Kalispell

History

The first European settler to explore the Flathead Valley was likely surveyor Peter Fidler of the Hudson's Bay Company in the 18th century. From 1870, permanent settlement and the introduction of livestock brought permanent changes, as did the near-eradication of local bison populations. In 1884, a short-lived town called Ashley was founded where Kalispell was later built. Three years later nearby Demersville was founded. Demersville quickly grew to be the largest town in the area, but when the Great Northern Railroad bypassed the town it was abandoned just as quickly, with people moving the short distance to the new town of Kalispell. As the Great Northern Railroad built its continent-spanning railroad line in the 19th century, a need for a Divisional point in the Flathead Valley was identified. Using his own capital, Charles Edward Conrad, a businessman and banker from Fort Benton, Montana, formed the Kalispell Townsite Company with three other men, all from Great Northern board of directors. The town took its name from the local native tribe, adding an extra "L" for good measure. "Kalispell" is a Salish word meaning "flat land above the lake". and Conrad built a large mansion there in 1895. Since then, the city has continued to grow, reaching 19,927 in 2010. This growth persisted despite the railroad being rerouted from its original route over Haskell Pass, via Kalispell and Marion, Montana, to a more circuitous but flatter route via Whitefish and Eureka already in 1904. As the largest city in northwest Montana, Kalispell serves as the county seat and commercial center of Flathead County. The city is considered a secondary trade center with a trade area of approximately 130,000. The city is home to Logan Health Medical Center, which has a 150-bed hospital…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Kalispell is north of Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the western U.S. by surface area. The city has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb), with long, cold, and moderately snowy winters, hot and dry summers, and short springs and autumns. Snow usually occurs from late October/early November to March.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,267
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,076
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,984
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,663
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  4,941
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,890
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  4,645
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,433

Largest nearby schools

• Flathead High School
  High · Kalispell · 1,626 students · 14:1 ratio
• Glacier High School
  High · Kalispell · 1,475 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Kalispell Middle School
  Middle · Kalispell · 1,045 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Edgerton School
  Elementary · Kalispell · 495 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Jeannette Rankin Elementary Sc
  Elementary · Kalispell · 435 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• West Valley School
  Elementary · Kalispell · 424 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• East Evergreen School
  Elementary · Kalispell · 360 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• West Valley Middle School
  Middle · Kalispell · 338 students · 15.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-01-19
  13 km ESE of Kicking Horse, Montana
• M 2.5 — 2024-06-23
  24 km E of Swan Lake, Montana
• M 3 — 2024-03-15
  17 km SSE of Swan Lake, Montana
• M 2.6 — 2023-09-17
  4 km NW of Happys Inn, Montana
• M 2.5 — 2023-03-09
  18 km WNW of Dixon, Montana
• M 2.9 — 2022-09-26
  4 km N of Elmo, Montana