Kalispell, MT Reviews

Updated Kalispell review and response to Sora - 9/13/2017
Sora has responded to my frank review of Kalispell from 6/2016 with all the denial and hyperbole of someone who sounds more like a local realtor than a new resident. If she isn't a realtor, then she must be buried in her honeymoon phase somewhere in a nice planned neighborhood.

While my views of Kalispell residents have softened, I stand 100% behind my claim that Kalispell is not Mayberry and that there are many better small towns to raise a family especially if you are used to middle-class suburbia and seek a more positive and energetic social environment.

Many of Sora's claims are absurd, such as Kalispell having cheap housing and good paying jobs. Check the Flathead County school website and see that a local elementary school prestigious office administrator job pays ~$13/hr with insurance costs starting at $300 per month. Surprisingly, you can also earn ~$13/hr cooking at Panda Express. Now take that wage and try to find a 3BR rental in Kalispell. Right Read More

Why Jason is Wrong - 4/8/2017
As someone who recently moved to Kalispell six months ago specifically to raise my family here, I feel compelled to breakdown Jason's review and explain why he's just plain wrong. I don't want people looking to move here to be deterred by his skewed upper-middle-class view of this wonderful gem of a town. His worldview is clearly very small, narrow, and filled with ignorance.

>Kalispell is an unhappy town... Its residents tend to behave like the deer: you see them everywhere, but they are skittish. You constantly ask yourself how people can be so unhappy...I moved here with my family 1+ year ago and only just met my neighbor...

Kalispell is one of the happiest towns I've ever been in, so I believe that people are simply mirroring and matching Jason's sour attitude. I've had multiple people come up to me to say hello, and ask me how I'm doing just while I'm out and about running errands. Everyone is always smiling and waving at each other. I'm an artist, and Read More

Kalispell USE TO be one of the best places to live - 9/29/2016
Kalispell has been a great place to grow up, however with the advancement of the city and everyone moving here that has changed. The crime is starting to get out of control. The jail is at full capacity 95% of the time. The amount of drugs that have been confiscated has doubled since last year alone. The price of housing is becoming outrageous because the growth that is happening cannot keep up with the amount of undesirable people moving here. Unfortunately the people who decide not work and would rather collect welfare seem to enjoy moving here because it is easy to collect benefits. The locals here are nice, however tired of the government leaches and crime happening here! Employers of restaurants cannot find enough help to stay open their normal hours. People receiving welfare should be required to help out the community or work part Read More

Good for single rugged individualists, but not fam - 6/6/2016
Kalispell is an unhappy town in a beautiful setting. Its residents tend to behave like the deer: you see them everywhere, but they are skittish. You constantly ask yourself how people can be so unhappy in such a beautiful, wide-open place far from the maddening crowd? I moved here with my family 1+ year ago and only just met my neighbor because he lost something on my property.

We learned in the past year are that Kalispell has major social issues from multi-generational poverty and substance abuse. There are a lot of drug addicts and alcoholics and children of them. You get the feeling, from meeting the older natives, that it was a much nicer town a few decades ago but even they will admit that people here do keep to themselves.

Kalispell is small enough that your children will be exposed to the sort of poverty and social issues that in bigger cities you might have been economically segregated from. While this may be more "real" it can be extremely Read More

Advice? - 1/31/2016
My wife and I are actually looking to move to Montana and Kalispell looks absolutely incredible. I am a law student at Liberty University (which is very conservative) and comments like this have placed Kalispell on our radar. My wife and I come from a small town in East Tennessee called Knoxville and quite frankly Kalispell sounds a lot like home with more room to breath.

All this being said, it is a tough legal market and I am not sure if the market is already flooded there. If you could give me some insight that would be Read More

Kalispell Weather - 4/12/2015
I have lived here about 15 years I am single and moved here due to love of the outdoors. I live on the outskirts near Kila and am 40 miles from Glacier Park. Spend all summer RV'ing in the park and over the border in Canada and around Flathead Lake. I lived in Alaska 18 years and other places in the West and must say that the Kalispell area in NW Montana is one of the most beautiful of all places. The Flathead Lake is awesome being so clear and blue. If you ski, you have Whitefish resort only 15 miles N or Kalispell. The summer begins about end of May and goes through mid or late September. Fall is Sept of Oct through November. Winter months are usually Nov through February. Winters are not as harsh as some of our NE states. Windstorms and thunderstorms are infrequent here due to being protected by the mountains on all sides. Kalispell sits in the Upper Flathead Valley which is about 3000 ft elevation. There can be a few significant snowfalls each winter though. You would Read More

Unibomber NOT a Montanan - 2/16/2014
Actually politically correct individuals would be happier elsewhere. And the "Unibomber" was from Illinois and was only hiding out in Montana. He reflects nothing from Montana culture. Those politically correct individuals are not well equipped for the rugged mountain lifestyle of Kalispell.

Kalispell is an incredible place to enjoy natural majesty of the outdoors. Schools are very good and housing is affordable. The difficult part of living there is the local economy. Most people living there are local low paying wage earners. If you have a decent job making good money, it can be the best possible place to raise a family. If not, it can be quite an economical Read More

Unibomber NOT from Montana - 2/16/2014
Actually politically correct individuals would be happier elsewhere. And the "Unibomber" was from Illinois and was only hiding out in Montana. He reflects nothing from Montana culture. Those politically correct individuals are not well equipped for the rugged mountain lifestyle of Kalispell.

Kalispell is an incredible place to enjoy natural majesty of the outdoors. Schools are very good and housing is affordable. The difficult part of living there is the local economy. Most people living there are local low paying wage earners. If you have a decent job making good money, it can be the best possible place to raise a family. If not, it can be quite an economical challenge.

Those looking to move here with entitlement mentality will not likely thrive socially or economically. Those like-minded self reliant individuals will find an amazing Read More

Abhd's hate speech rant - 5/18/2013
This is basically a very good example of hate speech. Montana is still America and we are all still Americans no matter where we are from. I have friends and family in both Helena and Bigfork and they certainly do not share this idiots views.We have the Constitutional right to travel any where we care to, without papers like in other commie countries do and we should not have to worry about some backwoods crazy person like this fool telling us to stay away. I am also a conservative politically but I do not tolerate others talking down, even threatening my other fellow Americans by warning them to stay away from ANY part of this beautiful land we call America. I have lived in the Grand Island Nebraska for 30 years and have NEVER seen or heard anyone ever tell other American people to stay away. This is all of our country and we have the DUTY to share it with each other openly and peacefully. If we cannot get along with each other than how are we supposed to protect our country from an Read More

To funny - 4/27/2011
Your right, we dont like clubs, this is our state where we like things just the way they are. If you want diversity and that huggy happy crap keep your butt in LA. It makes me laugh when somebody complains about it being cold. Take a look around, you moved to the mountains for christ sakes. we do like our guns if that bothers you move to California or New York.

PS take your electric car with Read More