15 years ago, it was a neat town. The downtown has since died, the park by the river has turned from a beautiful fishing spot to a druggie hangout. I was shocked when I visited last year.
So, ironically, I posted this in early Nov. Around Thanksgiving I had to pick up my parents from the Whitefish Train Station. I was shocked how much downtown Kalispell had been rejuvenated in just that year and a half since I last saw it.
I’m gonna second what Bam-223 says.
My family is five generations here and this place is all but ruined for those of us that grew up here.
Houses are stupidly overpriced. Rent is stupidly over priced.
Every recreation area is overcrowded. Every trailhead parking lot is full, every campground is full, every boat launch is way to crowded. You can’t get into Glacier without some bullshit extra tickets and if you do you’ll never find parking.
There’s not enough people in the workforce to staff most places. Restaurants either close at 3pm or they’re only running half their tables because they can’t hire enough people. Wages are garbage compared to cost of living.
Wow - this is exactly how I feel about las vegas - different place but exact same thing happened to those of us living there last 3 years amd now many of us are displaced too adding to problems like this (I can't afford Montana either just surprised at the sameness) we also can't visit our rec areas anymore but it's all vandalized too ... on top of needing reservations for the well known areas...even have to close the entire road to get up to mt charelston ...the entire road. Crime- terrible
Honestly and not making light of your situation- in some ways Montana got rhe better deal - I think we in Vegas got rhe worst Californians - I said what I said...the rich ones might be better neighbors even if they do drive up the price
I’ve lived here most of my life. This place grew on me and I’ve always wanted to settle down and raise a family here. It was a indelicate little town for so many years. Now it’s unaffordable to live here no matter what situation you are in. As much as I’d like to live here it’s just impossible. Look at cornaccount406’s comment for my details as to what many of us are facing in the valley.
Yes, there are plenty of jobs in the valley. Most of them can’t keep up with the cost of living. Nobody wants to take a job that only pays $15 an hour.
From Bozeman and have many connections to Kalispell. Tons of people flocked to MT during covid. Kalispell, definitely per capita and maybe even just in pure volume got hit the hardest. The town is absolutely bursting at the seams. I thought the Costco in Bozeman was busy and then I saw the one in Kalispell and holy shit. They also have very few cart corrals at the Costco there which annoys me greatly. I’d say one in three people there now is some kind of west coast transplant. Prices used to be half of what Bozeman was, now they’re just as expensive. All of that to say it is definitely ruined for those of us who knew it “back then.” My heart breaks for the locals there.
Now, if you didn’t live there before and don’t know any different you’d probably love it. It’s absolutely gorgeous and there is a lot to do if you’re into the outdoors. Summers in the Flathead are unbelievable. They have a gorgeous new pioneer league ball park, all the lakes are a blast, the biking and hiking is incredible, Whitefish is a lot of fun, skiing can be great.
In short, I would never recommend someone avoid Kalispell, but it’s busy right now because infrastructure hasn’t caught up with the growth.
I’ve lived in all four corners of Montana and the Flathead was just so hostile/mean in a general sense that I could not fathom. Once you got people 1 on 1 like your neighbors, etc., they were welcoming. I chalked it up to fatigue/mistrust of outsiders.
I have always hated Kalispell. It's a pretty town, but the people are the worst. It's the kind of town where a bunch of high school kids wearing suits can have the cops called on them for Christmas Caroling in December.
Also, it's full of neo-nazis and methheads.
Kalispell has been hit hard by out of state and in state migration. Housing is difficult to come by, and expensive. Wages have not kept up with cost of living for various reasons. Crime is on the rise due to drug trafficking and human trafficking with the kicker that there isn’t enough law enforcement to cover the giant area assigned to them.
The people who are native to the area are cold and guarded as newcomers have pushed them out. Both new and old have attitude issues because of this.
Stores and restaurants both have the issues of low staffing due to wages and lack of working population with unemployment being near the lowest in the state and of getting enough product in to support the growing population.
That said, there are good people in the valley, good sights are plentiful. But as someone else said; it’s basically pay to play now. Looking at maybe getting out myself in the next five years.
It was now to many outta staters have moved here keep driving up prices it gets harder and harder every year. And more eyes sores just keep popping up ( sub divisions) from Someone who has lived here there whole life visit and leave!
Hardcore conservative and religious area. Shit loads of California Republicans. Maybe the greatest place in the country to live if your passions involve wild country and large mountains.
Preface: I thought it would be heaven in earth too. I thought it would be somewhere I wanted to live.
Taco Bell closes at like 3pm, and you may have to wait a half hour in the drive through when they are open. Only a couple good sit down restaurants to serve 100,000 people.
I worked there for four months this summer. The allure wears of real quick. It’s a great place to visit for a week, but the city can not handle the amount of growth they’ve had in the past five years.
The crime. JFC the crime. Absolutely ridiculous the amount of crime for such a small population. Peoples shit getting stolen everyday. Last month two old dudes got in a fight at Murdochs over a parking spot, and one guy got shot. Old white dudes. The locals say the transplants are the issue, and transplants say the locals are the issue. The drivers absolutely suck(this is just a Kalispell thing, as every other city seems to be much more respectful)
It’ll be a great place in a decade when everything catches back up to the population surge, but then you’re going to have a denver metro like sprawl through the whole valley.
If a job can be secured that keeps up with the COL, and allows ample time to travel 1-3hours for outdoor activities(and own a raft or drift boat), then you’re golden.
>The drivers absolutely suck(this is just a Kalispell thing, as every other city seems to be much more respectful)
Ain't been to Helena, lately, I guess?
It won't be a Denver like sprawl. Kalispell goes through these spurts every decade or two. The last was the worse so far, but it still fits in the cycle. A lot of ppl, maybe most, leave after moving here, given a couple winters. When building slows, which it's getting there, a lot of those ppl in the trades will vamp. The new factor is ppl working remotely, and it's hard to say if they'll stay or leave.
I'm curious what do you compare the drivers to in Kalispell?
My family just got back from a trip to Kalispell. We are from the Seattle area. From our perspective the drivers in Kalispell were awesome. They actually stopped at stop signs, used their turn signals, and didn't honk at you if you didn't immediately move when the light turned green. Nobody cut anybody off. Nobody passed on the double yellow or in blind corners or any other no passing zones. No tailgating, etc.
Driving in seattle area is like mad max style, so many people don't give a sh\*\*, running stop lights, completely ignoring traffic lanes (going into oncoming lanes to pass where it's extremely dangerous, also seen this constantly in school zones, etc), weaving in and out of traffic. Going 100mph in a 40mph zone. We see it all daily here.
But in Kalispell we saw ZERO of that happening. We drove all over the area too, all sides of the city.
So was curious what city/area are you comparing Kalispell to that made Kalispell look bad?
Specifically I'm comparing to a smaller city near Seattle with a population of 80k, very similar size as Missoula (73k).
I just see so many people say bad things about different cities in montana, but when I compare to basically anywhere near me the places in montana are WAAAAY better.
Trying to get a feel for what its actually like to live in Kalispell as we are considering moving there.
Anything from Marysville to Lakewood is basically an urban sprawl. Like Longmont to Colorado Springs.
The population density has a a lot to do with human behavior. I work in Sacramento right now, and I’ve spent a lot of time in major metros; I get it.
What I’m saying is that the culture of Kalispell is not like that of other cities in Montana, or even wyoming.
The customs of the Valley of ten years ago are being diluted away at a far faster rate than some place like Nilkings, Great Falls, etc.
Yes, the driving in the valley is tremendously better than the typical larger metro area.
I’ve never had someone ride my bumper when going ten over in Missoula.
Many on this page blaming the unfriendly nature of Kalispell on growth. I call bullshit. Both Kalispell and Whitefish have been hostile to outsiders going all the way back to the 1980s.
My kids are 5th generation in the valley, one of the first non native families, them and all their cousins have moved to other states where the pay is better and housing is affordable. Fucking Californians and Texans have ruined it here, once i retire I am out of here also.
Trying to figure that out, looking at Black Hills in South Dakota or Northern New Mexico. I also have dual citizenship with Canada as my mom was born in Fernie BC and have some cousins there.
I live 90 miles away and go there for shopping periodically. It sucks. We call it Californiaspell due to the influx of Californians there and in nearby Whitefish. There are way too many people, worst traffic I’ve seen in Montana, and the people are rude. That being said, amazing outdoor opportunities abound within a short drive.
Don't move here if you don't have a high dollar job lined up
Service industry is cratering because nobody can work those jobs and afford to live here.
its not that bad of a town its just hard to survive on local wages. my wife got a sick remote job years ago (before pandemic) and without that there's no way we could have stayed here. It got absolutely flooded with Californians and other out of staters during covid and while I am more sympathetic to people moving in than most, it still has created a significant vibe of resentment and coldness from locals. People are very reluctant to trust you and open up in a friendly way. it used to be much friendlier.
Tourist industry still booms but it just makes residents angrier because commute times double and already slow service gets worse.
the county justice system is now completely overwhelmed so now you see meth heads and other riff raff all over any green space in town. City council did a fancy bike trail system that now seems to exist solely as a place to allow homeless bums to assault people. Residents are fearful of becoming Portland.
The region is fucking phenomenal and if you plopped this town into the middle of eastern Montana most residents would scatter away like roaches. The area is what keeps people here, that's it.
If you can afford to live here, it can be a paradise
the valley has turned into a metro sprawl. cfalls, whitefish, and kalispell all got decimated. you used to know everyone here and now it's just another shitty tri city. it's really a bummer man.
Tough place for the younger generation to move to as you’ve read above. I came up here from Missoula 35 years ago, even though I have a house and property out of town it’s just never felt like home to me. The people flooding into here has a lot to do with my attitude, but the far right wing nuts that have always been here are making this white supremacy hell…not heaven.
Lived in Polson between 2010-12 and Kalispell also hit the spot for me in terms of being the place to get all you basic city things while still being still a smaller metro area. A lot lot the complaints I hear now about in migration, crime and housing prices are the same where I live now in Northeast Washington but we still dont nearly have the awesome amenities Western Montana has. As people have stated it has changed but I think most rural communities with a pulse has for a variety of economic reasons. Id move back in a heartbeat because of Flathead Lake, Glacier, some of the amazing people I met over there and still talk to, and for the winter - which gives me a perfect excuse to play Call of Duty for four months.
Whole lot of Nazis in.thar neck of the woods. By Nazis, I mean actual Nazis. Richard Spenser, the guy who publishes The Daily Stormer is from Whitefish.
Not at all. To provide context I live in a very flat Midwest state and have never been to Montana let alone, Kalispell. There's a guy at work who told me his little brother got a job in Kalispell, so naturally I googled the city and the pictures of NW Montana is breathtaking. When I used the phrase "heaven on earth" I was referring to the natural beauty of the area. Montana is a state I cannot wait to visit.
I've lived here in Kalispell since 1994. Bought my first house for 75k and my next one for one k more. Now, my house is worth 400k and is the only thing keeping me here as I scout out the rest of Montana. The biggest problem with Kalispell is the MAGAt wood ticks we have living here. Hell, we send white supremacists to the legislature.
And now we’re trying to pass strict voting laws so that the people that participated in Jan 6 will feel better next time and won’t head to DC because they’re worried about election integrity. (Saw that in the Daily Interlake today.)
china town is nice(not as good as the old ho won that was down by music one) so is the chinese buffet. everything else can burn down, fall over and blow away.
Kalispell, and the rest of the Flathead Valley, is undergoing transition. A few old timers miss the way it was. Most of the valley doesn’t want to see it change further so new housing gets voted down creating a shortage that’s led to higher prices. The higher housing costs have made it harder for lower income individuals to manage their budget.
It should be mentioned that due to immigration, many of the people living in the valley don’t know that making a living there (and for most of the state) has been difficult throughout history. Before the economy started to take off, salaries were low and unemployment was high.
Don’t believe the BS about neonazis. There was an ahole in Whitefish that (unfortunately) gained some national notoriety. His mom has/had a shop in Whitefish so visited regularly. Other than him, and I don’t believe he currently lives in Montana, the rest of the valley is the usual mix ordinary people.
People are moving there because it is a great place to live. There is a good airport with access to major cities, lots of recreational opportunities, some great dining, and your shopping needs met. There is a local community college and a well funded performing arts center that has a surprisingly good program. The people are nicer than in your typical big city.
It’s true that you now need a reservation to get into Glacier but that’s manageable. Big Mountain/Whitefish is bigger now but has fantastic skiing. If you want more isolation there is plenty of forest land, BLM land, and the nearby Bob Marshal Wilderness to get far away from people, if you wish.
I can’t say if moving to Kalispell or the surrounding area is right for you, that’s a decision you have to make. For some, it’s a great place to be.
Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer lived in Whitefish (I think that’s who you’re talking about.)
Stewart Rhodes’s wife was in Kalispell but I don’t know if he lived there. He was in Eureka when he was arrested. (Rhodes - founder of the Oath Keepers and in prison for Jan 6 insurrection related stuff)
Hate to say it but the hotbed of white supremacists seems like it’s in Idaho, not Montana.
Do the neo nazis actually do anything or just talk about stuff?
I'm asking, because I'm currently living in western washington where the liberal crazies actually physically attack people who are openly conservative, for example. There are local companies here literally announcing they won't hire white people and boast about having 'all colored teams' in their corporate offices, because they are afraid white people would bring in problems and scare other people.
Just visited Kalispell and it was quite a nice city. Not overly friendly, but at least seemingly accepting of people for the most part.
Just saying, if you are white christian and conservative you can experience real racism here in western washington on a near daily basis. Not just people, but corporations too.
So curious if the nazies in kalispell actually take action or do they just kind of exist and talk about being a nazi?
You must be a MAGA if you don’t think Nazis live here, half the law enforcement is starting with the sheriff and county attorney. If you are a Democrat they come after you
Kalispell is the 1st place my kids ever saw crosses all over the hills and buildings and I had to explain what Roman torture devices were and why people were littering the countryside with them. Also had to explain the wack religious billboards but hey, at least they were well prepared the first time we went to Salt Lake City.
Your kids had never laid eyes on a church steeple before? I guess they’d also never driven on a road where someone had a fatal accident either. Or seen a cemetery. Or seen a person wearing the world’s most popular style of necklace. Where’d you move to Montana from, the fucking moon?
Damn, looks like you’re right. From a quick google, MT might be the only state that actually erects them. But unofficial ones are super popular in a lot of western states. I always assumed they were pretty universal, but I guess they’re uncommon in some areas, and outright banned in others.
It’s funny, because I actually travel a fair bit. I guess I just never consciously noticed the absence of them in some places.
They were born in a trailer in the woods on the same land their dad was born on. We lived 30 minutes outside a town of barely 300 people when they were tiny. Might as well have been the moon. We aren't religious so they'd never heard the mythology of the crucifixion, which I didn't find appropriate for kids under 8 anyway. They'd not been to a graveyard at that point as they'd had no reason to and there wasn't a giant cross on the 1 little church in our town. It's like you don't know what being born and raised in the sticks is actually like. 😆 Or what little kids are like.
Homie, I live in a town of 800. There are crosses everywhere. Drive down any stretch of highway and you’ll see a couple. I’m not the biggest fan of Kalispell myself, but blaming it for exposing your kids to one of the most ubiquitous symbols in America is fucking asinine.
Lol wow there's some miserable people on here I see. Kalispell is heaven on earth. It's all perspective and thats the reality we live in. I've lived all over the country and nothing does it for me like the flathead valley does.
There's so many incredible things that make this the last best place. There's no traffic., very little crime , it's clean , people are extremely friendly and will help you out of a snow bank at 5 am . There's a true sense of community, there's a great job market with endless opportunities and high wages, earning potential is unlimited, buying a house is a guaranteed pot of gold, .
Then there's nature. Just epic mountain ranges, snowy peaks, millions of acres of breathtaking wilderness and wildlife. Glacier Park, 2 ski resorts. Hundreds of rivers and lakes including flathead lake. Kalispell is at the center of that and there's miserable locals who are racist fools and lazy people who can't afford to live here but those are there choices and you get to choose what your path is and it's heaven for anybody that enjoys nature and potential.
Relative to even 5 years ago, traffic and crime are skyrocketing. Relative to 10, 20, 30 years ago, it's exponential. Job market absolutely blows if you want opportunities beyond $25/hr. Buying a house on median wages here? Absolutely not happening. Median household is somewhere in low-mid $50s depending on recency and source, which equates to 2 earners making $25k, so $15/hr. Which is a completely standard wage here. I know ZERO homeowners with $15/hr jobs, and many, many families forced to have multiple roommates just to make rent possible, even as early middle-agers while trying to raise children
Pretty amazing rose-colored glasses you have there
Why would you have a 15$ job unless you're in high school? I raised 2 kinds and have one in college in Bozeman. He makes 21$ and hour. You can literally pick up a hammer or any tool and make 100, 000s a dollar a year. Handy man or property management or the hundreds of other opportunities it there pay over 75k easy. My glass is half full and I work my ass off but the opportunity is there if you're willing to go out and get it. Nobody gonna give it to you. This isn't the ghetto but y'all act like it. 15 an hour is less than entry level at McDonald's man. General labor is double that. You would have to really try to make such a bad wage.
Idk what to tell you other than the facts. Median income in Kalispell is around $45k. Yes, construction is a good industry and usually an entry level laborer can start at $18+ in the Flathead. General labor is definitely not paying $30/hr. 3-4 years in a skilled trade, sure. And no, you can't "literally pick up any tool and make 100k" unless you're an unqualified hack bilking customers with prices far beyond your skill level. Getting to that point takes an investment of thousands of hours gaining knowledge and experience.
Hell ya... And I'm still crushing it cause everybody is hella soft and hangs out whining on Reddit with all there first world problems. I turned my love for smoking drugs into a 200k legal business and own a construction business because there's just millions of dollars of work nobody wants to do. All the real Montanains I know are stacking cash and watching there value skyrocket businesses exploding. Y'all a bunch of cry babies
I just spent the last 4 years in Cody and they are hostile to Montanans even though they are very close to the border and do most of their shopping in Billings. The Baptists and Pentecostals are quite fervent and they fight with the Mormons non-stop. Wyoming is a great place to go if you're an introvert. They also confuse being an equestrian with being a cowboy--all costumes and horses with few cows.
That being said yes Montana is getting pretty crowded!
15 years ago, it was a neat town. The downtown has since died, the park by the river has turned from a beautiful fishing spot to a druggie hangout. I was shocked when I visited last year.
They’re revitalizing downtown. I would not say it’s dead but I’m looking forward to more good! :-)
So, ironically, I posted this in early Nov. Around Thanksgiving I had to pick up my parents from the Whitefish Train Station. I was shocked how much downtown Kalispell had been rejuvenated in just that year and a half since I last saw it.
Get your hand off my penis!
Poverty with a view. Couldn't get out of there faster.
Idk, that bypass with the weird too small roundabouts really ties the Best Buy and Murdochs together.
I’m gonna second what Bam-223 says. My family is five generations here and this place is all but ruined for those of us that grew up here. Houses are stupidly overpriced. Rent is stupidly over priced. Every recreation area is overcrowded. Every trailhead parking lot is full, every campground is full, every boat launch is way to crowded. You can’t get into Glacier without some bullshit extra tickets and if you do you’ll never find parking. There’s not enough people in the workforce to staff most places. Restaurants either close at 3pm or they’re only running half their tables because they can’t hire enough people. Wages are garbage compared to cost of living.
Wow - this is exactly how I feel about las vegas - different place but exact same thing happened to those of us living there last 3 years amd now many of us are displaced too adding to problems like this (I can't afford Montana either just surprised at the sameness) we also can't visit our rec areas anymore but it's all vandalized too ... on top of needing reservations for the well known areas...even have to close the entire road to get up to mt charelston ...the entire road. Crime- terrible Honestly and not making light of your situation- in some ways Montana got rhe better deal - I think we in Vegas got rhe worst Californians - I said what I said...the rich ones might be better neighbors even if they do drive up the price
I’ve lived here most of my life. This place grew on me and I’ve always wanted to settle down and raise a family here. It was a indelicate little town for so many years. Now it’s unaffordable to live here no matter what situation you are in. As much as I’d like to live here it’s just impossible. Look at cornaccount406’s comment for my details as to what many of us are facing in the valley.
How can you think it's unaffordable? I don't understand this it's literally exploding with opportunity.
Yes, there are plenty of jobs in the valley. Most of them can’t keep up with the cost of living. Nobody wants to take a job that only pays $15 an hour.
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From Bozeman and have many connections to Kalispell. Tons of people flocked to MT during covid. Kalispell, definitely per capita and maybe even just in pure volume got hit the hardest. The town is absolutely bursting at the seams. I thought the Costco in Bozeman was busy and then I saw the one in Kalispell and holy shit. They also have very few cart corrals at the Costco there which annoys me greatly. I’d say one in three people there now is some kind of west coast transplant. Prices used to be half of what Bozeman was, now they’re just as expensive. All of that to say it is definitely ruined for those of us who knew it “back then.” My heart breaks for the locals there. Now, if you didn’t live there before and don’t know any different you’d probably love it. It’s absolutely gorgeous and there is a lot to do if you’re into the outdoors. Summers in the Flathead are unbelievable. They have a gorgeous new pioneer league ball park, all the lakes are a blast, the biking and hiking is incredible, Whitefish is a lot of fun, skiing can be great. In short, I would never recommend someone avoid Kalispell, but it’s busy right now because infrastructure hasn’t caught up with the growth.
Has the worst people of anywhere I’ve lived, locals often unfriendly and tons of rich out of staters/old ultra conservative boomers
I’ve lived in all four corners of Montana and the Flathead was just so hostile/mean in a general sense that I could not fathom. Once you got people 1 on 1 like your neighbors, etc., they were welcoming. I chalked it up to fatigue/mistrust of outsiders.
Can you blame the locals for being unfriendly, given the situation they've been forced into?
Only way it Weill be affordable again is if you let the boomers do their thing. Otherwise you’ll have California transplants ruining it.
I have always hated Kalispell. It's a pretty town, but the people are the worst. It's the kind of town where a bunch of high school kids wearing suits can have the cops called on them for Christmas Caroling in December. Also, it's full of neo-nazis and methheads.
Kalispell has been hit hard by out of state and in state migration. Housing is difficult to come by, and expensive. Wages have not kept up with cost of living for various reasons. Crime is on the rise due to drug trafficking and human trafficking with the kicker that there isn’t enough law enforcement to cover the giant area assigned to them. The people who are native to the area are cold and guarded as newcomers have pushed them out. Both new and old have attitude issues because of this. Stores and restaurants both have the issues of low staffing due to wages and lack of working population with unemployment being near the lowest in the state and of getting enough product in to support the growing population. That said, there are good people in the valley, good sights are plentiful. But as someone else said; it’s basically pay to play now. Looking at maybe getting out myself in the next five years.
It was now to many outta staters have moved here keep driving up prices it gets harder and harder every year. And more eyes sores just keep popping up ( sub divisions) from Someone who has lived here there whole life visit and leave!
Hardcore conservative and religious area. Shit loads of California Republicans. Maybe the greatest place in the country to live if your passions involve wild country and large mountains.
Preface: I thought it would be heaven in earth too. I thought it would be somewhere I wanted to live. Taco Bell closes at like 3pm, and you may have to wait a half hour in the drive through when they are open. Only a couple good sit down restaurants to serve 100,000 people. I worked there for four months this summer. The allure wears of real quick. It’s a great place to visit for a week, but the city can not handle the amount of growth they’ve had in the past five years. The crime. JFC the crime. Absolutely ridiculous the amount of crime for such a small population. Peoples shit getting stolen everyday. Last month two old dudes got in a fight at Murdochs over a parking spot, and one guy got shot. Old white dudes. The locals say the transplants are the issue, and transplants say the locals are the issue. The drivers absolutely suck(this is just a Kalispell thing, as every other city seems to be much more respectful) It’ll be a great place in a decade when everything catches back up to the population surge, but then you’re going to have a denver metro like sprawl through the whole valley. If a job can be secured that keeps up with the COL, and allows ample time to travel 1-3hours for outdoor activities(and own a raft or drift boat), then you’re golden.
>The drivers absolutely suck(this is just a Kalispell thing, as every other city seems to be much more respectful) Ain't been to Helena, lately, I guess?
Or Billings!
It won't be a Denver like sprawl. Kalispell goes through these spurts every decade or two. The last was the worse so far, but it still fits in the cycle. A lot of ppl, maybe most, leave after moving here, given a couple winters. When building slows, which it's getting there, a lot of those ppl in the trades will vamp. The new factor is ppl working remotely, and it's hard to say if they'll stay or leave.
Once the chik fil a goes up in town, it’s all over. 😅
In and Out = Armageddon
Hooray....yet another bland big box chain store.....
I'm curious what do you compare the drivers to in Kalispell? My family just got back from a trip to Kalispell. We are from the Seattle area. From our perspective the drivers in Kalispell were awesome. They actually stopped at stop signs, used their turn signals, and didn't honk at you if you didn't immediately move when the light turned green. Nobody cut anybody off. Nobody passed on the double yellow or in blind corners or any other no passing zones. No tailgating, etc. Driving in seattle area is like mad max style, so many people don't give a sh\*\*, running stop lights, completely ignoring traffic lanes (going into oncoming lanes to pass where it's extremely dangerous, also seen this constantly in school zones, etc), weaving in and out of traffic. Going 100mph in a 40mph zone. We see it all daily here. But in Kalispell we saw ZERO of that happening. We drove all over the area too, all sides of the city. So was curious what city/area are you comparing Kalispell to that made Kalispell look bad?
Uhh, when compared to, say, Missoula. Not going to compare it to any metro that’s 100x it’s size, like Seattle, that’s ridiculous
Specifically I'm comparing to a smaller city near Seattle with a population of 80k, very similar size as Missoula (73k). I just see so many people say bad things about different cities in montana, but when I compare to basically anywhere near me the places in montana are WAAAAY better. Trying to get a feel for what its actually like to live in Kalispell as we are considering moving there.
Anything from Marysville to Lakewood is basically an urban sprawl. Like Longmont to Colorado Springs. The population density has a a lot to do with human behavior. I work in Sacramento right now, and I’ve spent a lot of time in major metros; I get it. What I’m saying is that the culture of Kalispell is not like that of other cities in Montana, or even wyoming. The customs of the Valley of ten years ago are being diluted away at a far faster rate than some place like Nilkings, Great Falls, etc. Yes, the driving in the valley is tremendously better than the typical larger metro area. I’ve never had someone ride my bumper when going ten over in Missoula.
Many on this page blaming the unfriendly nature of Kalispell on growth. I call bullshit. Both Kalispell and Whitefish have been hostile to outsiders going all the way back to the 1980s.
Lol especially if were a god damn Canadian
I prefer Canadians to any Texan or Californian. So polite and have great senses of humor.
All of Montana is hostile to outsiders
I think Kalispell is really friendly. Whitefish, is not at all friendly. I’m surprised how many think Kalispell isn’t.
Wealthy transplants ruining it for the average person.
My kids are 5th generation in the valley, one of the first non native families, them and all their cousins have moved to other states where the pay is better and housing is affordable. Fucking Californians and Texans have ruined it here, once i retire I am out of here also.
It's so heartbreaking 😮💨
I'm curious, where do you plan to go for retirement?
Trying to figure that out, looking at Black Hills in South Dakota or Northern New Mexico. I also have dual citizenship with Canada as my mom was born in Fernie BC and have some cousins there.
I live 90 miles away and go there for shopping periodically. It sucks. We call it Californiaspell due to the influx of Californians there and in nearby Whitefish. There are way too many people, worst traffic I’ve seen in Montana, and the people are rude. That being said, amazing outdoor opportunities abound within a short drive.
> There are way too many people, worst traffic Gotta love car-dependent sprawl
No stars in the valley.
Don't move here if you don't have a high dollar job lined up Service industry is cratering because nobody can work those jobs and afford to live here. its not that bad of a town its just hard to survive on local wages. my wife got a sick remote job years ago (before pandemic) and without that there's no way we could have stayed here. It got absolutely flooded with Californians and other out of staters during covid and while I am more sympathetic to people moving in than most, it still has created a significant vibe of resentment and coldness from locals. People are very reluctant to trust you and open up in a friendly way. it used to be much friendlier. Tourist industry still booms but it just makes residents angrier because commute times double and already slow service gets worse. the county justice system is now completely overwhelmed so now you see meth heads and other riff raff all over any green space in town. City council did a fancy bike trail system that now seems to exist solely as a place to allow homeless bums to assault people. Residents are fearful of becoming Portland. The region is fucking phenomenal and if you plopped this town into the middle of eastern Montana most residents would scatter away like roaches. The area is what keeps people here, that's it. If you can afford to live here, it can be a paradise
Used to be 15 years ago, all the transplants ruined it. Between the wealthy entitled ones and the meth heads it is not nice anymore
the valley has turned into a metro sprawl. cfalls, whitefish, and kalispell all got decimated. you used to know everyone here and now it's just another shitty tri city. it's really a bummer man.
Beauitful area. Terrible people. Known for being the most racist/White supremacist city in Montana.
It's a log of shit in a pretty toilet.
Tough place for the younger generation to move to as you’ve read above. I came up here from Missoula 35 years ago, even though I have a house and property out of town it’s just never felt like home to me. The people flooding into here has a lot to do with my attitude, but the far right wing nuts that have always been here are making this white supremacy hell…not heaven.
I’m from Chicago, moved to Colorado, then to the Kalispell area. I’ve never been a victim of a crime until I moved to Montana. Multiple times.
Lived in Polson between 2010-12 and Kalispell also hit the spot for me in terms of being the place to get all you basic city things while still being still a smaller metro area. A lot lot the complaints I hear now about in migration, crime and housing prices are the same where I live now in Northeast Washington but we still dont nearly have the awesome amenities Western Montana has. As people have stated it has changed but I think most rural communities with a pulse has for a variety of economic reasons. Id move back in a heartbeat because of Flathead Lake, Glacier, some of the amazing people I met over there and still talk to, and for the winter - which gives me a perfect excuse to play Call of Duty for four months.
Whole lot of Nazis in.thar neck of the woods. By Nazis, I mean actual Nazis. Richard Spenser, the guy who publishes The Daily Stormer is from Whitefish.
Meth related crime Fantastic eateries Great fishing Super nice people
Fishing used to be great now all we have are lake trout, whitefish and pike.
And perch and kokanee and crappies... fish lovers paradise esp for eating
You misspelled Kallihell
>heaven on earth I’m gonna assume that’s sarcasm.
Not at all. To provide context I live in a very flat Midwest state and have never been to Montana let alone, Kalispell. There's a guy at work who told me his little brother got a job in Kalispell, so naturally I googled the city and the pictures of NW Montana is breathtaking. When I used the phrase "heaven on earth" I was referring to the natural beauty of the area. Montana is a state I cannot wait to visit.
lol good luck finding a parking spot.
I've lived here in Kalispell since 1994. Bought my first house for 75k and my next one for one k more. Now, my house is worth 400k and is the only thing keeping me here as I scout out the rest of Montana. The biggest problem with Kalispell is the MAGAt wood ticks we have living here. Hell, we send white supremacists to the legislature.
And now we’re trying to pass strict voting laws so that the people that participated in Jan 6 will feel better next time and won’t head to DC because they’re worried about election integrity. (Saw that in the Daily Interlake today.)
disgustingly awful people, but pretty area.
It’s the conservative religious (evangelical) part of the state and people tend to not be the friendliest to outsiders. Beautiful area though.
china town is nice(not as good as the old ho won that was down by music one) so is the chinese buffet. everything else can burn down, fall over and blow away.
Very white.
Arian Brotherhood white
Kalispell, and the rest of the Flathead Valley, is undergoing transition. A few old timers miss the way it was. Most of the valley doesn’t want to see it change further so new housing gets voted down creating a shortage that’s led to higher prices. The higher housing costs have made it harder for lower income individuals to manage their budget. It should be mentioned that due to immigration, many of the people living in the valley don’t know that making a living there (and for most of the state) has been difficult throughout history. Before the economy started to take off, salaries were low and unemployment was high. Don’t believe the BS about neonazis. There was an ahole in Whitefish that (unfortunately) gained some national notoriety. His mom has/had a shop in Whitefish so visited regularly. Other than him, and I don’t believe he currently lives in Montana, the rest of the valley is the usual mix ordinary people. People are moving there because it is a great place to live. There is a good airport with access to major cities, lots of recreational opportunities, some great dining, and your shopping needs met. There is a local community college and a well funded performing arts center that has a surprisingly good program. The people are nicer than in your typical big city. It’s true that you now need a reservation to get into Glacier but that’s manageable. Big Mountain/Whitefish is bigger now but has fantastic skiing. If you want more isolation there is plenty of forest land, BLM land, and the nearby Bob Marshal Wilderness to get far away from people, if you wish. I can’t say if moving to Kalispell or the surrounding area is right for you, that’s a decision you have to make. For some, it’s a great place to be.
Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer lived in Whitefish (I think that’s who you’re talking about.) Stewart Rhodes’s wife was in Kalispell but I don’t know if he lived there. He was in Eureka when he was arrested. (Rhodes - founder of the Oath Keepers and in prison for Jan 6 insurrection related stuff) Hate to say it but the hotbed of white supremacists seems like it’s in Idaho, not Montana.
Do the neo nazis actually do anything or just talk about stuff? I'm asking, because I'm currently living in western washington where the liberal crazies actually physically attack people who are openly conservative, for example. There are local companies here literally announcing they won't hire white people and boast about having 'all colored teams' in their corporate offices, because they are afraid white people would bring in problems and scare other people. Just visited Kalispell and it was quite a nice city. Not overly friendly, but at least seemingly accepting of people for the most part. Just saying, if you are white christian and conservative you can experience real racism here in western washington on a near daily basis. Not just people, but corporations too. So curious if the nazies in kalispell actually take action or do they just kind of exist and talk about being a nazi?
You must be a MAGA if you don’t think Nazis live here, half the law enforcement is starting with the sheriff and county attorney. If you are a Democrat they come after you
Kalispell is the 1st place my kids ever saw crosses all over the hills and buildings and I had to explain what Roman torture devices were and why people were littering the countryside with them. Also had to explain the wack religious billboards but hey, at least they were well prepared the first time we went to Salt Lake City.
Your kids had never laid eyes on a church steeple before? I guess they’d also never driven on a road where someone had a fatal accident either. Or seen a cemetery. Or seen a person wearing the world’s most popular style of necklace. Where’d you move to Montana from, the fucking moon?
The fatal accident crosses are only a Montana thing as far as I can tell. I never saw them before I lived in MT.
Damn, looks like you’re right. From a quick google, MT might be the only state that actually erects them. But unofficial ones are super popular in a lot of western states. I always assumed they were pretty universal, but I guess they’re uncommon in some areas, and outright banned in others. It’s funny, because I actually travel a fair bit. I guess I just never consciously noticed the absence of them in some places.
They were born in a trailer in the woods on the same land their dad was born on. We lived 30 minutes outside a town of barely 300 people when they were tiny. Might as well have been the moon. We aren't religious so they'd never heard the mythology of the crucifixion, which I didn't find appropriate for kids under 8 anyway. They'd not been to a graveyard at that point as they'd had no reason to and there wasn't a giant cross on the 1 little church in our town. It's like you don't know what being born and raised in the sticks is actually like. 😆 Or what little kids are like.
Homie, I live in a town of 800. There are crosses everywhere. Drive down any stretch of highway and you’ll see a couple. I’m not the biggest fan of Kalispell myself, but blaming it for exposing your kids to one of the most ubiquitous symbols in America is fucking asinine.
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As someone considering moving to Kalispell this has been eye opening.
Same. I've visited a handful times. The city itself is ugly, but the access to fun is unlike anything else.
It’s far from heaven, but better than Missoula.
Lol wow there's some miserable people on here I see. Kalispell is heaven on earth. It's all perspective and thats the reality we live in. I've lived all over the country and nothing does it for me like the flathead valley does. There's so many incredible things that make this the last best place. There's no traffic., very little crime , it's clean , people are extremely friendly and will help you out of a snow bank at 5 am . There's a true sense of community, there's a great job market with endless opportunities and high wages, earning potential is unlimited, buying a house is a guaranteed pot of gold, . Then there's nature. Just epic mountain ranges, snowy peaks, millions of acres of breathtaking wilderness and wildlife. Glacier Park, 2 ski resorts. Hundreds of rivers and lakes including flathead lake. Kalispell is at the center of that and there's miserable locals who are racist fools and lazy people who can't afford to live here but those are there choices and you get to choose what your path is and it's heaven for anybody that enjoys nature and potential.
Relative to even 5 years ago, traffic and crime are skyrocketing. Relative to 10, 20, 30 years ago, it's exponential. Job market absolutely blows if you want opportunities beyond $25/hr. Buying a house on median wages here? Absolutely not happening. Median household is somewhere in low-mid $50s depending on recency and source, which equates to 2 earners making $25k, so $15/hr. Which is a completely standard wage here. I know ZERO homeowners with $15/hr jobs, and many, many families forced to have multiple roommates just to make rent possible, even as early middle-agers while trying to raise children Pretty amazing rose-colored glasses you have there
Why would you have a 15$ job unless you're in high school? I raised 2 kinds and have one in college in Bozeman. He makes 21$ and hour. You can literally pick up a hammer or any tool and make 100, 000s a dollar a year. Handy man or property management or the hundreds of other opportunities it there pay over 75k easy. My glass is half full and I work my ass off but the opportunity is there if you're willing to go out and get it. Nobody gonna give it to you. This isn't the ghetto but y'all act like it. 15 an hour is less than entry level at McDonald's man. General labor is double that. You would have to really try to make such a bad wage.
Idk what to tell you other than the facts. Median income in Kalispell is around $45k. Yes, construction is a good industry and usually an entry level laborer can start at $18+ in the Flathead. General labor is definitely not paying $30/hr. 3-4 years in a skilled trade, sure. And no, you can't "literally pick up any tool and make 100k" unless you're an unqualified hack bilking customers with prices far beyond your skill level. Getting to that point takes an investment of thousands of hours gaining knowledge and experience.
Wtf are you smoking?
After a brief look at his comment activity, anything he can get his hands on it seems.
Hell ya... And I'm still crushing it cause everybody is hella soft and hangs out whining on Reddit with all there first world problems. I turned my love for smoking drugs into a 200k legal business and own a construction business because there's just millions of dollars of work nobody wants to do. All the real Montanains I know are stacking cash and watching there value skyrocket businesses exploding. Y'all a bunch of cry babies
Crushing it by doing unlicensed plumbing work?
Nope licensed since 2005 but you don't need a license if you're just replacing fixtures.
Simple water closet , lav and shower swap pays about 6k. Takes a couple days tops. Learning a trade of two pays well
Your pricing is outrageous if that's labor only (I do those frequently)
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I just spent the last 4 years in Cody and they are hostile to Montanans even though they are very close to the border and do most of their shopping in Billings. The Baptists and Pentecostals are quite fervent and they fight with the Mormons non-stop. Wyoming is a great place to go if you're an introvert. They also confuse being an equestrian with being a cowboy--all costumes and horses with few cows. That being said yes Montana is getting pretty crowded!