Truckee, Northstar & Tahoe Donner Homes for Sale
- State
- California, Town of Truckee (incorporated)
- County
- Nevada County
- Character
- Year-round mountain town; ski-in options at Northstar
- Ski access
- Northstar California; Tahoe Donner's own ski hill
- Tahoe Donner dues
- 2026 annual assessment $3,621 per property
- Schools
- Tahoe Truckee Unified School District
- Short-term rentals
- Town of Truckee runs its own permit program, separate from Placer County
- Best for
- Skiers, families, and full-time mountain living
Truckee, CA, one of two incorporated cities in the Region, is an artsy mountain town of about 26,000 people. Just off I-80 and surrounded by miles of stunning Sierra Nevada landscape, residents enjoy an amazing lifestyle with year-round events, high quality restaurants, numerous parks, outdoor recreation everywhere you look and a charming, wild-west downtown. Truckee’s historic downtown district continues to evolve.
Commercial Row, with its unique array of shops and restaurants, is expected to extend into the new Rail Yard. Already, much-needed affordable housing has opened. The community hosts a number of festivals, but it’s most well-known for Truckee Thursdays, essentially a giant town party held weekly throughout the summer. There are so many things for families to do in Truckee. Let your kids run free at the KidZone Museum, visit the Train Museum downtown, take them to Donner Memorial State Park to learn about the Donner Party, walk the nature trail or explore the shoreline of lovely Donner Lake. Then take everyone downtown for an ice cream at Little Truckee’s Ice Cream Truck or Bud’s before perusing the oddities at the Truckee Variety Co., always a family favorite. There are plenty of ways to play for adults as well. Golfers can choose from a half dozen gorgeous courses in the area, with the 9-hole Ponderosa course a local’s favorite, mountain bikers have hundreds of miles of trails at their disposal, kayakers can paddle on the Truckee, and hedonists will enjoy shopping, dining and live music downtown. Near-by skiing is at Northstar, Palisades Tahoe and Sugar Bowl.
Truckee is conveniently located just 30 minutes from Lake Tahoe and 35 minutes from Reno. Only an hour away from Graeagle up north in Plumas County, Truckee is the perfect base camp for big fun in the Sierra Nevada. Truckee has a varied selection of properties to choose from and is generally less expensive than Lake Tahoe. From ski condos to downtown cottages, from luxury golf estates to stunning ridge-top view homes, you’ll find something for every palette. There are several communities within the Town of Truckee; Armstrong Tract, Tahoe Donner, Gateway, Sierra Meadows, Ponderosa Palisades, Olympic Heights, Prosser Lakeview, Glenshire and the golf communities of Martis Camp, Gray’s Crossing, Old Greenwood, Schaeffer’s Mill, Lahontan and Northstar.
A favorite family ski destination for decades, you’ll love that woodsy, secluded feeling with the option for a village vibe at Northstar California, a Vail Resort. Halfway between Truckee and Lake Tahoe, Northstar Ski Resort has been a local and visitor favorite for generations, with many fine real estate options in the surrounding neighborhoods.
The Village at Northstar offers an array of upscale condos, shopping, restaurants, ice skating, gondolas to the mountain chairlifts, movies, events and resort nightlife. Up the hill, you’ll find the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, new luxury view condos, ski-in/ski-out townhomes, and residences, while down the hill, you’ll find older, less expensive condos and homes just a short distance from the Village. Gently rolling forested hillsides around the base of the resort shelter an array of single-family homes, with styles ranging from comfortable cabin to seventies chic to rustic-luxe mountain estate. The Village shuttle serves transportation from homes to the lifts, pool, and tennis amenities.
Northstar is conveniently located 10 minutes from Lake Tahoe, 10 minutes from downtown Truckee, and five minutes from the Truckee-Tahoe Regional Airport serving private and membership air travel.
In addition to all the amenities of the Village, residents enjoy access to Northstar Golf, an 18-hole course designed by Robert Muir Graves, with scenic vistas and panoramic lookouts for a one-of-a-kind mountain experience. Additional amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, pool, spa, tennis, and game center.
An alpine paradise surrounded by millions of acres of wilderness with stunning Sierra views, you’ll love its relaxed, secluded vibe just minutes from town. A four-season vacation resort with nearly 6500 homes on over 7300 acres of beautiful Sierra Nevada property, Tahoe Donner is the largest planned community in Truckee.
Amenities include an 18-hole golf course, driving range, two clubhouses, three pools, hot tubs, a fitness center, tennis courts, three restaurants, a market, a family-friendly ski hill, sledding area, cross country ski center, equestrian center, campground and 61 miles of hiking/biking trails, along with a private beach, marina, clubhouse and restaurant on the east shore of Donner Lake.
Access to I-80 is quick and convenient, making this neighborhood a favorite of those traveling from Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The neighborhood offers a variety of housing, from small studio ski condos to mid-range family homes to estate properties on multiple acres. Architectural styles run from comfortable cabins hidden in the trees to modern marvels with territorial views from Mount Rose to the Pacific Crest. From the front of the development, it’s about five minutes to town, while from the back, it can take 15 minutes.
What it is like to live in Truckee
Truckee is the one place in this market that behaves like an actual town rather than a resort. It is incorporated, it has its own government, and it sits in Nevada County rather than Placer or Washoe. There is a historic downtown, a hospital, real grocery stores, and schools that run on a normal calendar. The population does not empty out midweek.
That changes the buying decision more than people expect. A lakefront second home is bought for the summer; a Truckee home is usually bought to be lived in, or at least used hard in both seasons. Winter is the defining season here. Snow totals are serious, driveways need plowing, and I-80 over Donner Summit closes in bad storms, which matters if you are commuting to the Bay Area.
The area splits into distinct pieces. Northstar is the ski-in, ski-out resort side, run by Vail Resorts, with a village and slopeside condominiums. Tahoe Donner is a large planned community northwest of downtown with its own downhill hill, cross-country trails, golf, marina on Donner Lake and recreation center. Downtown Truckee and the older neighborhoods around it are where the year-round character lives.
What to confirm before you make an offer here
If you are looking in Tahoe Donner, the association is not a minor line item. The 2026 annual assessment is $3,621 per property, and 2026 brought a real change worth understanding: private amenity access is now included in that assessment for the first four members on the property, with no separate recreation fee or member daily access fees. Additional member cards run $175 each beyond the first four.
That structure is unusual and it works in a buyer's favor, but it also means the assessment is doing more work than a typical HOA fee. Compare it against a community where amenities are billed separately before deciding one is cheaper than another.
Short-term rentals are the other thing to check early. The Town of Truckee runs its own permit program, entirely separate from Placer County's, so rules that apply in Tahoe City do not apply here. If rental income is part of your plan, confirm the current permit position for the specific address before you remove contingencies.
This page is general information rather than legal, tax or financial advice. Verify assessments and amenity access with Tahoe Donner, and permit questions with the Town of Truckee.
Truckee / Northstar / Tahoe Donner frequently asked questions
Compare this community in the Lake Tahoe communities guide, or read the lakefront buyer’s guide and California vs. Nevada comparison.
Weighing who to work with? How to choose a Lake Tahoe real estate agent covers the seven questions worth asking about any specific property.