One of America's coolest small towns

People who live here could give a pollster a hundred reasons why they like Whitefish. It could be the skiing, boating, hunting, fishing and hiking. It could be the people — their neighbors, the volunteers, the movers and shakers, or the outspoken characters. Or it could be just the laid-back, small-town atmosphere.

But every once in a while, a magazine with a national audience weighs in with its take on why Whitefish is a good place to live. This usually manifests itself in a list of towns and cities ranked by their schools, government, economy — or just simply the atmosphere.

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine presented a slight twist to this process by coming up with a list of America's top-10 "coolest small towns' in its October issue. And squeezing in at number 10 was Whitefish, Montana.

All 10 towns in the short list had less than 10,000 residents, ranging from Wallace, Idaho, population 1,000, to Breaux Bridge, La., population 8,200.

In a press release, Budget Travel senior editor Lauren Gould explained that "what makes a town 'cool' is not an exact science," but she provided "three markers for a small town":

- "You have to be able to get a good cup of coffee and excellent food."

- "When people leave for the big city, they realize they've made a mistake and come back home."

- "And lastly, you'll see more art galleries than country stores."

Budget Travel is published monthly and is billed as "the ultimate source for the world's savviest travelers." Its editors appear regularly on the Today Show, CNN, Fox News, CNBC and other television shows, and its Web site, launched in 2005, receives about 1.8 million page-views per month.

"This is a great audience for us, with 2.2 million readers who are looking for what we offer in their destination-travel planning," Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau director Jan Metzmaker said. "We target this type of editorial through our public-relations program with a focus on value, beauty, culture and sense of place. Our program brought one of the editors here for a press trip several years ago, and since then we have been included in several articles. It's nice to see our efforts are paying off again."

The magazine says that "in a country where bigger is usually considered better," its list of "coolest small towns' will help its readers discover up-and-coming, affordable travel destinations nationwide.

Locals who've made the trip to Spokane, Wash., over the past few decades are probably familiar with Wallace, Idaho, the former silver-mining town that ranked five on Budget Travel's list.

The Oasis Bordello Museum is mentioned, along with a cafe, an inn and a micro-brewery, but not the fact that Wallace's downtown's claim to fame was the last traffic light on Interstate 90 between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, at least until the highway was lifted up and over the historic town.

As for Whitefish, where 'ski bums and urban refugees congregate," Budget Travel notes that Broadway actor Luke Walrath "was ready for a quieter pace," so he and his "actress wife" — locals know her as Betsi Morrison — teamed up to found the Alpine Theatre Project.

Budget Travel also points out that, being "at the foot of the Rockies, Whitefish has long drawn adventure seekers."

They suggest the bums and refugees drink beer at the Great Northern Brewing Company and "live out a rustic Montana fantasy" at the Good Medicine Lodge, "which feels like a set from 'Legends Of The Fall,'" the 1994 Rocky Front movie that starred Brad Pitt (he also starred in "A River Runs Through It," coincidentally the borrowed name of Whitefish's developing round-the-lake recreation trail).

Locals could quickly come up with a list of missing favorites from Budget Travel's short description of Whitefish — proximity to Glacier National Park, Whitefish Lake's pristine water quality, Big Mountain's acres and acres of affordable ski terrain, enough restaurants to dine out in a different one each night in a month, and a popular 36-hole golf course all come to mind — but with a whole nation to cover, the editors had to be brief.

For more information, visit online at www.budgettravel.com.