Looking Back: Median house prices rise to $316,000 in 2016
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 13 hours, 57 minutes AGO
The well-shaded new home of Lake Mountain B.N. Federal Credit Union was beginning to take on its alpine shape o nthe corner of the old Depot Park on Central Avenue in Whitefish in 1976.
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
July 22, 1976
After months of negotiating, a contract was being finalized for consolidation of the Whitefish City Library with the County Library system, according to a report presented by Alderman Buster Schreiber at the City Council meeting. Although a verbal agreement has been reached, said Schreiber, the contract has not yet been officially signed. Once the agreement is official, the library will be closed for a few days for inventory. City Council chambers were literally overflowing with visitors as many people appeared to express an opinion on one of two hearings held at the meeting. The first regarded the proposed rezoning of property on the corner of Spokane Avenue and Sixth Street. The second hearing concerned the petition to annex to the city the Que Pasa restaurant on the corner of Reserve Road and North Wisconsin Avenue.
40 Years Ago
July 23, 1986
After two hours of public comment marked by entreaties from the mayor to stay on the subject and scattered applause from the audience, the City Council tabled a controversial proposal to change the zoning regulation. An ordinance had been drafted which would change the city's 35-foot building height limitation. It had the support of representatives of the owners of the former Viking Lodge on Whitefish Lake who were planning a convention center. It had been opposed by various factions worried about fire protection and changing the community's image for the worse. Enduring some criticism from the crowd, the Council opted for further research rather than make a decision. The meeting was conducted in the community room of the North Valley Hospital because a crowd was expected. About 40 attended the meeting. Most of the comments were directed against the proposal.
30 Years Ago
July 25, 1996
The City Council approved a contract for $95,000 worth of modifications to the city's ailing sewer system. The current system consisted of three pools connected by 10-inch pipe, according to Terry Richman, Morrison-Maierle engineer. The small pipes could not handle periods of peak flow. When the system was overloaded, the first pond would fill almost to the top because the water could not drain fast enough into the other two ponds. There was more coming in than going out, he said. To fix the problem, the size of the pipes would increase to 16 inches. The change should allow water to flow more efficiently within the facility.
20 Years Ago
July 20, 2006
With an area the size of Connecticut, ranging from Main Street and rapidly growing suburbs to commercial timberlands and roadless grizzly habitat, Flathead County poses an enormous task to planners working on a new growth policy, the 155-page draft growth policy document is the result of more than half a year of public meetings and work by planning staff, planning board members and professionals. The draft proposed 49 goals and more than 200 policies that address land use, housing, parks and recreation, water quality, transportation, the economy, natural resources, infrastructure, infrastructure, government services, neighborhood planning and implementation. Geography is not the only difficulty facing county planners — its population growth and the valley's diverse interests. A population boom since the 1970s really took off in recent years, with the county growing by 12% since 2000, to about 83,000 last year.
10 Years Ago
July 20, 2016
Home prices in Whitefish continued to rise in the first half of 2016, raising concerns of affordability in the future. According to a report from Kelley Appraisal of Kalispell, 133 homes in Whitefish sold so far this year, a 10.8% increase compared to the first half of 2015. However, the median price for Whitefish homes also rose from $312,500 last year to $316,361 in 2016, continuing a steady increase that began in 2013. These figures include 3.5 miles outside of the Whitefish city limits. The steady rise in home prices as a result of low interest rates, Jim Kelley, who compiled the resort, the report said, which is a cause for concern.