10 Fast, Fun, Facts about the Flathead (the Valley, the Lake, the River and the County)

Here are some fun, fast facts about the Flathead Valley.  For clarification, when people say “the Flathead” they could mean one of several things: the Flathead Valley, the Flathead River (or one of its 3 forks), The Flathead Lake or Flathead County.  Flathead County encompasses most of the Flathead Valley and some of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the East but does not include the land bordering the lower half of Flathead Lake.

The Flathead Valley from Lone Pine State Park

1.  Flathead Lake, to the South of Kalispell is the largest freshwater lake West of the Mississippi (in the continental US).
2. Flathead County has an estimated population of 94,900.  3^rd most populated county in Montana.
3. Only about 30,000 residents live in the incorporated towns of Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.  The rest live in the country and in smaller communities.
4. 94% of the 5,000 + square miles of land in Flathead County is National Forest, State Forest, Corporate Timber, Wilderness or Agricultural.  Only 6% is developed.
5.  The total population of the Flathead increases by 40% from June through August.
6.  Dorothy M. Johnson, a Western Novelist, who had 3 of her books made into movies was a long-time Flathead Valley resident.
7.  The town of Kalispell (the largest town in the valley) was incorporated when the Great Northern Railway was built through the valley in 1891.  Prior to 1884 there wasn’t even a post office in the Flathead Valley.
8. The Flathead River and its 3 forks (North Fork, South Fork and Middle Fork) have 219 miles of designated scenic river.
9. Between 3 and 5 million pounds of cherries are harvested in the Flathead Valley every year.
10.  The Flathead Valley is named after the Native American tribe known by that name that now resides on a reservation bordering the south end of Flathead Lake.

Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out Kalispell's best hotel!