Schools in Whitefish? (Columbia Falls: sale, selling a house, income)
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As far as the weather, while it can be gray and cold in Whitefish, nothing can compare to how gray it gets here and for how long! It is cold and the difference is that in Bellingham the cold is a wet cold that goes to your bones, while in MT it is a dryer cold, easier to deal with in my opinion.
I think you stated that perfectly.As someone who spent most of their life in the bellingham area (30+)and moved here in 96.that is exactly how we feel about the dampness in washington. i dont know how anyone can say the weather is the same. it rains far more in washington that it does here unless its changed in the last few yrs and that dampness stays in the air,so that on a cold day it is bone chilling.I still freeze when we go back to visit our son every spring.here,i can run around with no coat here in the winter if its 30,in washington i would freeze. with that said tho,the winters are very long here, if you are a winter sports person you will probably love that part.
Last edited by grannymontanny; 07-16-2008 at 08:47 AM..
I think you stated that perfectly.As someone who spent most of their life in the bellingham area (30+)and moved here in 96.that is exactly how we feel about the dampness in washington. i dont know how anyone can say the weather is the same. it rains far more in washington that it does here unless its changed in the last few yrs and that dampness stays in the air,so that on a cold day it is bone chilling.I still freeze when we go back to visit our son every spring.here,i can run around with no coat here in the winter if its 30,in washington i would freeze. with that said tho,the winters are very long here, if you are a winter sports person you will probably love that part.
The humidity level in Whitefish is much higher than the humidity in Bozeman. To me, Bozeman winters are 1000% better than Whitefish winters because it's dry over there and you'll get direct sunlight for a little bit of every day. So I tell anyone who is looking to move to Montana for dryer winters to look at the east side of the divide because it's dryer over there.
So my ideal climate in Montana for winters is Bozeman because I like the dryness and the incredible amount (relatively speaking) of sun they get every year. But it's not as pretty in the summertime because of the lack of rain.
Is Whitefish better than Western Washington? Sure, but it's home to me so of course I'll say that. I do warn people about the humidity in the winter though because a lot of people expect it to be very dry. It may be dry compared to Seattle, but what part of the country isn't?
Grannymontanny, for reference, what part of Flathead County do you live in?
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Bigtrees, I guess it's been a while since you went to HS or lived in Aspenfish (Whitefish) because it's changed. I currently know many who are in school there as well as here and yes they may have good sports teams due to recruiting and money (quite a few of their "stars" are foriegn exchange students) they do have a serious drug problem due to well heeled parents and lack of control. To be honest the latest drug testing idea would have not come up if at least SOME of the people didn't think there was a big problem.
I've heard about it for the last couple of years and as I've said before Whitefish high drugs of choice are Alchohol,Cocaine and pot whereas here it's Beer and pot. I don't know if you heard about the latest kid that overdosed at a pill party where a bunch of kids brought pills from their houses and dumped them in a bowl and then grabbed a handful and ate them. Whatever happened to you is what happened and I guess it killed him.
Whitefish is trying to totally cater to the tourist crowd to the detriment of the long time locals. Big Mountain (now Whitefish Mountain) is now set for tourists only, with the new ownership and CEO who could care less about local skiers and boarders and in fact IMO have done everything they can to discourage the locals from going there. Case in point, later opening and earlier closing, not to mention splitting the season pass so you have to now pay for both winter AND summer. Don't raise the rates, just do what the ice cream companies do, reduce the size of the product and charge the same.
There are some good people in whitefish but IMO they're being slowly run out of town by the people who want another Aspen type ski town.
I'd look to outlying areas if you can, maybe between Kalispell and Columbia Falls so you can choose which school you want to go to. Personally if my son wasn't in his current position at school I'd send him to Kalispell, specifically Glacier.
What I don't understand is what kids would be doing at a "pill party" in the first place. I am concerned about the quality of schools and the quality of the kids/parents, but I do think that you can only blame so much on the schools. My husband and I are originally from Spokane so we understand drugs in schools, that was the favorite past time of most in Spokane, that is not the case in Bellingham for the most part. I guess I am just having a hard time getting an idea of the full picture, and I suppose I really can't b/c a lot of these questions are relative anyway such as the weather. There is so much talk of the weather there especially the winters, you would think that it was the N. Slope of Alaska. I have to wonder how much of the responses are more geared towards discouraging people from moving to Whitefish?? I really am not trying to offend anyone, I would just understand that mindset, living in Bellingham and seeing all of the CA lisence plates! I also wonder how active people are in local politics if they are not liking the current situation, not that we always have a choice but it is nice to feel heard.
they do have a serious drug problem due to well heeled parents and lack of control. To be honest the latest drug testing idea would have not come up if at least SOME of the people didn't think there was a big problem.
Notice I said that all schools have a drug problem, which includes Whitefish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimj
I've heard about it for the last couple of years and as I've said before Whitefish high drugs of choice are Alchohol,Cocaine and pot whereas here it's Beer and pot. I don't know if you heard about the latest kid that overdosed at a pill party where a bunch of kids brought pills from their houses and dumped them in a bowl and then grabbed a handful and ate them. Whatever happened to you is what happened and I guess it killed him.
I think there's a Darwin award out for him somewhere. Pill parties aren't my cup of tea, but I'm aware they're the rage this year. Bummer for that dude.
My philosophy is it's the parents influence that will determine whether your kids do well in life or are permenant heroine addicts. Raise your kids right and they will find the right friends in any school.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimj
Whitefish is trying to totally cater to the tourist crowd to the detriment of the long time locals. Big Mountain (now Whitefish Mountain) is now set for tourists only, with the new ownership and CEO who could care less about local skiers and boarders and in fact IMO have done everything they can to discourage the locals from going there. Case in point, later opening and earlier closing, not to mention splitting the season pass so you have to now pay for both winter AND summer. Don't raise the rates, just do what the ice cream companies do, reduce the size of the product and charge the same.
I agree that Whitefish is touristy, trendy, and hip. But the original poster was asking about the schools and not the town, so I didn't try to describe what the town was like.
The argument that it is becoming like Aspen or Vail is an old one that people discussed back when I lived there in junior high and high school. It's always been toursity but since the rich Californians moved in the problem has gotten a lot worse. Since I'm a Montana native I can't assume responsibility for that problem.
I don't like what is happening on the Big Mountain either, but since I don't have billions I'm unable to purchase it and run it the way that it used to be. But the mountain started catering to tourists when I was 5, which was like 20 or 30 years ago. It's not a recent change but something that has been happening for a long time now.
I vote to X-Foley-Ate Whitefish. Unfortunately that's not on the ballot this year. Maybe next year?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimj
There are some good people in whitefish but IMO they're being slowly run out of town by the people who want another Aspen type ski town.
I'd look to outlying areas if you can, maybe between Kalispell and Columbia Falls so you can choose which school you want to go to. Personally if my son wasn't in his current position at school I'd send him to Kalispell, specifically Glacier.
Glacier is fancy and new, but fancy and new doesn't translate to skilled sports teams or quality teachers. My personal vote is to enroll my kids in a place with a long tradition of succeeding and a place known for recruiting the best teachers in the state. Glacier my someday be a great school, but today all it is known for is being a new school, and we all know that the walls and floors don't educate students, it's the teachers that do.
What I don't understand is what kids would be doing at a "pill party" in the first place. I am concerned about the quality of schools and the quality of the kids/parents, but I do think that you can only blame so much on the schools. My husband and I are originally from Spokane so we understand drugs in schools, that was the favorite past time of most in Spokane, that is not the case in Bellingham for the most part. I guess I am just having a hard time getting an idea of the full picture, and I suppose I really can't b/c a lot of these questions are relative anyway such as the weather. There is so much talk of the weather there especially the winters, you would think that it was the N. Slope of Alaska. I have to wonder how much of the responses are more geared towards discouraging people from moving to Whitefish?? I really am not trying to offend anyone, I would just understand that mindset, living in Bellingham and seeing all of the CA lisence plates! I also wonder how active people are in local politics if they are not liking the current situation, not that we always have a choice but it is nice to feel heard.
For you, I'd suggest holding off on relocating until you visit in the winter (January/February) and decide if you like it then....the weather is the big iffie for a lot of people who move to Northwest Montana because they see it in the summer and assume that winters are nice, too.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigtrees
Notice I said that all schools have a drug problem, which includes Whitefish.
True enough but it seems some are worse than others.
Quote:
I agree that Whitefish is touristy, trendy, and hip. But the original poster was asking about the schools and not the town, so I didn't try to describe what the town was like.
The argument that it is becoming like Aspen or Vail is an old one that people discussed back when I lived there in junior high and high school. It's always been toursity but since the rich Californians moved in the problem has gotten a lot worse. Since I'm a Montana native I can't assume responsibility for that problem.
I don't like what is happening on the Big Mountain either, but since I don't have billions I'm unable to purchase it and run it the way that it used to be. But the mountain started catering to tourists when I was 5, which was like 20 or 30 years ago. It's not a recent change but something that has been happening for a long time now.
I vote to X-Foley-Ate Whitefish. Unfortunately that's not on the ballot this year. Maybe next year?
But that IS part of the problem at school, the tone of the town as in the people that live there set the tone for the kids going to the schools. The schools can't do it all so if you have some poor parenting to begin with it quickly translates to the student body as a whole.
Quote:
Glacier is fancy and new, but fancy and new doesn't translate to skilled sports teams or quality teachers. My personal vote is to enroll my kids in a place with a long tradition of succeeding and a place known for recruiting the best teachers in the state. Glacier my someday be a great school, but today all it is known for is being a new school, and we all know that the walls and floors don't educate students, it's the teachers that do.
Yes it's fancy and new which can actually help with student moral and they also "aquired" some of the valleys best teachers from all the other districts. I wasn't just talking about Glacier hence I said Kalispell schools, I personally would send my son to Glacier if it were an option for us.
So Whitefish has had success in some sports so what? That and $2 will get you a cup of coffee. Sports do not a school make since I always thought the major reason you're at school is to learn math,reading etc not to learn to play football or basketball, that's an extra activity. As for having the "best teachers in the state" well I can tell you that's up for debate and depends on what criteria you judge with.
I look at what variety of classes are available and Glacier/Kalispell is unfortunately (for us) way ahead of the rest of the Flathead when it comes to college prep both advanced and baccalaureate,shop,music and other electives. BTW Kalispell doesn't have a half bad bunch of sports teams either I guess since they make state almost every year.
All I can say is what I've seen happen here over the last year or two so I guess we can just agree to disagree...
To be honest the latest drug testing idea would have not come up if at least SOME of the people didn't think there was a big problem.
I am a native from CA ( FYI, most people from CA, at least 75% from my experience, are transplants from other states, natives are rare...our state also used to be beautiful before outsiders moved here) and was looking into this area because we plan on seeing Glacier National Park and it's surrounding areas during vacation. I couldn't help but notice the remarks about drugs in schools.
Our kids were sent to a private school which is highly recognized throughout the nation amongst college counselors. We are not rich by far, have an old fixer upper home about 1100 sqft and buy used cars, so that we could provide a good education for our kids. Our priorities are different. Just wanted you to know that their school required the families to sign a contract upon enrollment saying there will be random mandatory drug testing and if your child tests positive, they will be pulled from class, possibly kicked out and put into immediate counseling. Big, friendly, drug-sniffing dogs visit monthly and the kids love it!! It's a big highlight when they show up. Contracts have to be completed and signed for dances for both participants (whether you go to that school or not) which states they will contact parents and be kicked out of the dance if they are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. If the contract is not complete, you cannot buy tickets for a dance. It is a safe, controlled atmosphere and outstanding school which my kids thrived at. All of their friends which attended "public high school" instead, thought that it was absolutely horrible that our kids had their PRIVACY invaded by these policies. But as my kids responded-no problem if you're not doing anything wrong!!! Just something for you to think about when it comes to DRUG testing in schools. We completely support it and many public school teachers sent their kids to this private school!! haha
It should be pointed out that one of the people who was most adament that Whitefish schools had a drug problem (jimj) had a house for sale in Columbia Falls while he was posting. As soon as he sold the house, he moved to Tennessee or Kentucky or someplace down in the southeast.
Columbia Falls and Whitefish have always had a riverly because of the different in income levels and relative wealth of the communities. I think they're both weathly - they live in the shadow of Glacier Park! But Whitefish attracts greater wealth than C. Falls, so people who live in C. Falls often harbor ill feelings about Whitefish.
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and that dampness stays in the air,so that on a cold day it is bone chilling.I still freeze when we go back to visit our son every spring.here,i can run around with no coat here in the winter if its 30,in washington i would freeze. with that said tho,the winters are very long here, if you are a winter sports person you will probably love that part.
I have to wonder how much of the responses are more geared towards discouraging people from moving to Whitefish?? I really am not trying to offend anyone, I would just understand that mindset, living in Bellingham and seeing all of the CA lisence plates! I also wonder how active people are in local politics if they are not liking the current situation, not that we always have a choice but it is nice to feel heard.
) and was looking into this area because we plan on seeing Glacier National Park and it's surrounding areas during vacation. I couldn't help but notice the remarks about drugs in schools. 
