Kalispell, MT Reviews

Unaffordable, overcrowded, and losing its charm - 1/17/2022
My 2022 updated review, only touching on the recent changes.

Kalispell is no longer affordable for most middle class people. The world discovered us during COVID and thousands of people moved here in 2020, and probably more in 2021. In an area this size, that is a MASSIVE flood of people. Add that to our seasonal tourism and you get a mess.

Housing prices rose 21% in 2021. My 3BR house I bought for $300k in 2017 is now estimated to be worth $580k. Rentals are absurdly difficult to find and overpriced. I have seen larger houses here renting for more than they would in California. So many people bought properties to become Airbnb or just summer places that only rent a few months in winter. If you have a pet it's almost impossible to rent.

It now consistently takes 4+ hours to get your car registered at the court house. Five years ago the wait was maybe 20 minutes.

The $16/hr job market is hot but employees are burned out everywhere. I Read More

An Honest Review - 9/21/2021
Against my better judgement I will write a completely honest review from a hird generation resident.. Kalispell is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see, this is undeniable.. That being said it is like any place with its good and bad. I say this because people tend to come here expecting Utopia and being baffled when they see someone who is homeless or somebody who has a drug problem. People are human here. That being said, we still have one of the lowest crime rates.
Downfalls- the housing and overall cost of living. Yeah it's through the roof and unrealistic. This is a problem thats developed over the past decade created by so many people moving in and trying to buy up all the property. THAT's why locals aren't always welcoming of people moving in. People here are super loyal and friendly however people are fed up with losing their ability to pay their rent/mortgage..
Yes despite having low crime, we do have some crime like anywhere else. That being Read More

Don't bother..... - 8/19/2021
I've lived here for a long time. Lots of folks have moved here and driven the price of everything through the roof. Getting ready to leave. Price of housing, both buying and renting, has doubled in just the last 10 years. Lots of west coasters moving here to escape the crap they were living in only to try and make this place just like the crap they left. Cost of living is unbearable. Summers are riddled with smoke filled skies for weeks on end. It's depressing, like living in England or Seattle. All the while the DNRC is closing up the lands around us that we can't hunt and fish anymore. It's sad. I hear South Dakota is looking nice though. Read More

Jess be Honest - 7/5/2021
Jess be honest!
Here’s the REALITY of living in Kalispell. We lived in Kalispell from 2016-2021. We exited due to 9 months of steel gray skies. Kalispell airport ... tourist tourist tourist, all at the locals expense. For groceries we shopped at Super1 in Columbia Falls, until meth head drives car in and around store. Have you ever shopped in Evergreen, carry your gun. Didn’t shop in Whitefish due to extra tax charge. Be careful where you eat ... who owns the place, maybe you don’t want to know. HOA of Glacier Ranch subdivision made us take down our standard Trump flag due to advertising. You and your kids will eat, shop and interact with meth heads, they are all around and living in the areas you called out. Granted the areas you mentioned are beautiful but look beyond the pines.
Kalispell Regional now Logan ... changing the name will not correct the ineptitude. Majority of health clinics are tied to the hospital so the Dr’s tow the line for the hospital.Read More

Jess be Honest! - 7/4/2021
Jess be honest! Here’s the REALITY of living in Kalispell. We lived in Kalispell from 2016-2021. We exited due to 9 months of steel gray skies, (talk about the walking dead). Kalispell airport ... tourist tourist tourist, all at the locals expense. For groceries we shopped at Super1 in Columbia Falls, until meth head drives car in and around store. Have you ever shopped in Evergreen, carry your gun. Didn’t shop in Whitefish due to extra tax charges. Be careful where you eat ... who owns the place, maybe you don’t want to know. HOA of Glacier Ranch subdivision made us take down our standard Trump flag due to advertising. You and your kids will eat, shop and interact with meth heads, they are all around and living in the areas you called out. Granted the areas you mentioned are beautiful but look beyond the pines.Kalispell Regional now Logan ... changing the name will not correct the ineptitude. Majority of health clinics are tied to the hospital so the Dr’s tow the line Read More

Lovely valley - 6/8/2021
I live in Kalispell and it's a wonderful place to call home. I have lived in Bozeman MT as well. Lots of revival is happening here and the climate is a bit milder than Bozeman which is nice. So many lakes, recreation, and scenery abound and are gorgeous. Blacktail ski mountain and Whitefish ski mountain are short drives away. Glacier National Park is right around the corner. I love that there are so many smaller communities around us, it feels less congested and more places to visit and things to do with our kids. Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Bigfork, Lakeside are all 15-30 min from eachother and they are all wonderful places to visit. Amazing coffee shops/drive-throughs here. Also, we have the only Chick fil a in the state Read More

Vacation, sure. Living here? No. - 9/11/2020
Lived here for a couple years now... If you aren't religious or believe in equal rights, I would look elsewhere. Education lacks here and it shows within the general population. Housing prices are just as crazy as the people and the area is being rapidly developed with no respect being shown to those who live Read More

Very nice, housing is a big issue - 3/17/2020
Retired & moved to Kalispell 3 years ago, just before housing prices really took off.
The issue is inventory - a lot of people are moving here and the builders can’t keep up with demand because a lot of skilled tradesmen moved away during the Great Recession and didn’t come back.

Buying, even renting an apartment is tight - anything under $300K sells in 1-2 days, prices are out of whack with wages for most people.

Folks (like me) moving here from cities have a lot more money than locals so there is constant upward pressure on prices.

Excellent hospital & medical professionals.

It is true the long-time locals are getting unhappy, so would I under these same circumstances.

Coming from 36 years in Seattle, the darkish winters don’t bother me; the snow is FUN and they handle the snow removal really well.

A lovely place whose charm is being a bit overrun by retirees looking for Mayberry, but still a very Read More

Jason’s review is dead accurate, 20 yr resident. - 4/28/2019
Kalispell resident of 20 years with small children. We are finally getting the eff out of dodge aka Kalispell. RUN away, far far away and don’t look back! DO NOT bring your children to this frozen hell hole! LOOK at the statistics; meth, suicide, abuse, sex offenders at every corner, no jobs, no rentals. We are a couple days away from May and it SNOWED! It’s freezing and there’s no sun. Most residents here suffer from depression in the dark winters sunrise at 9am susnset at 5pm and you have to take vitamin D supplements even through the summer months....Yes, it’s beautiful, yes it’s free and wild. It’s a wonderful place to visit but I will never come back. If you watch the movie “the Grey” with Liam Neesen than you will get a good “comparison” of MT, it’s people, it’s unforgiving climate and the cloud of depression that hovers above. This is a small town and everyone knows everybody’s business therefore be forewarned, people you don’t know will claim to know you better than you know Read More

Growing mountain town with great people! - 1/29/2019
A great place investing in downtown, surrounded by the most scenic and vast wilderness imaginable. As a young progressive family, we find the community to be like minded, and excited about a lot of positive growth.
The ground floor is taking off, get on board now.
Mountain biking, trails, climbing, rivers, lakes, and awesome people! What more could you ask Read More