The City of South Lake Tahoe is a general law city in El Dorado County, CA, that was founded on November 30, 1965. Located 190 miles northeast of San Francisco, CA and 60 miles southwest of Reno, NV in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, South Lake Tahoe boasts one of the most unique settings in the world, at the edge of an alpine lake of great natural beauty and environmental value. The city limits encompass an area of approximately 16 square miles with an average elevation of 6,200 feet above sea level and a population of 22,525.