I'm going to Kalispell this autumn, primarily to check the area out because I'd like to possibly live there. I'm going to be there for three days (2 1/2 really).

I want to make it up to Glacier National Park. What else do you all recommend doing or seeing while I'm there?

Glacier NP most years closes earlier than Yellowstone NP. If you are going in September, it should be fine. October is a crapshoot and November is a definate no way. Going to the Sun road is undergoing major rehab work presently so I haven't been able to find a closure date but assume sometime in September. I recommend going to the area around Hungry Horse dam and also Swan Lake which is the next valley over from Flathead. Rafting won't be the best but you might be able to find a couple of weekend trips still running in September. Fishing access is very good on most rivers but make sure you have a license as the game wardens can fine you for just having a fishing rod in your hand without one.

Note on Kalispell, unless you make BIG $$$$$, you won't be able to afford it. Kalispell land/home prices are in the California range and prices in this area are some of the highest in the state. The road to Kalispell from Missoula is the 2nd "highway of death" in the state, 1st being Billings to Red Lodge in the eastern part of the state. I grew up in Billings so Kalispell isn't an area I would want to live but I can understand why others would.

How bad are home/land prices in some of the surrounding areas? I went to Great Falls this month and really fell in love with the state, but thats all I've seen so far (and Helena). I like what I've seen of Kalispell on websites, but I want to see it in person. I'm a cold weather kind of guy.

Very little around Kalispell/Missoula/Hamilton is affordable right now. Hamilton is home of a CDC center that is undergoing a huge expansion right now so there is a considerable amount of growth in Ravali county. Missoula is a university town that has a number of developers ignoring state EPA regulations and building housing out of code (Erosion the big problem). If the right governor comes in, some of these developments will be condemned and cleared and drive up housing even more. Kalispell is home to a lot of rich out of staters. You missed all the cheap land by about 7 to 10 years. If you are looking for affordable mountain areas, try around Helena and Great Falls. Bozeman is just as expensive as Kalispell with none of the economy so I can't recommend anything in Gallatin county. Gallatin is going to have a very high % of foreclosures in the next year so it will pay to wait. If you are the type of person who has to have Starbucks every morning, Great Falls, Butte/Anaconda, Helena or Billings are your best shots at affordable housing in that order.

There are a lot of small towns about 30 to 40 miles away that are really affordable but if your shopping needs are something more than a grocery store, you have to drive 30 or 40 miles to get it. Also remember that Montana is 50th in the nation in average income so I recommend finding a job that pays well before moving there or you might start a business. BIL has the most flight service by flights and by passengers followed by BZN, MIS, HEL, GTF in passenger numbers. I don't know where FCA falls but just looking at Orbitz it should be between MIS and HEL. Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the great info. I've got five more years to go before I can retire from the Army, and then I'd like to move out to where the weather does not stay obscenely hot year round. One thing I really liked about Great Falls was that even though it hit 95 degrees during the day (July 1-4), it cooled down to the 50s at night. And no humidity during the day.

I would not mind living 20-30 miles outside of a big town (maybe like Ulm or Craig). Those two places would fit the bill because they are close to Great Falls, but far enough away. I'd also look at some of the other towns in NW Montana, like Eureka or Polson. Or...gasp...Canada. Employment is going to be an issue, but with an Army pension helping out, hopefully I'll be able to get something nice. Nice for me includes land (I'd like over an acre, but a small house (1000 sf) is fine for me.

Ulm is nice but I don't remember traveling through Craig at all. Eureka is, obviously, closer to Canada than anything else so check the road to BC as you will be headed that way most of the time. Snow makes that area near impossible to move around in winter as the county, Lincoln I think, has a lack of funds now that the Libby asbestos mine is closed and everyone is dying of related diseases and/or moving away. This is also where a lot of people move if they are interested in being as far away from the US government as possible. State government would be more welcome here than US. I believe that the superfund cleanup in Libby is in final phases or has been completed so prices in this area should be affordable although the town is literally dying.

Polson is too close to the lake to be affordable but you might find some affible sellers if you use Army vet connections. If you are Native American, you might be able to get land on the reservation but I have no idea how. This area is very pretty and the reservation has managed to keep out large developers.

Native Montanan's aren't friendly to outsiders sometimes due to a plethera of bad experiences with West Coast/Northeast Coast types but are very supportive of veterans. Definately talk to some veteran groups or the Army Reservists for local sales and climate. Canada has a better land situation as the West Coast/Northeast Coast can't get to the BC side of Banff/Jasper NP easily. You've definatly picked a great place to retire but I hope that you can afford it. Thanks for serving your country.

What is your definition of affordable? Compared to NorCal prices for example it is still dirt cheap. In any of the 3 towns for $300K you can buy a decent home, $500K a very nice home. That same $300K-500K in the Bay Area will get you a closet (maybe).

One thing to keep in mind with MT is the insanely high state income tax. Sure there is no sales tax, but if you make any kind of serious income, you'll get hit pretty hard.

My definition is one of a native Montanan. I was born and raised there for 27 years. My definition of affordable is between 100k to 150k for a 1500 sf house with a yard. I realize that California and a bunch of other markets have gone completely drunk with OPM. Think about it, with the average family making 40k a year, can they afford the average home? Not in California and not in many "hot" market areas. The prices in Kalispell are unreasonable when the average family income is 28k in Montana. Kalispell does have a few industries that pay well (Semitool and a few brokerages), not as many as Billings (3 refineries, brokerages, medical, oil & gas exploration) so there is a job base supporting higher prices but on average, this area is full of part-time residents. 300k is a completely unreasonable price for an average home in Kalispell but people get it every day. I'd like to see it happen when interest rates hit 8%.

Craig is on I-15, about roughly midway between GF and Helena, on the banks of the Missouri. I forgot to mention Cascade, which looked like another nice little town, but I was driving by it at 75 mph.

I did really like Helena, in fact I like the layout of the towns in Montana much better than I do in my current hell..er home, North Carolina. It seemed like most of the homes in downtown GF were all within walking distance of pretty much whatever you need. The streets were pretty, quiet, and the homes very neat looking. Helena, from what I saw, looked similar. For me 100-150k should be reasonable, maybe stretching to around 175-200 for a place with a little more land.

I am tossing the idea around in my head of buying now at a reasonable rate, and then moving out when I can, or maybe holding off and seeing if the housing bubble bursts and home prices get reasonable again. I do agree with the CA house prices being ridiculous, though. My sister bought a house in San Jose several years ago, 700 sf, and over 400k.

1. The average family income in Montana is not $28K. I have no idea where you got that number (well I do but I will be polite). See www.census.gov/hhes/income/4person.html for real data. It is in fact $49,000. Do some quick math and you'll see Montana's number is 73% of California. Yet real estate prices are less than 1/2 of California, making real estate, relatively speaking a great bargain in Kalispell or anywhere else in the state.

2. It is a ridiculous statement to say that 300K is completely unreasonable. It is obviously reasonable to people who pay 300K. Is it ridiculous to pay $1500 for a suit? $50,000 for a car? $10,000 for a flat screen TV? Not to anyone who pays it.

3. My wife is from Hamilton. He parents bought their house - a 3 bedroom/2bathroom house with a yard for $140K......in 1997. Your $100K to $150K for a home in that area hasn't existed for 10 years.

So to the OP...go to Kalispell, look around. It is a beautiful part of the country and IS affordable.