Moving to Whitefish, MT

**glademaster** · 07-07-2011, 07:24 PM

I would like to move to the Whitefish area sometime before the start of the coming winter. I'm 22, just graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management and want to check out northwest Montana. I would be moving out there alone, and while I'd love to find a job related to my education in the Flathead Valley, anything that will pay the rent and let me save a little will suffice.

What's out there? Can I line something up work-wise before I make the move? Are rentals available/affordable? Anything else I need to know?

**regct** · 07-07-2011, 07:39 PM

Heck yeah man, congrats! Can't offer too much helpful information other than Whitefish is a cool town. WMR is a great place to ski. Book some cat skiing at Great Northern Powder Guides and introduce yourself to owners Jay Sandelin and Will MacDonald and guide Evan Kreips (sp?). Those are real good guys to know.

There is some awesome backcountry in the Stillwater Forest. I'll be spending a few days there this season and will be sure to hit up a fellow Mitten ripper.

Good luck man!

-Regan

**Eldo** · 07-07-2011, 10:18 PM

I have no useful advice other that Whitefish is where just about every young Canuck in AB went on their first massive drunk ski bus trip. Great town, and I still like the ski hill.

And congrats on graduating and all that. Seems like just a short while ago you were one of the TGR Teens posting breathlessly about some upcoming ski trip. Welcome to the comfortably jaded world of adulthood. I suggest eventually shooting for something along the lines of the wizened wit of Iceman, but stopping short of the bitterness of Benny, or the doomsday fetish of Liv2ski.

**iceman** · 07-08-2011, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by Eldo

I suggest eventually shooting for something along the lines of the wizened wit of Iceman, but stopping short of the bitterness of Benny, or the doomsday fetish of Liv2ski.

teh funneh.

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

**iceman** · 07-08-2011, 08:39 AM

I think acostiga taught school in Whitefish for a couple years, I don't see him around here much lately but he checks in once in a while, he's from the 'Burgh and had to find his way out there, you might drop him a PM for some outsider-moving-in tips.

**toast2266** · 07-08-2011, 09:12 AM

If you're just looking for some sort of seasonal job to start with, you should have a fairly easy time getting something at the resort. Otherwise, a lot of people live around Whitefish, but work in Kalispell (about 20 minutes to the south). You might try checking with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (in Kalispell) or the Park Service (for Glacier NP) - you might be able to luck into a job that has something to do with your degree. There's also the local forest service office (I think they're in Kalispell).

There are plenty of rentals around, and I wouldn't say they are particularly expensive.

Eldo is correct that we get a lot of Canadians coming down for our cheap booze (and cheap everything else for that matter). You could probably make a killing by opening up a shop specializing in poutine.

**danimal's dead** · 07-08-2011, 10:06 AM

Don't do it, the flathead valley sucks. It's foggy and socked in all winter, you won't see the sun more than 10 times between December and May. The economy is terrible, the competition for natural resource, biology, and federal jobs in general is out of control.
Big Mtn is flat and covered in trees so tight most people can't ski 3/4 of the place, you can never see anything because of the fog, and you'll spend half your time traversing, as Glenn Plake once said of the Big, "they should call it the big traverse."
It rains, big mtn is under 7,000 feet at the top, every time we get a pineapple express, you go from a foot of blower pow to rain soaked mush, to bullet proof ice the next morning. There are no women here, the few chicks that are here are mostly uneducated white trash whores that dropped out of school at 14 and have 3 kids by 3 different methhead daddies by 21. And don't get me started on the rest of the local rednecks, I'd move to Colorado or Utah or Tahoe if I were you.

**acostiga** · 07-08-2011, 10:44 AM

PM sent. And while there is some truth to what danimal's dead wrote, there are also a few reasons for hope... just be sure to get rid of out-of-state license plates as quickly as possible.

**iceman** · 07-08-2011, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by acostiga

PM sent. And while there is some truth to what danimal's dead wrote, there are also a few reasons for hope... just be sure to get rid of out-of-state license plates as quickly as possible.

Bruins totally ownerize black-and-yellow now, go find your own colors Pittsburgh.

heh

**acostiga** · 07-08-2011, 10:58 AM

Ha. I did like the retro blue and white Pittsburgh stuff that they were using for the Winter Classic, but as hometown rapper Wiz Khalifa says... Reppin' my town, you know what it is... black and yellow, black and yellow.

**Gripen** · 07-08-2011, 10:58 AM

PM my brother Viggen, he graduated from school in Whitefish and is looking at similar jobs in the area as you once he finishes his graduate degree. I spent my weekends for years ski racing at the Big, my parents moved there as soon as I graduated high school, so I guess it's "home" now.

It's a great town, the skiing is super fun, the biking in the summer is awesome and there is a lot more young women then in most ski towns. I would warn you a bit, the job market your looking in is a bit saturated at the moment, I wouldn't expect to walk into a great job. You may be digging ditches for a while until you can line up something better.

**allTandA** · 07-10-2011, 03:08 PM

toast--that's interesting you mention the poutin. My father in law is always looking for a way to get us up there construction(dead now), house flipping(yeah right), tree service, cabinet shop(so much comp), he's tried them all......and his most recent proposition on friday was just that! a Bar n grill serving this little great northern grease pile amoung other things. working(drinking) mans food and some killer beers with outdoor seating, roast beef po boy, cubans, meatball hoagie, etc.
Would we kill it? Can you sell belgian beers in town? I know markus has a pretty wide beer selection

edit: you were probably joking but the timing was impeccable

**toast2266** · 07-11-2011, 09:00 AM

^^^ I do actually think there is a market for reasonably priced food that isn't bar food. There's only a couple restaurants in town that hit that middle ground, and they all seem to be doing well. And none of them serve poutine, as far as I know.

I think the better market is in Kalispell though. That place is slim pickings for anything worth eating, especially in the downtown area.

**stuckathuntermtn** · 07-11-2011, 09:06 AM

I was just up there. It's really nice. Not a lot going on, but Whitefish is just...nice. Kallispel gives me the fucking creeps.
It seems like you can live right outside Whitefish by about 10 minutes (Columbia Falls?) and by out of the Sales/Tourist Tax area. Of course, it's like 2% anyway.
Not sure what you would do about work. It's a lot of tourism, big fancy houses, etc.
And it IS foggy. Shit it was June and foggy and raining.

**allTandA** · 07-11-2011, 08:38 PM

toast- what are the resty's in town that hit that middle ground. I know lu la's and buffalo.... but I was thinking a little fresher product and recipe

kalispell side note, how is that thai place?

**toast2266** · 07-11-2011, 10:36 PM

The two you mentioned are the main ones, but there's also chow mambo, Mckenzie river, and maybe pescado blanco, although pescado's a little spendy. There's also a new noodle place (naked noodle) that offers cheap food at not particularly cheap prices.

Thai place in kalispell is decent but waaaaay over priced (i.e. $16 for lunch portion of pad thai without meat in it). I've been getting my Kalispell asian food fix at saigon garden, which is run by some vietnamese folks. It's good by Montana standards, which is to say it's edible.

**stuckathuntermtn** · 07-12-2011, 05:12 PM

It's Ciao Mambo. And they're really good. (not so cheap).
McKenzie river is great if you like bready shitty pizza.
I guarantee you I can cook a more authentic Thai dish than anything in Kalispell, possibly even Missoula.
If a person is not from a coast, don't trust their opinion on food. And if they're not from New York Metro, their oppinion on pizza is probably wrong too. That's right, I said their opinion is wrong.

Whitefish had some sweet places to eat. If I could remember their names I'd tell you. There was that breakfast place, and this "french" cafe lunch/breakfast place.

Begin Flamewar.

**toast2266** · 07-12-2011, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

It's Ciao Mambo. And they're really good. (not so cheap).

They used to be really good, until all the chefs left and went to Latitude 48. Now ciao mambo is ok and medium priced, and Latitude 48 is great and really fucking expensive.

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

McKenzie river is great if you like bready shitty pizza.

Yeah, their pizza sucks, and I generally refuse to eat there (I've made it 2 years and counting...). Plenty of people seem to think it's fine though. 2nd st. pizza is where you go in WF if you want pizza.

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

I guarantee you I can cook a more authentic Thai dish than anything in Kalispell, possibly even Missoula.

I'm sure that's true. Authentic is overrated though. You know they eat dog over there, right?

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

If a person is not from a coast, don't trust their opinion on food. And if they're not from New York Metro, their oppinion on pizza is probably wrong too. That's right, I said their opinion is wrong.

Agreed. Like I said, 2nd st. Pizza - run by a recent transplant from NYC. Not quite as good as the real thing, but good by MT standards. I didn't include it in my earlier list because I put it more in the "cheap food" category rather than the "reasonably priced restaurant" category. That's probably not fair though; they have lots of other food besides pizza, and most of its pretty good.

But aren't you the guy that hates blue cheese? Anyone who doesn't like blue cheese doesn't get to have an opinion on what constitutes good food. Next thing I know you'll be saying you hate bacon.

**RootSkier** · 07-12-2011, 06:10 PM

Ciao Mambo is owned by the same people as McKenzie River. They are both schwag.

**acostiga** · 07-12-2011, 09:26 PM

Middle ground food in that area... in the entire Flathead Valley my favorites were Echo Lake Cafe for breakfast, and probably the Backroom for dinner. The Echo Lake Cafe is not shockingly located near Echo Lake, south of Kalispell. It's awesome, and also usually really busy on the weekends. The Backroom is a homestyle kind of place, with tasty BBQ and such. Their fry bread is dangerous. It's in Columbia Falls, and usually way busy during Summer tourist season.

In Whitefish, there's a burrito spot that may or may not still be open that was pretty good. It was down off the main drag, maybe a block away from The White Room. Coffee Traders had a few things to eat that always looked tasty, but that's not really a restaurant.

**toast2266** · 07-12-2011, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by acostiga

In Whitefish, there's a burrito spot that may or may not still be open that was pretty good. It was down off the main drag, maybe a block away from The White Room.

Quickee (mostly just seating on a deck) or pascado blanco (down in a basement sort of place)?

La Hacienda (in the Remington) is better than both, IMO.

**allTandA** · 07-12-2011, 11:00 PM

good info here mags. thanks

FWIW I though mckenzie was total schwaggle

do people really not like bacon? I would put bacon on a Bahn mi and call it good, with requisite roast pork greens and pickled veg's. French roll and spicy mayo. Would you f'n rednecks eat that? and wash it down with a trappist beers.... or strictly craft, micro, and swill?

also how come no big beers in town----> served in a 24-32 oz format?

cheerio

**Gripen** · 07-12-2011, 11:24 PM

Quickiees has awesome sandwiches.... Their blackened tuna sandwich is amazing.

My favorite breakfast place is Loula's, next to Glacier Cyclery followed closely by the Buffalo.

**glademaster** · 07-13-2011, 06:17 AM

Thanks for all the information that's been posted here so far, guys. I kind of got the impression that the Whitefish area is a little touristy, but still not bad compared to many destination mountain towns. I'm still trying to save up enough to make this move happen, so I'm not sure exactly when I'll be making my way northwest, but it will be soon.

allTandA, your father-in-laws restaurant idea seems like a pretty cool one. I've often thought about finding a place to start my own place but I know the initial time and monetary investments are pretty big. As someone who is really into local food and food in general, as well as craft beers, it's an appealing dream.