Whitefish, Montana

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View from top of Big Mountain, near Whitefish, in winter

Looking north in Downtown Whitefish.

Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a number of ski resorts, including Big Mountain Ski Area. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and political scientist Ross M. Lence hail from Whitefish.

The Great Northern Railway was built through what is now Whitefish in 1904, which sparked development of the town, which was initially called Stumptown, reflecting the large clearing of forest to create room. Early employers were the railroad and nearby logging industries. By the 1980s, the tourism sector was becoming increasingly important.

1 Attractions
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Attractions

Whitefish Tourism (Whitefish Travel Information)
Great Northern Brewing Company
Big Mountain Official website (commercial portal)

[edit] Geography

Whitefish is located at 48°24′42″N, 114°20′24″W (48.411772, -114.339865)^GR1. 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 11.5 km² (4.4 mi²). 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.67%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,032 people, 2,229 households, and 1,203 families residing in the city. The population density was 439.6/km² (1,138.5/mi²). There were 2,652 housing units at an average density of 231.7/km² (600.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.97% European American, 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.

	State of Montana

Regions	Eastern Montana - Western Montana - Inland Empire - Glacier National Park - Southwestern Montana - Bighorn Country
Largest cities	Anaconda - Belgrade - Billings - Bozeman - Butte - Evergreen - Glendive - Great Falls - Havre - Helena - Kalispell - Laurel - Lewistown - Livingston - Miles City - Missoula - Sidney - Whitefish
Counties	Beaverhead - Big Horn - Blaine - Broadwater - Carbon - Carter - Cascade - Chouteau - Custer - Daniels - Dawson - Deer Lodge - Fallon - Fergus - Flathead - Gallatin - Garfield - Glacier - Golden Valley - Granite - Hill - Jefferson - Judith Basin - Lake - Lewis and Clark - Liberty - Lincoln - Madison - McCone - Meagher - Mineral - Missoula - Musselshell - Park - Petroleum - Phillips - Pondera - Powder River - Powell - Prairie - Ravalli - Richland - Roosevelt - Rosebud - Sanders - Sheridan - Silver Bow - Stillwater - Sweet Grass - Teton - Toole - Treasure - Valley - Wheatland - Wibaux - Yellowstone