Douglas County migration: the Carson Valley

Douglas County covers the Carson Valley: Minden, Gardnerville, Gardnerville Ranchos, Genoa and Johnson Lane, between 45 and 52 miles from the Sparks warehouse. The tables above show the 15 counties that sent the most people to Douglas County and the 15 that received the most people leaving it, with the margin of error beside each number.

• Largest flowEl Dorado County, California
• Largest inbound countyEl Dorado County, CA, about 643 a year
• Net moves in from other U.S. counties, 2020-2025about 2,591

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS county-to-county migration flows 2016-2020 (5-year, yearly averages with margins of error).

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS county-to-county migration flows 2016-2020 (5-year, yearly averages with margins of error).

The California link

The top inbound row is El Dorado County, California, at 643 people a year with a margin of 238. That is the best-measured large number in the table, and it is bigger than the flow from any Nevada county. Placer County adds about 210, and Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties each add smaller numbers. Together California counties make up most of the inbound list, which fits the Carson Valley's position just east of the Lake Tahoe basin.

The outbound table points the other way for El Dorado County: about 278 people a year, with a margin of 241. The balance is about 365 people a year in Douglas County's favor, though the outbound figure alone is too uncertain to be pinned down.

Exchanges with Washoe County and Carson City

Washoe County sends about 444 people a year (plus or minus 244) and receives about 495 (plus or minus 181). Those overlap, so the right reading is that the Reno side and the Valley trade residents about evenly. Carson City is different: 319 people a year arrive from Carson City while 645 go there, so more people leave the Valley for the capital than arrive from it.

Lyon County (180 in, 166 out) and Clark County (172 in, 260 out) are small and uncertain in both directions.

Growth and housing

The Census population estimates show Douglas County at 47,422 in 2015, 49,088 in 2020 and 50,111 in 2025. Net moves in from other U.S. counties for 2020-2025 total about 2,591, more than the county's actual population gain of 1,023, so births, deaths and moves out of the county pulled the total back.

The 2020-2024 American Community Survey gives household counts and housing character for the Valley towns. Minden has 1,527 households with 25.5 percent renting and a median home value of $586,000; Gardnerville has 2,780 households with 48.5 percent renting; Gardnerville Ranchos has 4,837 households with 18.9 percent renting; and Genoa has 544 households and a median home value of $1,003,200.

Distance and weather

By free-flow drive from the warehouse, Genoa is 45 miles and about 59 minutes, Minden 47 miles and about 58 minutes, Gardnerville 49 miles and about 1 hour 3 minutes, and Gardnerville Ranchos 52 miles and about 1 hour 5 minutes. NOAA's Minden station records an average January high of 46.6 F and low of 19.0 F, with about 21.8 inches of snow a year, so winter mornings in the Valley start well below freezing.

See movers in Minden and moving to Minden and Gardnerville for service details.

What the data cannot do

The flows count people, average 2016-2020, and say nothing about why anyone moved. Many of the smaller rows have margins larger than the estimate, such as Kings County, California (72, plus or minus 122), so they confirm only that a few people made the move.