Mammoth Lakes in 1980

A condominium sold for a median of $127,500 — $511,572 in today’s money, 36% below where it stands now.

Condominium median

$127,500

$511,572 in 2026 money

Snowfall

444"

season total at the main lodge

What happened

Earthquake & volcano
1980 Mammoth Lakes earthquake sequence begins (three M6+ shocks)
Three ML>=6.0 earthquakes struck near Mammoth Lakes within about three hours (16:33, 16:49 and 19:44 UTC), starting a sequence that produced roughly 72 M4-4.9 and six M5.0-5.5 events within 48 hours.
Wikipedia / California Dept. of Conservation (CGS blog) →
Earthquake & volcano
Long Valley earthquakes and volcano scare
A series of magnitude-6 earthquakes around Mammoth in May 1980, coinciding with the Mount St. Helens eruption, triggered a decade of USGS volcano-hazard attention and national media coverage.
there is no doubt that the earthquakes and “volcano scare” destroyed real estate values
Paul Oster Broker Report →

1,150 recorded earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater in the Long Valley Caldera, the largest at M6.2.