What's it like to live in East Glacier? (Missoula, Kalispell: home, buying)

[mountainme]

I'm wondering if any of the couple hundred or so people that live in East Glacier (or used to live there) can tell me what it is like in terms of community...

I live in NW Montana and have visited there, but you know it is not the same as living there. Yes, I know all about the wind, the cold, the fact that its pretty much shut down in winter....etc.
I love the location of East Glacier, and I love winter...I'm possibly moving there (I have my own work) and want to know the reality, and if there are many "town" things going on, you know potlucks and the like.
Thanks!

[rickers]

It's on the Blackfeet reservation and it is a very seasonal tourist fly-by. There is a Mexican restaurant there that couldn't make it in whitefish, not owned by Mexicans and staffed by stoned out snowboarders who couldn't care less about good food or being polite. At least it was like that when they started out in W.F. It may be better now.
I ate at the place when they were in W.F. and they were just awful ! The town of east Glacier is in a very beautiful area though.
As far as "potlucks" go I really don't know about the town but I do arts and craft shows all over Montana and I have never heard of many "town events" there. I know one thing though, Libby has a very good summer parade for the size of the town during Nordic Fest, and Hamilton has a "Macintosh days" that may be what you have in mind.

[jimj]

Rickers, the east glacier place was and I mean "was" better than the whitefish place but it's my understanding that it's closed up as well....

[RudyS2MT]

Whew.... don't hold back.. tell us what you really feel Rickers??!! lol!!

I’ll do my best to give you my take on my 15 years of living there.

Serranos is a very fine establishment but is only open for the tourist season, about may through October. It is well liked by people from all over the U.S. who will plan trips around visiting there. And yes they had restaurants in both White Fish and Red Lodge and found that it was more hassle then it was worth and they make a nice living working long hard hours for the months they are open in E.G.P. and then taking a few months off.

Now about “the Park”. It’s a lovely spot but the isolation and the Winters do wear upon a person. Think of it as 180 miles (Kalispell and back) to get a car worked upon, a Doctor visit, major shopping. If one does not have to commute and can work at home it would be a much easier place to be. You do need to be pretty self sufficient as far as minor household and auto emergencies.

Housing is better then it was when I moved there in the mid 70’s. But is still hard to come by in the Spring due to Summer workers and in the Fall due to teaching staff for Browning.

And then we have Winter….. often a long, long Winter even by MT standards. There can be snow around town through May that started in October. In 15 Winters I certainly saw huge variations in snow depths, temperatures, and duration but one must be ready for a long one.

The social scene is very much what the people make of it. That too varied by who was there and what they were into and what they arranged. Not a lot of major festivals but often live music and dinners and maybe a dance or two at the Women’s Club. With the coming of cable TV other things changed. Most likely no more “movie nights” at the Women’s Club.

E.G.P. is an interesting place and can be great fun for the right person at the right time of his/her life. Not many people stay beyond a few years. But some settle in nicely. As much as it was a fine adventure in my early days I know I’ll never live there again but I still love to visit often and will always appreciate the place.

I wish you well in your travels and moves……

[jimj]

I stand corrected on Serranos.... I'd been told it closed as well. I have always been told that of the two (whitefish and EG) that the EG one was always the best.
Now I'll have to take a little trip up there come spring and find out!

[rickers]

I'm very picky about Mexican food and I will never eat there again I tried it a few times when they were in W.F. and was not impressed one bit. Very expensive for mediocre Tex Mex. The Taco Trucks in Spokane frigging blow Serranos away !
The East Glacier area is very beautiful though.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by rickers

I'm very picky about Mexican food and I will never eat there again I tried it a few times when they were in W.F. and was not impressed one bit. Very expensive for mediocre Tex Mex. The Taco Trucks in Spokane frigging blow Serranos away !
The East Glacier area is very beautiful though.

That's my point, I've been told that the EG place was waaay better than when they were in whitefish so I'm willing to toss a twenty or so to find out, maybe I'll be surprised or at worst I'll have a nice drive.
I'm real picky as well, in fact I'm so picky I've learned how to make many Mexican/Texican dishes myself from some Mexican people we knew. I used to eat off the taco trucks in CA regularly and you're right they were good but sometimes a dice roll from the health dept standpoint...

[rickers]

I used to eat at all the taco street stands in places like Baha. I have also drank plenty of town tap water in Tijuana and never even had a bellyache from it ever !
I am going to be driving through E.G. this Friday, If they were open this time of year I would stop and give them another try. When a Restaurant called El Topo first opened in Missoula they were just awful. We walked in and right away walked back out it smelled so gross ! They closed and re-opened in Bigfork and what a difference !
They are starting to slip lately though because the original owner sold it recently and the new owner just isn't up to snuff yet I guess.

[jimj]

I'd heard as recently as a week ago that El Topo was mediocre at best but closer to poor now, this from people I know are very familiar with Mexican food. Pity...
There's a new Mexican semi fast food place in Kalispell that opened today, Bajio, across from Costco, right by HuHot. Went in today and it looked like fresh food, we'll see....

[rickers]

I'll have to try them right away. My wife and I are getting closer to opening our own restaurant soon. It'll be a miracle if we make it ! We have equity sufficient to buy a location and we have picked a property that we'll inspect in a few days. I'm a bit jittery about buying a building in a shrinking town and starting a restaurant. I keep listening to Donald Trump speaking about now being a buying opportunity for those who can but we will be doing this on a shoestring. We are very determined to make it work but we're still scared ! It will be a Mexican restaurant if we can pull it off !