SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Tahoe is a major tourist destination, giving people the chance to experience the lake, mountains and everything in between. For those that stay year-round, they agree that while people move in and out of the area, they stick around for the beauty, the memories and most of all, the community they’ve made.
Michael Freeman
Michael Freeman was a teacher in Maryland, and came to Tahoe for a ski trip in the seventies with his friends—braving a massive snowfall in December of 1971 that dumped 30 feet of snow in ten days. But he was hooked. “Talk about snow! But I saw the lake as I drove up from Carson and just fell in love,” he said.
Freeman took a leave from his tenured job to “see what Mark Twain saw in the West,” which he says was the best decision he’d ever made in his life. He went from teaching to washing dishes at the Tahoe Kennedy Steakhouse, eventually opening the Driftwood Café in a motel near Harvey’s. “It was just the right thing to do.”
“Back then, it was a different world from today. It was very quiet with that small-town feeling,” mused Freeman. He reminisced about the entertainment and showrooms, the perks for locals and the experiences he’d had. He volunteered with the National Ski Patrol and got plenty of time on the slopes, eventually buying a cabin—the same one he lives in today—as a birthday present to himself in 1975.
Freeman’s birthday is on the 4th of July, and he used to celebrate with a massive barbecue at his place, with costume changes galore. He said he’d known people from the time they were born until they were in school, because their parents used to bring them by the restaurant.
“There was always this openness, no matter who you were,” said Freeman. He came out as gay at the age of 30 in South Lake Tahoe, and people continued to be friendly and kind to him. “No matter who you were, there was that support, and you just didn’t feel so different.”
During the AIDS crisis, Freeman said there was a lot of support from the casinos and performers who came through. “This community really opened up.” Now, he still attends the local Lake Tahoe Pride mixers and marvels at how many people come.
Though Freeman loved Tahoe, he moved down to Amador County after his friend and the owner of City Lights, a gay bar that was near Kingsbury Grade, also decided to make the move. There, he opened a boutique called Aloha Peddler where he sold the colorful Hawaiian shirts that he still loves wearing today.
He also continued to work in restaurants, which he’d done since he was 14. Freeman worked full time at Taste Restaurant and Wine Bar in Plymouth, though he kept the cabin up in Tahoe. “That place was an unbelievable ending to my long career,” said Freeman.
But Tahoe eventually called him back and he says that it, again, was the best decision that he’d made. He spends his time volunteering for Bread and Broth and the St. John’s Episcopal Church, also doing a card ministry project. “I had 17 racks of cards in the shop, and I just think it’s a treat to have something tangible.”
Freeman is also no stranger to the challenges of medical complications. He’s had skin cancer and began treatment for throat cancer in Truckee through the help of the Cancer League. And the outpouring of support for him in his community has brought him immense joy.
“People say life is all about giving and giving back,” said an emotional Freeman, tears in his eyes. “I’m grateful to see that outpouring back from my community, which just means so much.” He’s received plenty of support from his church, which he says is a close-knit group and very caring.
Even though the city has grown significantly since he moved in, Freeman says, “The beauty has always been here, and it’s just as magnificent as ever.” And the people, while some have changed, have supported him throughout the years.
“That core feeling of caring is still there,” said Freeman. “And the giving nature of people, always giving when others need help, just as I have felt with this cancer treatment.”
Roberta Mason
Roberta Mason is a well-known name in Tahoe, gracing the Lake Tahoe Community College’s library, which she helped to found. Mason helped to build the city, moving to the area in 1958 after her husband’s job took him to Tahoe.
“He didn’t even have a place to live,” said Mason. “And we’d already bought a house in Concord.” But she agreed to move to the area on Memorial Day, 1958—where it promptly snowed. “That was my first introduction to Tahoe.”
Mason gave birth to her children in Sacramento, since there was still no hospital in South Lake Tahoe, but she recounted that she and her sons spent time watching the highway construction as part of their entertainment. “Everyone was very scattered,” said Mason. “Eventually we formed the Tahoe Parent Nursery School and gathered up some of the mothers I’d met at the Presbyterian church.”
But Mason was also hungry for some adult conversation. “The women felt more isolated here. In my case, I wasn’t working, I was home taking care of the kids,” she said. So, she founded the local chapter of the American Association for University Women, which would play a part in her founding of the community college.
Mason says she was also a huge fan of the outdoors. She was a Campfire Girl and fondly recalled her first year camping in Nevada City at 11 years old. “I didn’t want to go home,” she smiled. From that point onwards, Mason spent time working as a camp counsellor in Nevada City, and otherwise enjoyed hiking, skiing and canoeing—all of which she did in Tahoe too.
Her time as a camp counsellor also served Tahoe’s kids. She was one of the instructors teaching kids to swim through Red Cross’s programs, and recalled teaching Harvey Gross’s granddaughter at one of the ten motels that allowed them to use their pools for the lessons.
While her kids were still not of college age, her friends in the AAUW and other mothers were interested in having a junior college in the community. At that time, their kids would have to go down to community colleges in the Sacramento area, taking them off the mountain.
The state board of education wouldn’t consider South Lake Tahoe for a community college because it was too small—but Mason and other founders of the college persisted, creating a community college district and fighting battles on taxes, county lines and more. “Nothing is easy in Tahoe,” sighed Mason.
Still, she was delighted to see the college open in what was previously the Sunray Motel, which served as the campus for 14 years. After years of serving on the board and as a trustee, Mason said they offered to name the new library after her. “I couldn’t resist. Libraries have always been my favorite thing.”
“I never could have envisioned what we have now… from a motel, to this campus? It’s just amazing,” said Mason. She recalled bringing her children to the Indigenous grinding rock where the current campus is, marveling at the change.
“Everything has changed—some for the better, some not,” said Mason. She was glad to see the addition of the hospital and the library (which she fought to get lakeside windows on.) “Really, it takes the courage of your convictions to want to make things better.”
Mason says that what’s kept her here is the beauty and her deep connection with the city. “The nature is so close by. And you make good friends here. I’ve got so many tentacles in the community and people are so incredibly helpful,” she said. “My life is here. I didn’t plan it that way, but I count my blessings that I’ve been able to live here.”
Joshua Mitchell
Joshua Mitchell is by far the youngest of the longtime locals in this article. His parents moved from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe in the 80s, and Mitchell grew up in the city. While he spent much of his life from college until the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic out of Tahoe, he says that moving back really felt like coming home.
Outdoor recreation has always been a big part of any Tahoe kid’s life, and Mitchell was no different. “I have fond memories of biking with my dad to Pope Beach from Al Tahoe,” said Mitchell. “Being other places, it took a lot of effort to find solitude and nature, and coming back here, I can just jump on a bike again, ride out and recharge.”
Mitchell remembers springs and summers of hanging out in “the marsh” (now the Upper Truckee Meadow) to build forts, trying to catch and keep the green tree frogs that would frequent the area, and hiking Tallac. While he would visit Sacramento with his family, he says they left Sacramento because of the heat.
But beach days were Mitchell’s favorite thing in the summer. He’s an avid paddleboarder now and says that he’s always had a personal connection with the lake.
“I don’t think any of the lakes in California are as pretty as Lake Tahoe. When I lived in the Bay, I was constantly thinking, ‘When can we go back to Tahoe and have a beach day?’” said Mitchell. “I have so many amazing memories of the beach, like having the inflatable rafts, being adrift at Baldwin… it’s just so stunning, so beautiful and so accessible.”
In winter, “skiing was too expensive for a family of four, and my brother and I never exhibited a natural talent for skiing,” said Mitchell. But he recalled sledding at Lakeview Commons and Ambulance Hill on Spooner Lake, and even at the rear airport on Highway 50. “I’m pretty sure the signs that say ‘no sledding’ there are because of us,” laughed Mitchell. “But if there was a hill, there was a way. It was a treasure hunt to find the perfect sledding location.”
Mitchell also remembered the local businesses he grew up with, some of which are still around. “I would go to Sno-Flake Drive-In and get soft serve or to Burger Lounge for garlic fries once a week during high school,” said Mitchell. “I had horrendous breath in class for sure.”
Mitchell lived most of his adult life in San Francisco and travelled frequently all over the globe. But he decided to come back home to Tahoe when the pandemic began so he could be closer to home and a person he was dating at the time. He said that it marked a big change in his life and his friendships.
“Life is always a mystery, but I’ve definitely fallen into a groove here. The community fabric is tighter than it was in San Francisco, where the connections felt more superficial,” said Mitchell. “I don’t think I’ve talked to anyone I was friends with in the Bay since I came back. They were mostly friends of convenience.”
He, like Freeman, attends the Pride group weekly and says it is a big reason why he put down roots here. “It felt like somewhere I was going to be safe, seen and heard, where I would see people and be able to reliably catch up with them,” said Mitchell. “Ultimately, I was weary of city life because what augments my free time is outdoors time and having a great group of friends.”
When asked about one of his fond memories, Mitchell chose an unusual one. It was a friend’s birthday party at Kiva Beach where it started like any other beach day. But suddenly, huge gusts of wind began to pick up.
“I just remember all these birthday napkins flying in the wind, adults scrambling to pick them up. Total chaos,” he said. “It’s just so Tahoe, you know. You have your good days and your bad days. A good day is a dime a dozen, but it’s fun to remember those different times.” Years of beautiful beach days, and yet Mitchell still values the storms—proof that he loves it all.
“I never thought I would say this out loud, but I am a mountain boy. Coming home to Tahoe after a trip and that first glimpse of the Lake on Echo Summit or on Highway 50 about a mile past that intersection…” Mitchell sighed wistfully. “There’s always a sense of relief and that feeling of ‘I’m coming home.’”