The county seat isMinden, after having been moved fromGenoa in 1915.
Various services run by the county include parks, law enforcement, road maintenance, building inspection, and theMinden–Tahoe Airport.
Fire protection and emergency medical services are provided by the Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District at the lake and the East Fork Fire Protection District for the rest of the county.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 738 square miles (1,910 km2), of which 710 square miles (1,800 km2) is land and 28 square miles (73 km2) (3.8%) is water.[4] It is the second-smallest county in Nevada by area. The highest point isEast Peak at 9,593 ft (2,924 m), while the most topographically prominent mountain isMount Siegel.
Douglas County is in westernNevada in the western United States. Stretching from Carson Valley and running up into theSierra Nevada, the county is bordered on the west byCalifornia, and contains about 13.2% ofLake Tahoe, which is split across the two states.Carson City, the state capital, lies to the north, andLyon County to the east.
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 41,259 people, 16,401 households, and 11,890 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 58 people per square mile (22 people/km2). There were 19,006 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.9%White, 0.3%Black orAfrican American, 1.7%Native American, 1.3%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 2.5% fromother races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 7.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 16,401 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,849, and the median income for a family was $57,092. Males had a median income of $40,436 versus $28,762 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $27,288. About 5.8% of families and 7.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 46,997 people, 19,638 households, and 13,519 families living in the county.[12] The population density was 66.2 inhabitants per square mile (25.6/km2). There were 23,671 housing units at an average density of 33.4 per square mile (12.9/km2).[13] The racial makeup of the county was 89.6% white, 1.9% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.2% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.9% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 25.7% wereGerman, 17.5% wereEnglish, 14.9% wereIrish, 8.0% wereItalian, and 4.1% wereAmerican.[14]
Of the 19,638 households, 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 47.4 years.[12]
The median income for a household in the county was $60,721 and the median income for a family was $73,543. Males had a median income of $52,001 versus $39,825 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,239. About 5.4% of families and 7.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.[15]
There are no incorporated towns or cities in Douglas County. The following communities arecensus-designated places, meaning population and demographic data is available from the U.S. Census Bureau for each one:
Historically Douglas was the most Republican county in Nevada, a state that tended to lean Democratic between the 1890s and 1950s. The last Democrat to carry the county wasFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 during his 48-state landslide overAlf Landon, and even then, he carried Douglas by 15 percent less than his statewide margin. It was the only Nevada county won by Charles Evans Hughes in 1916, and one of only two to vote for Progressive“Bull Moose” ex-PresidentTheodore Roosevelt in 1912. It was also one of only two Nevada counties that voted for incumbent PresidentBenjamin Harrison over insurgent PopulistJames B. Weaver in 1892 when the latter carried the state by over 40 percentage points. Even when the county did vote Democratic in 1896 and 1900, it was by much smaller margins than the rest of silver-mining Nevada.[16]
The county remains a Republican stronghold, although it now is not quite as heavily Republican as some other rural counties in the state. Apart from FDR's two victories, only two Democrats since 1920 —Lyndon Johnson in 1964 andBarack Obama in 2008 — have won even 40 percent of the county's vote. Despite the county's strong Republican bent, residents tend to be somewhat moderate on social issues, with a small majority of county residents voting to legalize gay marriage in2020.
United States presidential election results for Douglas County, Nevada[17]
Douglas County's public K-12 education is managed by the Douglas County School District. It serves all of Douglas County,[19] having two main areas: Lake Tahoe & the Carson Valley. Douglas High School also serves most of the high school age students fromAlpine County, California
