Any info on Kalispell Montana?

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by tidmode

Hi Gabby,

I live in Kalispell.

Rents in Kalispell are pretty high compared to avg wages. You can easily pay $850 for a two bedroom house, and you can hardly find any jobs that pay better than $10 per hour. Lots of jobs pay $7. Lots of rich people from out of state have bought property here in recent years. So property values are really inflated compared to wages. We all wish they would go back to California.

Kalispell is not cold in the winter, the temp hovers around 30. The Flathead is overcast much of the winter, and the ground in Kalispell is mostly bare in the winter. It is dreary.

The closer you get to the mountains at the north end of the Flathead, the more snow on the ground you get. I used to live north of Columbia falls and the snow at my place was always over knee deep. Snow can start in Nov, and like I said, it usually blows away in Kalispell, so the ground is frozen, bare and brown. Snow at my place N of C Falls lasted until Apr.

Roads are almost always passable. The worst time is in the spring when we get slushy snowfalls. But, they melt later in the day...

MTer doesn't live in MT I will warrant. West Yellowstone is cold. Havre is cold. Kalispell...pffft.

Man I am really getting bothered with Californians "ALL" getting a bad rap. Not all of us are like that. I live in a small Southern California town (approx 30,000), that is probably not unlike some medium sized cities in MT. I am polite, and say yes sir, please, yes ma'am. I hold doors open for people (that's the way my folks raised me), and the last thing I wanna do is change the great state of MT.
So please don't "assume" all Californinans are the same....but do be wary of those Californians that drive Hummers with 22" spinnner chrome wheels, and jacked up 4 wheel drives, that have never been offroad.

Why doesn't anyone bother to blame the "local" real estate agent, for asking big $$$ for property? Or the "local" seller for accepting a large amount of $$$ for his/her property? No it's just easier to blame "those Californians"!! I do however blame the Californians for being stupid enough, to pay to much for property

[GiftShoppeGuy]

Originally Posted by MTer

Your "warrant" is totally WRONG. I sure do live in MT. In the mountains, at high elevation, accessible only with 4WD and chains at times in winter, and sometimes not even with those.

Sometimes it's tough to see this........ Can't we all just get along??.....

We here in Montana are usually all friends and neighbors.....

The distance in attitude at times between eastern and western Montana can be fairly striking sometimes.......as those in the west become farther away from the traditional Montana conservatism... it is much easier to confuse being conservative with just good old fashioned tolerance.

We would do well to not confuse the two... being tolerant is not being conservative by any stretch.

Western Montana is, for the most part, liberal, these days. Eastern Montana, for the most part, retains it's independent way of thinking, and sticks to the kinds of conservative attitudes that made Montana so attractive in the first place to anyone wishing to move here.

I've lived in both places, west and east..... I've lived in both places nearly an equal amount of years...... and if I sound like an old Montana coot, then I probably am.....

I left western Montana because of the liberal attitude that runs rampant over there. Many other western Montana natives are doing the same..... even as I write this.

When I get over to Paradise/Plains, in Sanders County to visit old friends, it's not the Californians they complain about.... it's the folks from Washington..... When I visit family in Libby, they do their fair share of complaining about folks from Arizona....... In Corvalis, they complain about the Californians.

I have a few hunting buddies that live in Phillipsburg, and they complain about the folks who move in from Florida.....
My home town of Dillon, they go all on about the Japanese of all things.....

So it's not just California that gets the "Adams Off Ox Awards" around here..... it's folks from all over.
Change is hard for some folks, it doesn't make a difference if you are just moving here or if you've lived here all of your life........ Change can either work for you or against you, depending on what you choose to do with it.

I welcome anyone who's got the gumption to get up here and who is willing to give it a go.......
Anybody that's got the good sense to get the He..(double toothpick) out of places like California, Florida, Washington and Japan.... can't be all bad.

[melissa mower]

I notice you are very upset by the way californians are perceived. However, you were very quick to throw local real estate agents under the bus for high real estate prices? Do you really think that real estate agents set market prices on real estate? You should educate yourself on how prices are determined in real estate, it has nothing to do with agents? Everything to do with market area and the fact that californians (others too) who move in with non local funds, etc etc etc......... lots of factors involved, none of which are real estate agent created.

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by melissa mower

I notice you are very upset by the way californians are perceived. However, you were very quick to throw local real estate agents under the bus for high real estate prices? Do you really think that real estate agents set market prices on real estate? You should educate yourself on how prices are determined in real estate, it has nothing to do with agents? Everything to do with market area and the fact that californians (others too) who move in with non local funds, etc etc etc......... lots of factors involved, none of which are real estate agent created.

Sorry Melissa you are right, I was quick to throw realtors under the bus, but I also think that others are quick to throw us "Californians" under the bus as well. I can tell you I won't be showing up with "riches" in hand to buy property.
I assume (oh no that's dangerous) that prices are deteremined by

1. Interest rates
2. "Comps" of the area (what other homes have sold for)
3. Supply VS. Demand (Californians and others flocking to those states)
4. Maybe just a little of the realtor trying to get an extra couple thousand out of property (just to see if they can)
5. Out of state people not willing to counter offer, but just paying what is asked.

I'm sure I have missed others.

Again, I apologize for being quick to pass judgement.

P.S. you don't happen to be a realtor that can help me out, are you? Or is it too late and I am banned from MT

[melissa mower]

I must confess, I'm not a Montana native. I have been here for 13 years and yes, I'am a realtor. Montana is by far the last best place in my opinion, I'm not the only person to have discovered it! I live in the Flathead Valley and it has grown so much in the last ten years. Yes, some Montanans will express the attitude of frustration with all the newcombers and growth. Though most you will find are very kind and welcoming. It is what Aspen was right before it became ASPEN!! I would be happy to help you with any info on Northwest Montana. I love it here and think everyone should at least experience it!

[lynn9089]

Hi,

I would like to come down to kalispell montana with my boyfriend. Can anyone help us to know about more this place. The best place for us to stay ?? rental cost (planning to be upto $1300) ?? public transportation ?? shops ?? churches nearby ??

[CMartel2]

Originally Posted by melissa mower

I must confess, I'm not a Montana native. I have been here for 13 years and yes, I'am a realtor. Montana is by far the last best place in my opinion, I'm not the only person to have discovered it! I live in the Flathead Valley and it has grown so much in the last ten years. Yes, some Montanans will express the attitude of frustration with all the newcombers and growth. Though most you will find are very kind and welcoming. It is what Aspen was right before it became ASPEN!! I would be happy to help you with any info on Northwest Montana. I love it here and think everyone should at least experience it!

No, it isn't. Aspen has a very intact and quite small downtown area that is settled into and limited by a much smaller valley with a very distinct raison d'etre being the ski slopes. It is now a dead town with no real reason for existence outside of tourism and play for the extremely wealthy. The median income in Aspen is $71,000 and the median price of a home is $698,000. That translates into a house payment that shouldn't exceed $1,600 per month. That median housepayment in Apen translates in $3,600 per month with a 20% downpayment.

And there you have it: a dead city where most can no longer afford to live and work in the same location. I would hope Kalispell and the Flathead do not go down this deadend path. There's basically nothing real about Aspen. It's Disneyworld.

Kalispell is much more working class, much more agricultural, and much more of a stripmall than Aspen ever was. It's getting quite congested.

[Ymir]

Just to clarify, I, Ymir, am an 18 year old who's lived in Kalispell my whole life.

I think, compared to the rest of Montana, Kalispell is okay. I haven't had anywhere near the best life--grew up in an abusive household, was bullied my entire school life to the point of dropping out...You know. The works. I actually just passed my GED tests a week ago. At any rate, not the typical life of a teenager. Or someone from Kalispell for that matter.

Despite my hard life, I have come to terms with the fact that Kalispell is, and forever will be, my home. I can't tell you about the community since I've been a shut in since age 12 and only until recently you'd have a hard time catching me outside of my room. But I can say, the people here are Minnesota nice. They're generally very polite, and only a few jerks are mixed in. Even my fellow teenagers are moderately kind. The kids around here are too depressed to throw rocks at you or steal your cat.

Anyway, I know I'll go on and on and on forever if I don't put this into a list, so here:

Economy: Crappy, but getting better.
Housing: Crappy for the sellers, good for the buyers.
Education: Don't send any kids you may have to Flathead. It may be the town's pride and joy, but it's barely mediocre. The Freshmen always smell like meth. Glacier High School seems to be a better option. Don't send your kids to Smith Valley K-8th school. DO NOT. It was "meh" when I went there (which was indeed K-8th), but their new principal is even worse than the one I had.
Crime: Not sure. Our jail is full but I, the paranoid freak that I sometimes am, feel safe enough to ride my bike at midnight during the summer all over the town....Except for the west end. They enjoy recreating Breaking Bad in the west part of Kalispell.
Poverty: Lots. Lots of hobos, although all the ones I've met have been extremely kind. Help 'em out if you can.
Scenery: Awesome.
Accessibility to alternate lifestyle shops: PLENTY. There's several Vegan/Organic cafes, at least 3 Organic stores, a few organic/environmentally friendly clothing shops, and much more. I adore it.
Peoples' Political Alignments: I'd say it's something like 60/40. There are those who want more Organic stores, and those who complain about aforementioned stores even existing. Slightly more progressive than conservative. Regardless of their personal alignment, most people are too reserved to talk about politics to strangers or even friends.
How much Kalispell feels like a community: I'm gonna be ultra biased here and say the youth really gives the town its pep. There's dozens upon dozens of indie bands and talents around here. Lots of young people have dreams and they want to achieve it. So, so many people in this community suffer from depression, and we have high suicide rates, so naturally the town isn't as happy as it could be. (Fun fact: The reason so many are so depressed can be partially explained due to the area's high concentration of people with Scandinavian ancestry. It's literally a genetic thing.)
Entertainment: I don't even have to list this. Go to Glacier Park in the summer (or any mountains, really), Flathead lake for swimming, skiing/snowboarding on Big Mountain, the fair in August, live entertainment at several cafes year round, plenty of dance classes for all kinds, sporting events, lots of hills to sled on....So much to do, so much to see. So what's wrong with taking the backstreets? ;D

Hmm, that's all I can think of right now. Please, do reply if you have more questions! I'll be happy to answer them as well as I can! ..Oh! Before I forget, here are some importantish notes:

-The winters are either super mild or exceptionally extreme. This winter has been very, very mild. OF course, right as I type this it's snowing outside, but I digress. It was 55 degrees a week ago. That's insane.

-People are terrible drivers around here. Unfortunately, the son of a friend of my mom's was killed two days ago in a car wreck. Please drive carefully and stay alert of the morons who like to talk on their cell phone in one hand and drink beer in another.

-The animal shelter(s) are over capacity. Please please PLEASE adopt from there instead of somewhere else if you want a pet. It breaks my heart to see all the animals without loving homes. On that note, provide a loving home for an animal, or at least food for some strays if you can't afford to permanently keep cats or dogs.

-Don't feed the ducks bread. This is universal, not just here. I say this because there will be a time where you will see those noisy bastards outside on your lawn or in the park and have the idea of feeding them. It can and does kill them. Feed them seeds, cucumbers, rice, or barley instead.

-Hu Hot is the best place ever and nobody can tell me otherwise.