Thoughts on Kalispell & Whitefish MT?

[Sirshredalot]

I just remember going there back in the 80s when in town for Cat-Griz games. Seems like it was a popular place among the students back then, but had a slightly menacing feel to it where you didn't want to look at anybody crossways, especially if you were a Griz. I could be misremembering, it was a long time ago. Bozeman is a very different place now. Anyway...thread drift.

It's very different now than when I lived there 10-15 years ago, too. But the cat's paw is still there, while most of the bars on Main have either changed ownership or added some ferns and 7 dollar glasses of Merlot.

[Garth Bimble]

I can't speak to the particulars of Whitefish/Kalispell...I've been but only as a touron. Seems like a pretty cool place though. I can speak to the experience in general though, as my wife and I did pretty much the same thing 3.5 years ago; left the Denver area for mountain life in SW CO. All in all it's worked out OK but things have been tough for the wife. (our roles are reversed, she got the job in town, I work from home) She loves what she does but hates where she does it and who she does it with and unfortunately there aren't any other options within a reasonable driving distance. Most days she'll tell it's worth it though, we love where we live but I know there are times when she's ready to just say fuck it and I've left the door open for her to go somewhere else if it becomes too much. Ironically enough, when we were going through this process we had narrowed it down to 2 options, here and Whitefish. Mrs. Bimble had already been informally offered a position up there and had the formal HR Skype meeting scheduled when she got an offer to come here. This was a transfer for her and for me it was much easier to stay in state at the time so here we are...FWIW.

[fastfred]

I love these threads, they are always an eye opener
for me, moving to a city/front range etc would be like poking my eyes out with sticks
most people don't realize that they enjoy being surrounded by convenience, by people who look and act like them, have the same goals, same financial status, same track home, their kids all goto the same schools that with other kids that are just like them
then in some great fantasy, you pick up and move to some shit hole rural small town where you have to be around people who are different that you, some parents are face down alcoholics and don't give a shit about their kids, the only difference is the ones back in the metro area did everything they could to cover it up and save face
the mall, the shopping, the 50 thousand square foot grocery store......... not there
I see this shit play out every day in scummit county co, and I consider this place a suburb of denver, they have some great fantasy that they can live in the mountains, dad can travel and telecommute for work, but mom finds herself all alone and cold when winter lasts years on end and denver seems light years away, the extended family support system doesn't exist, people don't pretend to give a shit about your problems, they just size up your trust fund and wait a couple years to see if your going to stick it out before wanting to truely be your friend, and then poof their back where they started in lilly white suburbia

[liv2ski]

Based on those comments, sounds like you should move to a place for 6 months and try it out prior to doing a more permanent move, if at all possible.

[Garth Bimble]

Based on those comments, sounds like you should move to a place for 6 months and try it out prior to doing a more permanent move, if at all possible.

Good point...I would seriously consider a short term rental instead of a purchase at first. Give yourself a chance to get the "lay of the land" before you jump in with both feet.

[dtown]

I love these threads, they are always an eye opener
for me, moving to a city/front range etc would be like poking my eyes out with sticks
most people don't realize that they enjoy being surrounded by convenience, by people who look and act like them, have the same goals, same financial status, same track home, their kids all goto the same schools that with other kids that are just like them
then in some great fantasy, you pick up and move to some shit hole rural small town where you have to be around people who are different that you, some parents are face down alcoholics and don't give a shit about their kids, the only difference is the ones back in the metro area did everything they could to cover it up and save face
the mall, the shopping, the 50 thousand square foot grocery store......... not there
I see this shit play out every day in scummit county co, and I consider this place a suburb of denver, they have some great fantasy that they can live in the mountains, dad can travel and telecommute for work, but mom finds herself all alone and cold when winter lasts years on end and denver seems light years away, the extended family support system doesn't exist, people don't pretend to give a shit about your problems, they just size up your trust fund and wait a couple years to see if your going to stick it out before wanting to truely be your friend, and then poof their back where they started in lilly white suburbia

This isn’t just a small mountain town scenario, this is true if you’ve ever moved to another city without knowing a soul, regardless of population or location.



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[Garth Bimble]

A couple of other things while I'm thinking about it, if this has already been brought up, my apologies. Expect to live without things you take for granted in the big city. Some of these are obvious, like having a Starbucks/Whole Foods within walking distance and most folks are willing to give them up in exchange for living in the country but some aren't so obvious, like dependable cell phone service, high speed internet, natural gas, city water/sewer, easy access to health care, well maintained roads, curbside garbage pick up, etc., etc. You would think in this day/age you could get some of these anywhere but you can't. One of our biggest issues when selecting a house was internet. The first house we put under contract had fucking dial-up and that wouldn't work for me so we had to cancel and that one thing wound up seriously limiting our options as to where we could buy. Something to consider...

[stuckathuntermtn]

Where do you live, Garth? A lot of those things aren't really a problem anymore.
Verizon is usually pretty dependable in MT, except for a few specific spots. I gather that satellite internet has gotten pretty good (which can also solve cell reception problem), and well water is usually pretty good around here, if rather hard. Roads and associated services can be pretty good too, even as spread out as the Flathead is, I don't see all the millionares relocating there without decent cell/health/public services.
IIRC, there's a pretty big hospital in Kalispell and some good surgeons and such in the area.
Yeah, it's spread out, but Montana has developed quite a lot over the years, and the Flathead is no exception.

[concretejungle]

MT is full of inbred rednecks. Nothing to see here folks.

[Garth Bimble]

Where do you live, Garth? A lot of those things aren't really a problem anymore.
Verizon is usually pretty dependable in MT, except for a few specific spots. I gather that satellite internet has gotten pretty good (which can also solve cell reception problem), and well water is usually pretty good around here, if rather hard. Roads and associated services can be pretty good too, even as spread out as the Flathead is, I don't see all the millionares relocating there without decent cell/health/public services.
IIRC, there's a pretty big hospital in Kalispell and some good surgeons and such in the area.
Yeah, it's spread out, but Montana has developed quite a lot over the years, and the Flathead is no exception.

SW CO, near Durango. It's true that we could have lived near the more populated area(s) around here and had all the things I listed but what's the point? I think for some of us who've lived in the big city most of our lives moving to a rural area can be more of an adjustment than we initially think, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. We had Sprint cell when we moved and they didn't work at all here. Switched to AT&T and that worked better but they provided us with a Microcell and now it's all good. We did find a place with broadband internet but the fastest I can get is 12Mbps. It's good enough though and FWIW satellite internet sucks. It's OK if you just want to "surf the net" but if you're using it for work or streaming Netflix/Prime on a regular basis forget it, they cap usage at some ridiculous low level and we don't have cable here. (there's another one) We do have public water/sewer and just got tied into NG this past spring. I have to drive down the local dump once a week and the dirt/chipseal roads play hell on the vehicles but they do a surprisingly good job of plowing them, way better than the county roads once you get out of our little "subdivision". As far as healthcare is concerned think about why most people move to an area like this...did they move here so they could work or so they could play? If you want to practice medicine at a high level go to the Mayo Clinic. If you want to ride your mountain bike at a high level while practicing medicine, go to Mercy Medical Center. That's the reality of it and FWIW they're aren't any 24 hour urgent cares around either, it's a 30 minute drive to the nearest ER.

Bottom line is unless you're some kind of metrosexual hipster none of this shit is a deal breaker, it's just something you need to understand before getting here. If you really want to do it it's easy enough to work around and I highly recommend you do do it if you have the chance because you may not get it again.

[stuckathuntermtn]

My understanding is that satellite internet has gotten a lot better, but that was from a salesman, so who knows.
Flathead might be much more of a resort area than SW CO. Real estate is crazy hot in MT right now. Can't build "affordable" housing fast enough in the Missoula area. With Glacier and Whitefish up there, modern conveniences are pushing their way into the country. And lack of plowing isn't typically a problem in Montana unless you live somewhere windy.

[Garth Bimble]

My understanding is that satellite internet has gotten a lot better, but that was from a salesman, so who knows.
Flathead might be much more of a resort area than SW CO. Real estate is crazy hot in MT right now. Can't build "affordable" housing fast enough in the Missoula area. With Glacier and Whitefish up there, modern conveniences are pushing their way into the country. And lack of plowing isn't typically a problem in Montana unless you live somewhere windy.

The salesman was full of shit. Trust me, I did my homework once we realized what were dealing with down here. Not only do they cap but like other satellite based services you're at the mercy of the elements...if it's stormy you can lose the signal. My employer told me that I couldn't use it regardless, they said it had something to do with their VPN so it didn't matter anyway.

Now if you'll excuse me, in honor of the "March for our LIves" rally I'm going to out back and shoot my rifle. After all, it is pretty cool living here.

[stuckathuntermtn]

This was in the past year, so IDK. Hear you on the storms, though.

[stuckathuntermtn]

And basically, what I'm trying to say is that, while it's not Dever, if you're anywhere near downtown, or big box store area of Kalispell or downtown Whitefish, you are not way out there or short many conveniences or services.

[AK47bp]

Fricken red neck MT
https://www.privateislandsonline.com...-island-estate

[stuckathuntermtn]

Fricken red neck MT
https://www.privateislandsonline.com...-island-estate

I know, right? I bet it's AT LEAST a half hour to the ER.

[AK47bp]

Not from your heli pad

[stuckathuntermtn]

Ha!

[Garth Bimble]

And basically, what I'm trying to say is that, while it's not Dever, if you're anywhere near downtown, or big box store area of Kalispell or downtown Whitefish, you are not way out there or short many conveniences or services.

I get it...it's the same here too, Durango for the most part has pretty much all you need but you don't have to get out too far from there and things are quite a bit different. From what I remember about Whitefish/Kalispell it's pretty much the same. Not sure what the OP wants though...the hip mountain town experience or the rural, much less hip mountain town experience. Either has it's pros/cons.

[stuckathuntermtn]

If you were last in the area even 5 years ago, it's bigger.
The OP also didn't specify how far from town he wanted to be. I got the impression it wasn't far.

[yeahman]

We live 15 minutes from downtown Helena. No broadband, and I work from home, but our satellite internet (Montana Internet Co.) is decent, and no usage caps. Streams all right. A game changer has been the Verizon unlimited data plans for the kids so they are never streaming on the wifi. We get great cell reception here.

No garbage pickup but going to the dump once a week is a great excuse to get stoned.

No city water/sewer. We're on a well and septic. Works fine.

We do have a natural gas line, so that's good because our house has a hot-water heat boiler system that I really like. No fucking blowing air.

Gotta drive 1/3 mile to get the mail or newspaper.

About 5 miles of dirt road to get to our house, that is tough on the cars and muddy when it's wet, but not a big deal.

I guess these are inconveniences but they don't matter to me. We got 10 acres, nice view of the valley, and not a fucking neighbor in sight--and in 15 minutes I can be downtown at the brewpub.

The ONLY thing that kind of sucks is our kids are at the age where they have a ton of activities after school and stuff, and it does get to be a lot of driving in that regard. But that won't last forever. I'm staying here until they cart me off to the old folks home or the morgue.

ETA we bought the place in 2010 when the market was bottoming out. Got a good deal, I think.

[jacqueline heatley]

Yous got to check out Montana.

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[stuckathuntermtn]

We live 15 minutes from downtown Helena. No broadband, and I work from home, but our satellite internet (Montana Internet Co.) is decent, and no usage caps. Streams all right. A game changer has been the Verizon unlimited data plans for the kids so they are never streaming on the wifi. We get great cell reception here.

No garbage pickup but going to the dump once a week is a great excuse to get stoned.

No city water/sewer. We're on a well and septic. Works fine.

We do have a natural gas line, so that's good because our house has a hot-water heat boiler system that I really like. No fucking blowing air.

Gotta drive 1/3 mile to get the mail or newspaper.

About 5 miles of dirt road to get to our house, that is tough on the cars and muddy when it's wet, but not a big deal.

I guess these are inconveniences but they don't matter to me. We got 10 acres, nice view of the valley, and not a fucking neighbor in sight--and in 15 minutes I can be downtown at the brewpub.

The ONLY thing that kind of sucks is our kids are at the age where they have a ton of activities after school and stuff, and it does get to be a lot of driving in that regard. But that won't last forever. I'm staying here until they cart me off to the old folks home or the morgue.

ETA we bought the place in 2010 when the market was bottoming out. Got a good deal, I think.

15 minutes which way? Because that could be a very far 15 minutes. 15 minutes from downtown Kalispell is....Whitefish.

[Garth Bimble]

We live 15 minutes from downtown Helena. No broadband, and I work from home, but our satellite internet (Montana Internet Co.) is decent, and no usage caps. Streams all right. A game changer has been the Verizon unlimited data plans for the kids so they are never streaming on the wifi. We get great cell reception here.

No garbage pickup but going to the dump once a week is a great excuse to get stoned.

No city water/sewer. We're on a well and septic. Works fine.

We do have a natural gas line, so that's good because our house has a hot-water heat boiler system that I really like. No fucking blowing air.

Gotta drive 1/3 mile to get the mail or newspaper.

About 5 miles of dirt road to get to our house, that is tough on the cars and muddy when it's wet, but not a big deal.

I guess these are inconveniences but they don't matter to me. We got 10 acres, nice view of the valley, and not a fucking neighbor in sight--and in 15 minutes I can be downtown at the brewpub.

The ONLY thing that kind of sucks is our kids are at the age where they have a ton of activities after school and stuff, and it does get to be a lot of driving in that regard. But that won't last forever. I'm staying here until they cart me off to the old folks home or the morgue.

ETA we bought the place in 2010 when the market was bottoming out. Got a good deal, I think.

I could be wrong but I don't think your internet is satellite, it's wireless. There's a repeating tower somewhere in your area and you have line of sight to it so they hook up an antenna on your house and that's how you get internet. Different from satellite, which as I said before sucks.

Sounds like you've got a great place and I can understand why you love it and plan on staying. I've only got 2 acres but it backs to another 250 that is set aside as a fire buffer (no building) and a San Juan National Forest trailhead is 1/4 mile up the road. Our little town doesn't have much but we do have a brewpub and I can be there in 15 minutes too so FKNA!

[yeahman]

15 minutes which way? Because that could be a very far 15 minutes. 15 minutes from downtown Kalispell is....Whitefish.

Northwest, up against the Scratchgravel hills. Not far mileage wise but the dirt roads are relatively slow going.