Anyone familiar with Bigfork,Ferndale area? (Kalispell, Whitefish: house prices, to live, restaurant)

[homeless man]

I plan on spending the spring searching for a home in the Bigfork area of Mt..Recently retired ,I can live where ever I want to.Having spent alot of time inMt.only during the fall,I have not yet experienced a Mt. winter.At present,I live in the lower Hudson Valley,N.Y.,and I am used to winter.Temp.wise,Mt.is a little colder than NY.,but not much,except at night.
Is there anyone out there who has spent a winter or two in the Bigfork,Ferndale area that can give me an idea what winter conditions are like.What month does the snow generally end,how well are the roads maintained,ect.Thanks, Jim

[jimj]

Our best friends live in Ferndale, born and raised there. It does tend to snow there alot and they are always telling us the county is not very good at plowing the side roads and do just a so-so job on the main roads. It's hard to say exactly when the snow ends, generally by the second week of June it's over but it has snowed in July. Wonderful area in my opinion, very rural and land/house prices are adjusting downward there at this point. Take a look at the bigfork paper for some idea of what's going on.

[davidT]

i agree,a very scenic area,but lots of snow,so be prepared.grandkids hunted easter eggs in the snow before,in ferndale

[Jarndyce]

Bigfork is a fantastic summer resort vacation spot...not sure if I'd want to live there through a winter...the place probably shuts down...I'm guessing

[davidT]

Its been 7 yrs since i lived in bigfork,but at the time the only thing that shut down was the local dairy queen,and im not sure that they do anymore.

[jimj]

They still shut down but there's new places there like Sushi Now (great btw) and there's been a subway for a while as well as a newer pizza place. It's nice during the winter as long as you're prepared for it and Kalispell isn't too far away to get things you can't find in town. definately quiter during the winter than summer since most tourists stay towards Whitefish.

[Julie from Kalispell]

It sucks. Don't go.

[rickers]

If you like Tequila there is a Tequila Bar / Mexican restaurant there called El Topo. The food isn't great but it's not bad either. Bigfork doesn't shut down in the winter, it just slows down a bit.

[Montana Baby]

Suggestion,

Rent a place in Bigfork for awhile. See if you like it.

I love going to Bigfork even in the winter (they have lots of winter events to bring you out and about).

And today was in the 60's!!!!

[bigforkn deal]

I live in bigfork- There is no better place in the late spring, summer, and most of the fall. I don't know why people say there are lots of activities in the winter, because there are not very many. Don't get me wrong, you can do any type of outdoor activity you like, this is Montana. Don't expect winter carnivals, etc... There are SOME things, but it's not like something is going on everyday, or even every week. It is SUPER SLOW in the winter. There are NO jobs- but if you are retired, no problem. This place is Great!! I love it. A lot of people do come for a year or two and end up moving because there isn't a lot going on, except mabey in the summer, and winters can get really LONG! There are always organizations that need volunteers, this town runs off of the volunteer system. Without them, the town would shut down. The local Fire Dept. is a great expample- They just got a new ladder truck. Anyway's, if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask, and I'll do my best to answer them. Good luck