
Lake Tahoe Region
The Lake Tahoe Region was defined by the TRPA Compact in 1980 as intended to represent the area of TRPA management
jurisdiction, which encompasses a large portion of the
Lake Tahoe Basin. The region includes portions of El Dorado
and Placer Counties in California – including the
incorporated City of South Lake Tahoe – as well
as portions of Washoe, Douglas and Carson City Counties
in Nevada. (The Carson City portion of the region is unpopulated
and is composed of U.S. Forest Service and Lake Tahoe
Nevada State Park lands). Many of the popular ski resorts
in the Lake Tahoe Area are located a short driving distance
outside the region.
Greater Tahoe Area
The Greater Tahoe Area includes the Lake Tahoe Region,
as well as the communities and areas surrounding Truckee-Donner,
Olympic and Squaw Valleys, Reno-Carson City, and Minden-Gardnerville.
The Greater Tahoe Area includes all the Lake Tahoe area
ski resorts, as well as other locations for recreation
activities associated with Lake Tahoe. The Greater Tahoe
Area also includes the primary locations where Lake Tahoe
Region businesses and employees are most likely to purchase
a significant portion of goods, services and housing.
Figure 3 shows the
boundaries of these two areas.
Most of the Lake Tahoe Basin lies in the political jurisdictions
of 4 counties – El Dorado and Placer counties in
California and Washoe and Douglas in Nevada. There is
one incorporated municipality, the City of South Lake
Tahoe (CSLT) on the southern shore of the Lake. Actual
growth in the Basin in recent years has been relatively
slow (about 0.4% from 1990 to 1998) due to an ambitious
land acquisition program and strict regulatory environment,
although growth in the surrounding areas is significantly
higher (2.7% over the same time period). This is important
as growth around the Basin can affect environmental quality
in many ways, even though the people are not directly
living by the lake. For example, much of the growth in
surrounding areas is for workers in the Lake Tahoe area
– commuting and the resultant traffic congestion
can have a significant impact on environmental quality
and human well-being.
The largest concentration of people is on the southern
shore, in El Dorado County and the City of South Lake
Tahoe. The present population of the area as a whole –
all four counties and the City of South Lake Tahoe –
stands at about 55,00 permanent residents. This number
swells significantly during some of the popular tourist
months during summer and winter and millions visit the
Basin each year.
For a detailed discussion of the demography and economy
of the Lake Tahoe Basin, refer the to Chapter 11 of the TRPA 2001 Threshold Evaluation Report
and
Chapter
6, “Social, Economic, and Institutional Assessment",
of the 2000 Lake Tahoe Watershed Assessment report.
