This week we’re featuring the town of Columbia Falls, Montana (pop. 4,710) and sharing some of the stories of rural revival happening here! Today’s feature is from Alyson Dorr, who is also featured on this week’s podcast. Alyson lives on a small multi-generational family farm nestled in the beautiful mountains of the Flathead Valley. She finds joy in the simplicity and hard work of the farm and raising a her two daughters as farm kids. Guests who stay in her Red Barn vacation loft enjoy a taste of rural Montana life and epic mountain views. Scaling back from a career in education led her to open a home design and decor shop – Red Barn Designs – at Station 8 in Columbia Falls, where she loves to curate the farmhouse aesthetic. She also offers a variety of local farm products in the store including peppermint essential oil and raw honey. Visit her website www.montanaredbarn.com to follow her farm-life antics.

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Mountain magic and valley bliss, long summer days, and deep fluffy winter months make Columbia Falls, Montana an outdoor enthusiast’s haven. Situated at the edge of the wilderness, where the sparkling Flathead River flows from Bad Rock Canyon and meanders along the edge of the town, hometown hospitality and original small town flare are the norm in this quaint community.

Let us introduce you to Columbia Falls, Montana – a place rich in tradition and ingenuity. The people here are hardworking and passionate about their good fortune to call this home. Once a major manufacturing community, a new generation has seen a vision of the rebirth for downtown – after mills were shuttered for a decade – revitalizing the area in the last five years. Urban living has expanded as well as the birth of a community garden and a river-side park. Folks here spend their free time enjoying the great outdoors – with Glacier National Park just minutes away. Life here is adventurous and neighborly. The forests, fields, and fresh air offer endless recreation year round.

Although Columbia Falls is located at the edge of the wilderness, it is not without comforts and amenities of high class living. Locals enjoy a brewery and distillery, have a weekly summer open air community market, and see live music at indoor and outdoor venues. The growing array of restaurants offer incredible quality and delicious local fare, and a new anchor hotel National Park Lodge complements the array of cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals in the area. A gateway to Glacier National Park, Columbia Falls is just 15 minutes from the park's west entrance. This lively Montana town is home to many locally-owned shops, restaurants, boutiques, and a Golf Digest rated “must play” golf course. Columbia Falls is an ideal launching point for recreating in Glacier National Park, floating the Flathead River, playing on Flathead Lake and exploring two million acres in the Flathead National Forest.