Squaw Valley, Placer County, California For other places with the same name, see Squaw Valley Squaw Valley Olympic Valley Sign at entrance to Squaw Valley Sign at entrance to Squaw Valley Squaw Valley is positioned in California Squaw Valley - Squaw Valley Olympic Valley, California (also known as Squaw Valley) is an unincorporated improve positioned in Placer County northwest of Tahoe City along California State Highway 89 on the banks of the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe.
It is home to Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
Olympic Valley is the smallest resort region to host the Olympic Winter Games. The town of Claraville, formerly positioned at the mouth of Squaw Valley was once among the biggest quarrying operations in the Lake Tahoe region.
The Squaw Valley Mining boom was short lived and by 1863 64 the valley had lost almost all of its inhabitants to the Comstock lode in Virginia City.
By 1942, Wayne Poulsen, a former star skier from the University of Nevada, had acquired 2,000 acres (810 ha) in Squaw Valley from the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Poulsen met Alex Cushing, a Harvard University-trained lawyer, in 1946 while Cushing was vacationing at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. During his vacation, Cushing toured Squaw Valley at Poulsen's invitation and decided to invest in building a ski resort there. Unlike Poulsen, Cushing had the political connections and access to the capital necessary to problematic a ski resort.
In June 1948, the two established the Squaw Valley Development Company and Cushing replaced Poulsen as president of the Squaw Valley Development Corporation by October 1949. Squaw Valley Ski Resort opened on Thanksgiving Day 1949. The resort was constructed with $400,000 raised by Cushing, including $150,000 of his own cash. The creation of the Squaw Valley Development Corporation and Squaw Valley Ski Resort mark the undivided era of Squaw Valley. In 1954, Cushing began lobbying the International Olympic Committee to host the 1960 Olympic Winter games after he saw an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that specified Reno, Nevada's bid to host the games. Innsbruck, Austria was Squaw Valley's biggest competitor in the running for the 1960 Winter Games, and Squaw Valley won the right to host the games by a vote of 32-30 on the second ballot. The 1960 Winter Olympics were the first Winter Olympics to be televised live and thriving millions of viewers.
Olympic Valley entered into what was termed a "renaissance" following the acquisition of Squaw Valley Ski Resort by KSL Capital Partners in 2010. With its acquisition, KSL Capital Partners announced $50 million in improvements to Squaw Valley.
The total amount was increased to $70 million when Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows consolidated in October 2011. Investments include upgrading chair lifts and snow-making and grooming equipment. The climate of Olympic Valley is classified as Dsb (Continental Mediterranean Climate) under the Koppen Climate Classification. Climate data for Squaw Valley Average rain days ( 0.01 inch) 10 5 9 8 5 2 2 1 2 1 5 9 59 Skiing and racing culture has been meaningful to Olympic Valley since before it hosted the 1960 Winter Games.
An athlete from Squaw Valley has competed in every Winter Olympics since 1964, when Jimmie Heuga competed in the IX Olympic Winter Games. Because of this, Squaw Valley has taken the moniker "Official Supplier of skiers to the US Ski Team." Many members of the US Ski Team began skiing as a part of Squaw Valley's Mighty Mites racing team for five- to ten-year-olds. Notable winter athletes from Olympic Valley include: In addition to hosting the 1960 Olympic Winter Games, Olympic Valley played host to the 1969 FIS World Cup alpine skiing competitions. It also hosted the US Alpine Championships in the years 2002, 2013 and 2014 and the US Freestyle Championships in 2009. The region also hosts non-skiing sporting affairs, including the Western States Endurance Run, which begins at the base of the Squaw Valley Ski Resort. The 2013 and 2014 Ironman Lake Tahoe triathlon also began and ended in Olympic Valley. Olympic Valley has hosted the Wanderlust music and yoga festival annually since 2009. Other musical performances held in Olympic Valley include concerts by Jerry Garcia Band, Jurassic 5, Matisyahu, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Wailers, Brett Dennen, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Olympic Valley is home to the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the organizers of the Squaw Valley Writer's Conference, and the Squaw Valley Institute. The Institute aims to foster "uncommon conversations" and hosts speaker affairs and other cultural affairs. Alpenglow Sports, a small-town sporting goods store, hosts the Alpenglow Winter Film Series at Squaw Valley, in which athletes and explorers from around the world share stories about their experiences and adventures. Olympic Valley is an unincorporated region located in Placer County, California.
In August 2013, a group titled Incorporate Olympic Valley (IOV) submitted a petition to the Placer County Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO) in order to begin the process of attempting to incorporate Squaw/Olympic Valley into a town titled Olympic Valley. Proponents of incorporation originally wanted to include Alpine Meadows, California in its accomplishments, but the people of Alpine Meadows rejected the proposal. In December 2013, IOV submitted a formal application to the LAFCO which outlined the boundaries of the town they are proposing. Squaw Valley Ski Resort submitted a request to the Placer County LAFCO asking that it be excluded from the proposed town in April 2014. The Resort at Squaw Creek and Squaw Valley Lodge, two additional primary businesses in the Squaw Valley area, submitted a letter to LAFCO in June 2014 urging the committee to deny the IOV incorporation application and to exclude them from proposed town. Save Olympic Valley, a group of residents, property owners, and company owners backed by Squaw Valley Ski Resort, has also questioned and expressed concerns about the incorporation accomplishment. In November 2015, the Placer County Local Agency Formation Commission announced that its members would vote against incorporation of Olympic Valley.
IOV formally withdrew its incorporation petition for Olympic Valley in early December. Incorporate Olympic Valley (IOV) is under investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for allegedly violating multiple sections of the California Political Reform Act. The allegations relate to IOV's failure to file a statement of organization or monthly campaign statements for at least five months to the commission. Additionally, it is alleged that IOV did not include required disclaimers on campaign advertisements. a b c d Garduno, Alexis (September 13, 2013).
"The Squaw Valley Mining Bust".
"Alexander Cushing, Squaw Valley Founder".
"Alexander Cushing, 92, Dies; Turned Squaw Valley Into World-Class Skiing Destination".
Cushing, 92; Made Squaw Valley Into World Ski Resort".
"PLACES: Squaw Valley".
"Squaw Valley Renaissance".
"Squaw Valley CEO Andy Wirth on Alpine, upgrades and attitude".
""Undercover Boss" features President & CEO Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows".
"Extreme Makeover Squaw Valley USA".
"Squaw Valley USA prepares for a $50 million 'Renaissance'".
"Squaw, Alpine Unite!".
"What's New At Squaw Valley & Alpine Meadows".
"Squaw Valley incorporation accomplishment would name new town/city Olympic Valley".
"Squaw hosting a "welcome home" celebration for Tahoe Olympians on March 21".
Alpine Championships at Squaw Valley this week".
"Squaw Valley and IRONMAN Announce Multi-Year Partnership".
"Olympic Valley inhabitants seek town incorporation".
"Effort to problematic town of Olympic Valley moves ahead".
"Squaw CEO questions Olympic Valley finances, viability".
"Opposition to Olympic Valley town accomplishment near Lake Tahoe grows".
"Save Olympic Valley".
"Tahoe inhabitants allege political violations with Olympic Valley accomplishment".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Squaw Valley.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Squaw Valley.
Winter Olympic Games host metros/cities
Categories:
Squaw Valley, Placer County, California - Unincorporated communities in Placer County, California - Lake Tahoe - Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)Sacramento urbane region - Unincorporated communities in California
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