This post is an entry into the February 2023 Challenge: "What's Love Got to Do With it?" The challenge is being sponsored by Brian England and Debe Maxwell, CRS , and their instructions are to write 500 words about what makes your city/town/area so special.
500 Words? How in the world could I possible summarize the best parts of Kalispell Montana in such a short blog... Well, here I go, attempting to provide as much information as possible in just a few words.
Kalispell Montana is beautiful.
It's so difficult to describe, but Kalispell Montana is surrounded by miles and miles of multiple mountain ranges. On a clear day, you could stand in one spot, and slowly swivel approximately 200º and still have mountains in front of you. But in addition to the mountain ranges, we've got the gorgeous Flathead Lake, which is the largest natural freshwater lake by surface area in the western US (not counting Alaska). And not only that, we have 269 lakes in our county and countless streams, rivers, and creeks. Our summers are replete with all that blue, plus gorgeous green grass, multi-colored wildflowers and trees of all kinds. And our winters stay green with the pine and fir trees. The area is simply lovely.
Kalispell Montana is an outdoor lovers dream.
I just indicated Kalispell is beautiful. To take it a step further, that beauty provides a nearly unending opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
If you love to hike, swim, canoe, downhill ski, cross country ski, snowboard, skijorn, bicycle, picnic, camp, tube, lake fish, fly fish, snowmobile, sail, motorboat, waterski, hunt, or enjoy any other possible outdoor activity, Kalispell Montana has it.
We even have events such as the Cabin Fever days when people can ride a bar stool down a hill without falling off. If it can be done outside, it's here!
Kalispell Montana is a wildlife lovers dream.
A walk on any nature trail (and while it's not IN Kalispell, Glacier National Park is only a 45 minute drive from the center of town) can often result in some sort of wildlife sighting. So what kind of animals might you see?
Black bears, Grizzly bears, deer, elk, moose, turkeys, grouse, eagles, hawks, rabbits, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, ermine, fox, coyotes, wolves, peahens and more. There are also animals that are around but you probably won't ever get to see them - that would be the mountain lions and lynx.
Oh and of course, don't forget all the pets!
Kalispell Montana is welcoming.
I've shared this before, but the people of Kalispell are amazing. When one of our sons came here for his first visit, he came back from a trip to the store and said, "Hey, mom, you know what I just found out?" and I said, "No, what did you just find out?" and he said "People here TALK TO YOU!" Apparently he was in a store, asking a guy how he was doing, and the guy told him...
While I found that quite amusing, it is also so true. I have conversations in the store with people I don't yet know about all sorts of things. And if you want a recommendation, you're going to get the entire story! I started a cooking club here and we all just love each other's company. I work with wonderful people at Habitat for Humanity and Flathead Valley Exchange Club and my husband works with wonderful people at Flathead County Search & Rescue. And with a population of only 26K in Kalispell, it's totally possible to become a part of the community in a really short time frame. The people here make the area just so much more enjoyable!
Summary
So there you have it, just 700 words (sorry couldn't do 500) of a few of the reasons Kalispell Montana is such a wonderful place to live. Oh, and it's also got the northwestern history thing going on. If you want to know more about what Kalispell used to be like, check out my new series about Kalispell ordinances, starting in the 1905. Or read this big long overview of the area. Or give me a call on 406-270-3667!
And thank you to Brian and Debe for another fun challenge! I can't wait to read yours!
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