Other than that, Maule, who wrote “Minden, Nevada, the Story of a Unique Town, 1906-1992,” can’t find fault with his hometown, even after working as a forester for 30 years in at least eight beautiful communities mostly in the West.

“I’ve never seen a better place than here,” he says. “Of course, growth is a big issue, but I feel there’s still enough country charm here. Sometimes I think there’s a traffic jam here, but after I go to see my son in L.A., I realize we don’t really have such a bad problem here.” For country charm, Douglas County has several large farms and ranches, preserved historic buildings and open space to enjoy nature. The county covers approximately 751 square miles and includes three regions —

Minden is the county seat, where daily business is run from two historic buildings, the Minden Courthouse and the Minden Inn, each designed by famed Nevada architect, Frederic DeLongchamps and both built nearly a century ago.

Down the road, Sheriff Ron Pierini, a native Nevadan and popular elected official, oversees a paid staff of 120, plus 350 volunteers in several groups including search and rescue, the sheriff’s explorer program, citizen patrol, TRIAD for seniors, clerical support at the satellite substations and main location, reserve officers, chaplains, a sheriff’s posse and a sheriff’s advisory council. With the ever-growing county population, Pierini says more staff soon will be needed.

“If we’re going to protect the assets of this county, our fear is that if we don’t keep up with the manpower, we won’t be able to respond and solve crimes fast enough, and to prevent crimes through patrol,” he says. “As long as I’m sheriff, and I plan to stick around, I don’t want tosee us turn into a metropolitan police department where people think they’re a just a number.” If numbers are bad for the sheriff’s department, they’re good for realtors and people selling their homes in Douglas County, because housing prices are among the highest in the state. The median price for a home at Lake Tahoe is around $617,000 and Carson Valley’s median price is approximately $325,000, according to Chase International and the Northern Nevada Regional Multiple Listing Service.

One resident, who recently returned to the area for quality-of-life reasons, is Linda Finch, formerly in corporate public relations and now following her dream to be a retail store owner by opening The Eddy Street Book Exchange in Gardnerville last month.

“I loved the valley 30 years ago, and I don’t like all the new houses, but I live in one,” she says. “I enjoy life in Carson Valley — the mountains, the water, the birds and wild creatures — and it has offered me the opportunity to start a business of my own, and I’m willing to work hard to pursue my own future here.” If hard work equals success, then Jacques Etchegoyhen is a good example. Another native Nevadan, he recently gave up his position as elected county commissioner because his new land use consulting business, Terra Firma Associates, grew so fast.

“I’m grateful for the business’s success, and hope the county is on the right track to preserve more and more open land for the future through the TDR (transfer of development rights) program,” he says. “I am cautiouslyoptimistic, and realize the policy makers still need to make it better, and tighten growth constraints, because someone said to me the other day that the population of the West is going to double in the next 20 years.” And if that happens, where will all the people go? According to Skip Sayre, executive director of the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Authority, the question is not whether there’ll be continued growth in Douglas County, it’s how the county manages it.

“We see a tremendous amount of interest from California in moving here,” he says. “We have a steady stream of businesses wanting to relocate, whether it’s for taxes, business reasons or quality of life.” Perhaps the quality of life people are seeking in Douglas County — beyond the visual beauty, the history, the arts and crafts events and the small town parades twice a year — is found in Wynne Maule’s treasured routines.

“I still get together every month with several of my classmates from the Douglas County High School Class of 1943,” he says. “I also live in the house my father built in 1915. It was the first house on the block and surrounded by alfalfa fields. Things have changed, but still I’ve found no place better.”