Whitefish, Montana

History

The Great Northern Railway was built through what is now Whitefish in 1904, which sparked development of the town. The area was originally known as Stumptown due to the abundant amount of timber that had to be cleared to build the town and railroad. Early residents of the town worked for the railroad and nearby logging industries. By the late 1940s, with the successful construction of a ski resort on Big Mountain (a collaboration between outside developers and local businessmen) the tourism sector was becoming increasingly important. The community was named for its location near Whitefish Lake.

In 2006, over 68,000 passengers embarked and disembarked through the historic Whitefish Depot, a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder line, with some percentage of those being headed to the ski resort on Big Mountain.

In December 2016, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist website The Daily Stormer published a list of six local Jews in the city along with their personal information, claiming that they were harming the business of Richard Spencer's mother and asking readers to "take action" against them. Whitefish police increased local patrols, and monitored Internet activity; Montana politicians and community groups responded with various efforts to focus attention on the question of antisemitism. On Dec. 28, 2016, Spencer indicated that he did not want to bring ongoing national attention to Whitefish with his political views, and an offer was made to call off a proposed anti-Jewish armed march in the town. The march was postponed because the proper permitting materials were not submitted and the required fee was not paid.

Geography

Whitefish is located at 48°14′42″N 114°20′24″W (48.411772, -114.339865), at an altitude of 3,028 feet (923 m). The town is located 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 11.80 square miles (30.56 km²), of which, 6.43 square miles (16.65 km²) is land and 5.37 square miles (13.91 km²) is water.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Whitefish has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

2000 census

As of the census 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 per square mile (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.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,357 people, 2,982 households, and 1,562 families residing in the city. The population density was 988.6 inhabitants per square mile (381.7/km²). There were 4,086 housing units at an average density of 635.5 per square mile (245.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.8% White, 0.5% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.

There were 2,982 households of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.6% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the city was 40.1 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

Annual cultural events

Huckleberry Days Arts Festival is an annual arts festival featuring 100 artists and food vendors. The event includes a huckleberry dessert bake-off contest.

The Taste of Whitefish is an annual event that has been held for more than twenty-five years. The event features over twenty-five restaurants, caterers and beverage companies offering samples of their specialties.

The World Indoor Golf Championship has been held in Whitefish for over sixteen years and is a 9-hole "miniature golf" tournament in downtown Whitefish.

Museums and other points of interest

Recreation

In 2018 Whitefish will host the annual convention of the National Speleological Society.

Education

Whitefish is served by the Whitefish School District. Schools in the district include Muldown Elementary School, Whitefish Middle School. Whitefish High School and Whitefish Independent High School. Whitefish High School is home to numerous state championship teams; the most recent is the girls' cross country team. They have won four consecutive titles.

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AM radio

FM radio

Television

Transportation

U.S. Route 93 and MT 40 travel through Whitefish. Whitefish has an Amtrak station stop for their Empire Builder (Chicago-Portland & Seattle) train. Airplane travel is available at Glacier Park International Airport along U.S. Route 2.

Notable people