Whitefish, Montana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Whitefish, Montana | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Flathead |
| Area | |
| - Total | 4.5 sq mi (11.5 km²) |
| - Land | 4.4 sq mi (11.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 3,028 ft (923 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 5,032 |
| - Density | 1,138.5/sq mi (439.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 59937 |
| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-79825 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0793219 |
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a ski resort called Whitefish Mountain Resort. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer hails from Whitefish.
The Great Northern Railway was built through what is now Whitefish in 1904, which sparked development of the town. Early employers were the railroad and nearby logging industries. By the late 1940s, with the successful construction of a ski resort (a collaboration between outside developers and local businessmen) the tourism sector was becoming increasingly important.
In 2006, over 68,000 passengers embarked and disembarked through the historic Whitefish Depot, a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder line,[1] with some percentage of those being headed to the ski resort.
Contents |
[edit] Attractions
- Whitefish Business Information (Whitefish Montana Business Information)
- Whitefish Visitor and Travel Information (Official Whitefish Travel Information)
- Big Mountain Official website (commercial portal)
- Stumptown Museum (historical information)
big mountain.
[edit] Geography
Whitefish is located at (48.411772, -114.339865)[2]. It is on the western side of the continental divide, near Glacier National Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.5 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.67%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 5,032 people, 2,229 households, and 1,203 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,138.5 people per square mile (439.6/km²). There were 2,652 housing units at an average density of 600.0/sq mi (231.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.97% White, 0.14% African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.93% of the population.
There were 2,229 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,038, and the median income for a family was $41,009. Males had a median income of $36,298 versus $19,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,098. About 13.8% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Controversy
Many long-time residents of the town have expressed dissatisfaction with the changing of the ski resort "Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort" to "Whitefish Mountain Resort" at the discretion of local real-estate mogul Bill Foley. Foley has began to buy up most commercial property in Whitefish including a majority of the town's most popular restaurants, the local airport, and the majority of shares for "Whitefish Mountain Resort". Since these purchases, Whitefish has been marketed as a paradise for multi-millionaires and many locals claim that the town's ski-bum attitude has been destroyed. Many people also feel that Whitefish is turning into a "Mini-Aspen" and that the town's true local spirit has been destroyed by the millionaires who live there a month or two out of the year.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Media
[edit] Notable residents
- Murray Craven, former NHL hockey player, runs the local arena and youth hockey association.
- Garry Tallent, bass guitar player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
- Christie L. Emerson, wildlife artist, was born here.
- Steve Howe, former MLB pitcher, coached his daughter's baseball team here.
- Dorothy M. Johnson, Western author, lived here.
- Ross M. Lence, political scientist and author, was born here.
- John Morrison, Montana State Auditor, grew up here.
- Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana.
- Constance Towers, singer and actress, was born here.
- Kyle Huff, perpetrator of the Capitol Hill massacre.
- Chris McCandless, Famous American wanderer wandered through here.
- Brett Allen, music producer, SnowGhost Music started here
- Bob Brown, Secretary of State of Montana.
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2006, State of Montana (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Whitefish, Montana is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Whitefish Chamber of Commerce
- info on Glacier National Park
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