Lack of Salt Water in Montana's Northwest Corner
Posted by: Annie Britz, Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Company Agent, Kalispell Office
There is no salt water in Northwest Montana…..
There is no salt water in Northwest Montana…..
I start with that comment because it is easier and shorter to list what a person can’t do in Northwest Montana than what they can do in this little corner of paradise. Clearly as I read what has been written in this site, the recreational possibilities are almost endless.
Every day there is something that captures my attention as to the natural beauty of our area. Yesterday, while returning to my car after a great workout at an amazing health club facility owned by one of the area hospitals, I became distracted by the noise of some birds above me. When I looked up, I saw two bald eagles circling in a dance and chattering to each other.
Last night at dusk, I was looking out my living room window and saw three Whitetail deer running and playing in my field. Upon closer look, it was a 3- point buck trying to romance a couple of does. After all, it is their breeding season. Earlier this summer I was telling a friend of mine who lives in California that while I was outside looking at my mare and her new little foal who we named “Slick" three does came into their pasture and bedded down for an afternoon nap. She said to me “you tell me these things, but I can’t even imagine seeing something like that”. Personally, I can’t imagine not.
But, my major passions in Northwest Montana are the horses and team penning. We get to run around, working cattle on horseback in an awesome $12 million multi-use facility called Majestic Valley Aarena, smack in the center of our valley. After all, it is Montana and life is still western. When I’m not in the arena, I can be found reverting back to the mentality of a 10 year girl ripping through the woods horseback racing with a friend of mine. I still feel my legs from the last ride. It was neck and neck. I won’t say who won. The riding opportunities are wildly abundant. With Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness the centerpieces of several million acres of forested trail riding opportunities. A person could spend a lifetime riding all the trails and never do the same trail twice. This area is a horse lovers dream. And yes, we have people that ride English in Montana. Our valley is home to one of the top three Olympic qualifying Three Day Eventing facilities,at Rebecca Farms.
Montana is big; there’s room for the English and Western equine disciplines to live and ride together.
Feel free to contact me about the equine opportunities in our area.
nice work. Makes me want to live in your backyard
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As I often tell people, "if I didn't live here already, I would want to." Where is your backyard?
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I am a 40+ year resident of Western Colorado, and have considered Annie Britz a good friend for about half of those years. I take some responsibility for re-kindling her passion for horses during those early years, and I love to read of her success in blending that love of horses with her business.
During a recent visit we discussed the differences (and similarities) of real estate markets in Montana and Colorado.
While we recognized that there does seem to be a general slowing of the market, high end property is still moving and being built, which in a way, exacerbates the problems facing both states. Multi million dollar homes require a sizeable work force to create and sustain them, and we in Colorado are finding there is precious little available housing for that work force. Our median house price here is right at $400,000 and rental units start at $1,500 (mobile home!) per month. This is placing tremendous pressure on our county to try to answer the "affordable housing" question, as they fear for the stability of our work force.
I love Montana, I have owned property there, and have family there. I see symptoms of growing pains that Colorado experienced some years ago during its boom of mountain development, and hope that the State of Montana will take a lesson from my state. Beautiful land attracts people, so it rests on the shoulders of responsible leaders to require responsible development.
Good luck Montana, and I look forward to visiting your fine state for years to come and finding it as lovely as it is today, and see you next summer Annie!
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