The Whitefish railroad depot with mountains behind it

Whitefish, Montana

Lake, ski mountain and Amtrak depot in one small town.

Photo: Whitefish railroad depot: photo by Andy Merrill, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized. All photo credits.

Last updated: October 2026

Whitefish is a small resort town on the west side of the Continental Divide, near Glacier National Park (Wikipedia). In one town you get a lake, a ski mountain, a walkable downtown and a working train station. You also get one of the most expensive housing markets in Montana.

Quick facts

County	Flathead County
Population	9,358 (July 1, 2025 Census estimate); 7,751 at the 2020 Census
Elevation	About 3,040 feet
Nearest commercial airport	Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), about 10 miles straight-line
Distance to Kalispell	About 15 miles straight-line
Climate station	NOAA: Whitefish

Sources: county from USGS GNIS; population from Census QuickFacts; elevation from the USGS Elevation Point Query Service at the town’s GNIS map point. Straight-line distances are calculated from Census Gazetteer town coordinates and OurAirports airport coordinates. Driving distances are longer.

What it’s like to live here

The Census Bureau estimates 9,358 residents for July 2025, up from 7,751 at the 2020 Census (Census QuickFacts). Whitefish skews older than its neighbors: 23.4% of residents are 65 or older (QuickFacts).

The historic neighborhood called “The Avenues” sits next to downtown, and many of its houses are on the historic registry (Wikipedia). Whitefish is also known for protecting its trails and forests, partly to keep the town’s water clean (Wikipedia). The city collects a 3% resort tax on lodging, restaurants and prepared food, alcoholic beverages, ski resort goods and services, and defined luxury items (City of Whitefish). See Does Montana Have Sales Tax? for how that works.

Things to do and see

Whitefish Mountain Resort. It’s on Big Mountain, about 4 miles from town (Wikipedia).
Whitefish Lake. A natural lake 5.8 miles long and up to 233 feet deep, right at the edge of town (Wikipedia).
The Whitefish Trail. A public trail system that rings the town. It’s celebrated each October with the Whitefish Trail Legacy Run, which includes a 50K (Wikipedia).
Winter Carnival. An annual festival with a parade, snow sculptures and a “penguin plunge” into Whitefish Lake (Wikipedia).
Glacier National Park. Glacier is close by, and many Amtrak riders get off at Whitefish on their way to the park (Wikipedia).

Getting around and weather

The Whitefish depot is Amtrak’s busiest station in Montana. It’s a stop on the Empire Builder between Chicago and Portland or Seattle, and intercity buses run from there to Kalispell and Missoula (Wikipedia). U.S. 93 and Montana 40 pass through town, and Glacier Park International Airport handles commercial flights (Wikipedia).

Weather at a glance. These are NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the Whitefish station (monthly, annual):

January: average high 29°F, average low 16°F
July: average high 81°F, average low 50°F
Precipitation: 19.9 inches a year (rain plus melted snow)
Snowfall: 63 inches a year

Cost of living and housing

Whitefish housing costs are near the top in Montana. The ACS 2020–2024 median home value was $684,300, close to Bozeman’s. Median gross rent was $1,354 and median household income was $73,811 (QuickFacts).

Whitefish is part of the Flathead Valley, so most of our Flathead cost guide applies here, including resort taxes and electric rates: Cost of Living in Kalispell & the Flathead Valley.

ACS figures are 5-year averages (2020–2024) and lag the current market. This page is general information, not financial advice.

Nearby towns

Kalispell, about 15 miles straight-line. The Flathead Valley’s hub, 31 miles from Glacier National Park.
Polson, about 53 miles straight-line. Lakeside town at the south end of Flathead Lake.
Missoula, about 109 miles straight-line. Western Montana’s river city and home of the University of Montana.
Hamilton, about 151 miles straight-line. Bitterroot Valley county seat with the Daly Mansion and canyon trailheads.

See all Montana towns →

Sources

All sources accessed October 21, 2026. Wikipedia is used for general background, history and attractions. For numbers, we link the official data source wherever one exists.