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Best Retirement Towns: on Flathead Lake
September 23, 2010
Having spent the last 30 years in Washington state, the Aasheims finally got a chance to move back to their beloved Montana when they retired. They landed in Lakeside, a quaint, bayside community about 12 miles south of Kalispell on the west shore of Flathead Lake. In the last 10 years, Lakeside has grown considerably with retirees, seeking refuge on the peaceful shores of Flathead Lake, and access to abundant cultural and recreation amenities locally and in nearby Kalispell, Whitefish and Bigfork.
Blacktail Mountain ski area opened eight years ago, providing local residents with a family-friendly ski resort just a 20-minute drive from Lakeside.
After moving to Lakeside, the Aasheims quickly became involved in community life and social activities. “I think we felt isolated for, say, five minutes,” Glen Aasheim, a retired phsycian, said. “It was very easy to get acquainted with the community. We love it here. The people are are nicer than I could have imagined.”
With residences scattered mostly along the west shore of Flathead Lake, Lakeside is the community center for many local residents. It’s here, in this small town, that the Aasheim family and other like-minded retirees gather; they contribute to the local community by supporting local charities and schools.
“It’s incredible to see how generous people are,” Aasheim said. “Everyone tries to make the community better.”
On the opposite shore of Flathead Lake, just out front of his house in Woods Bay, Ed Hopkins bobbed in the cool evening water of Flathead Lake.
He tucked his narrow wooden paddle under his arm and extended it like a long wing. He adjusted his nose plugs and flipped over in his kayak.
Only the bottom of his boat was visible atop the water; then with a swoosh, his upper body emerged and he was quickly upright.
“That was better,” he said, re-adjusting himself in his kayak seat.
Now retired, Hopkins, 65, enjoys the recreation amenities of having Flathead Lake out his front door.
In the summer, Woods Bay bustles with motor boats, kayaks, sailboats and myriad watercraft. In the winter, the lake settles into a dreamy lull where the year-round residents truly get to enjoy life on the lake.
In the summer, though, Bigfork is a thriving hub of cultural activity and outdoor pursuit on the north shore of Flathead Lake.
When it comes to cultural amenities, Bigfork tops most any small town in Montana; the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts is home to the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, Montana’s longest-running summer theater. Art galleries line Electric Avenue, separated only by fine restaurants. Eagle Bend Golf Course is one of Montana’s top golf courses, with 27 holes of challenge, nine of which were designed by Jack Nicklaus Jr. Just 45 minutes to the west is Blacktail Mountain ski area, and to the north a little farther is Big Mountain ski and summer resort.
With all of these amenities, it’s no surprise that in the last 20 years Bigfork has become a prime spot to retire.
The Flathead Paddlers club holds skills session weekly and its members enjoy camping trips each year. Last year the club took a trip to the Broken group of islands in British Columbia.
Although he is a relative newcomer to kayaking, Aasheim found the paddling club a good way to learn kayaking techniques and meet new people.
“This group is really active and congenial,” he said while enjoying hotdogs and some of his home brew after a session. A roaring campfire crackled nearby as the sun set over the western horizon of Flathead Lake.
For this group of kayakers and retirees, Flathead Lake is home.
On the Web: www.bigfork.org; www.lakesidesomers.org/
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