A Postcard from Flathead Lake, Montana
We just bought our second home right on the water at Flathead Lake.  Each day has been a memorable experience filled with fishing, camping, and exploring.  This area has so much to offer and we have lots of time to try new things.

  

About Flathead Lake
Flathead is located in Northwest Montana and is an area of nationally protected recreational treasures, including Flathead Lake.  Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States.  Found in the Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana, the lake is more then 300 feet deep and extends north and south some 28 miles and is seven to 15 miles wide.  Flathead lies in the heart of the Rocky Mountains wild lands between the Salish Mountains to the west, and the Whitefish, Swan and Mission Ranges, rising to the continental divide, to the east. These are no mild inclines, but abrupt towering slopes that offer a very distinct sense of place for the townships below.  Flathead Valley is the western gateway to Glacier National Park, one of the jewels in the crown of the national park system. The valley also lies adjacent to more than 1.7 million acres of federal wilderness in the form of the Great Bear - Bob Marshall Wilderness complex.  Other nature highlights include the National Bison Range and the Jewel Basin Hiking Area.  Surroundings these National Parks are many acres of land with properties ranging from small cottages to large estates.

With wonderful natural recreation resources in great quantity, Flathead provides many things to do and places to live. A great way to get a good view of the area is to take the gondola to the top of the mountain at Big Mountain Ski Resort. The Valley boasts eight championship golf courses offering a season from April though October. Publicly owned courses feature impressive log cabin clubhouses, built 50 years ago by Depression-era loggers under the direction of the federal Works Project Administration. Book tee times in advance through the Flathead Valley Golf Association. Within the Valley area you will also find 200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, world-class hunting, indoor and outdoor tennis, swimming and health facilities.

The Valley is watered generously by the immense Flathead Lake and moisture falling west of the continental divide.  With the lake to the south, and mountain ranges protecting the other three sides, Flathead's climate is surprisingly mild for an area so far north.  In its nurturing microclimates the Valley grows a variety of crops that distinguish it from the grain and stock mainstays of central and eastern Montana. Take a trip through some of the many country streets to find peppermint, Christmas trees, cherries, barley, wheat, oats and potatoes. Flathead National Forest and the Flathead Indian Reservation surround this mix natural agriculture.

An Average Lifestyle in the Flathead Valley
Flathead is home to many different types of individuals, from sports enthusiasts, to artists, to quiet retires, Flathead holds something for everybody. Flathead has more than its share of creative types who have found in the Valley an environment and community encouraging to creating works of art. Their work can be seen in studios, galleries and other outlets throughout the Valley, particularly in Bigfork and Kalispell. Other cultural highlights include Conrad Mansion, St Ignatius Mission and the Museum of the Plains Indians.

Housing
Flathead features homes with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and four lakes, Glacier National Park and Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort.  Golf Digest declared the Flathead Valley one of the 50 greatest golf destinations in the world. There are ten courses within an hour's drive of Whitefish, including a new Tom Fazio course. In a recent issue ranking of the top 36 golf retirement counties in the U.S., Golf Digest also selected Flathead County as the #1 Four-Season County with Great Golf.

Things to Do
Golf, llama rides, trail rides, wagon trains, bicycling, hiking, backpacking, trout fishing, big game hunting, whitewater rafting, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing.

Location to Other Cities
Nearest city with pop. 50,000+: Great Falls, MT (127.3 miles)

Cultural Highlights
Conrad Mansion, St Ignatius Mission and the Museum of the Plains Indians.

Weather
The climate is relatively mild year-round. Surrounded and protected by three mountain ranges, The Swan Range on the east, the Whitefish Range on the north, and the Salish Mountains on the west, and by Flathead Lake on the south, the average temperature during the coldest month of the year is in the 20's.  In the summer, 85 degrees is considered a hot day.

Getting To Flathead
Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), Montana's fastest growing airport.

Population
Population (2004) 79,485
Median Age: 39

Economics
Median income for a family is $40,702

Higher Education
Flathead Valley Community College
University of Montana