FLATHEAD COUNTY
County Offices
800 South Main Street
Kalispell 406-758-5540
https://flathead.mt.gov/
Chamber of Commerce
15 Depot Park
Kalispell 406-758-2800
https://kalispellchamber.com/
Located in Northwest Montana, Flathead County encompasses 3,262,720 acres or 5,098 square miles. Making it one of the largest counties in the state by area. More than 94% of the land mass is National or State Forest Land, Wilderness, Agricultural, and Corporate Timber Land. This means that only 6% of the land is developed. The county is home to just over one hundred thousand people.
Lifestyle
A short distance from all of the communities is Glacier National Park, its full of designated hiking areas, 2 ski resorts, 8 golf courses, Flathead Lake, and Hungry Horse Reservoir. This selection of recreational opportunities makes it easy to see why Flathead County is one of fastest growing areas in the state. There are three incorporated cities in the County. Kalispell, which is the largest, is also home to the most people with just over 20,000. Whitefish and Columbia Falls are also home to another 10,000 or so people. The remaining residents are spread throughout the massive county in small full service unincorporated communities. Local natural attractions and their expanded development have greatly increased the number of visitors to the county in recent years. Tourism based services, and moving the economic base towards Recreation and Tourism, and creating new jobs in the service industry. Flathead County’s population increases by 40%, during the months of June through August.
Services
The educational opportunities in area the offer quality educational experiences from pre-school all the way through college. The schools in the county are ranked among the top school districts in all of Montana. Students are expected to complete a rigorous academic program from kindergarten through grade 12. Major emphasis at the elementary level focuses on strong reading, language and math skills; the middle and high school programs add to that strong foundation a variety of fine arts programs, along with advanced placement classes in English, government, history, science, and mathematics.
Higher educational opportunities are readily available in the county, with multiple online options through various state universities. Locally, Flathead Valley Community College is Montana’s largest two-year public college. The main campus is in Kalispell. The college offers outstanding academic programs taught by faculty members who have studied, taught and conducted research around the globe. In-person, remote and online instruction is available.
Residents and visitors have access to top-quality healthcare through Logan Health, a leader in care for the state of Montana. Logan Health includes North Valley Hospital in Whitefish and Kalispell Regional Medical Center, in addition to Montana Children’s and clinics in Eureka, Polson, and Columbia Falls. North Valley Hospital is at the south end of Whitefish and features a 24/7 emergency department and seven board certified emergency medicine physicians. North Valley Hospital offers a wide range of hospital based in-patient and outpatient services including laboratory and imaging services, minimally invasive robotic and orthopedic surgery, infusion services, and a birth center.
Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC) has been a center of health care excellence in the Flathead Valley for more than 100 years. KRMC is both a community hospital and a regional referral center, offering some the area’s most advanced health services and medical technology.
COMMUNITIES
Kalispell
City Offices
406-758-7756
https://www.kalispell.com/
Chamber of Commerce
406-758-2800
https://kalispellchamber.com/
Kalispell is the largest city in the Flathead Valley. The Flathead Valley is an area of Montana created by the forces of glaciers during the last ice age. The Flathead Valley offers a lot of recreational activities including skiing, at the nearby Whitefish Mountain Resort, fishing in lakes and rivers, camping, water sports, climbing and more. The city of Kalispell is full of shopping and restaurants and is also just north of Flathead Lake, which is the USA’s largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. The city is one of the most scenic Montana. It is surrounded on by incredible views of Glacier National Park, the Whitefish, Swan, and Mission Mountain Ranges, and Flathead Lake. Residents enjoy a high quality of life with a lot of open space to enjoy. Kalispell is a active community and is the retail, professional, medical, and governmental center of the Flathead Valley. Residents have access to colorful boutiques and dining behind 100-year old storefronts in the historic downtown. There are boutiques and galleries selling locally produced products and unique gifts. Bars, brew pubs, restaurants and shops line the historic streets. The downtown serves as a hub of community activities as well. On the far end of town residents can also find shopping options that feature the standards in national retail chain stores for their more regular needs. Residents don’t have to go far to find anything that they need.
Outdoor recreation is key in this area and drive the economy as well as the lifestyle of the local residents. Whether its skiing in the mountains, or a tee time at one of the nine local golf courses. Forest and park land near the city total more than 2.3 million acres of federally protected public land, which is home to moose, elk, deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and other abundant wildlife. In addition, the city’s Parks & Recreation Department maintains 419 acres of parkland and natural open space including 28 city parks. They also offer a variety of recreation opportunities such as concerts, camps, afterschool activities, aquatics, sports, and other organized events. Kalispell is the historical hub of the valley offering residents and visitors a glimpse of the past with the Conrad Mansion and Central School Museum. Art lovers can visit the Hockaday Museum of Art or any of the many galleries located in downtown Kalispell. Concerts, art fairs, and festivals flourish in Downtown Kalispell. Newcomers can find a variety of housing choices in the region from the simple to the grand with plenty of options for every taste.
Whitefish
City Offices
406-863-2400
https://www.cityofwhitefish.org/
Chamber of Commerce
406-862-3501
https://www.whitefishchamber.org/
Nestled at the northernmost tip of the majestic Flathead Valley, Whitefish offers residents a quiet and active lifestyle. Whitefish is a family-oriented community and resort town and is home to more than 6,500 people. Historically Whitefish was primarily a railroad and logging town. The railroad continues to be a major part of the economy of the city, but logging has diminished. Tourism is now one of the largest economic drivers in the city. Whitefish is one of the major recreation centers of the region. The city is surrounded by the Whitefish Mountain Resort at Big Mountain, Glacier National Park, Whitefish Lake, and a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. The choices for outdoor adventure are endless and varied. For every season there is an activity to suit whatever residents may want to try – from skiing- to hiking-to-biking and fishing or hiking, there is a place to do it close to home. Whitefish is also host to many events during the summer and winter, highlighted by the Winter Carnival in February of each year. And several seasonal festivals and of course a massive 4th of July celebration.
For those looking for a more in-town type of adventure, Whitefish is home to both the Alpine Theatre Project and the Whitefish Theatre Company, a pair of arts organizations who host and produce a variety of offerings year-round on two downtown stages, The O’Shaughnessy Center, and the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.
The streets of downtown Whitefish are full of galleries, retail shops and exhibits of local art. Many of the restaurants feature exhibits by local artists as do the many galleries in town. Whitefish Gallery Nights takes place on the first Thursday of each month from May to October and are very popular with locals who come downtown to stroll the streets with their friends and families. Whitefish offers an enviable quality of life in a community that retains its historic charm while growing and expanding.
