Whitefish
Flathead Valley (Whitefish + Kalispell + Columbia Falls + West Glacier)
Four-jurisdiction Glacier+ski market. Whitefish city strict (5 zones only, $400/yr permit, fire inspection, 3% resort tax, dedicated enforcer). Columbia Falls permissive (CB by-right). Flathead County unincorporated permissive in RR/B-2/B-4/BM/BR/CVR/SC/NF. Real arbitrage: Big Mountain ski condos + Columbia Falls Glacier-gateway SFH + unincorporated cabins.
Whitefish city is borderline-RED (zoning lockout, dedicated STR enforcer chasing ~500 illegal units). But metro is YELLOW because Columbia Falls, unincorporated Flathead, and West Glacier corridor remain workable. No MT preemption protecting STR; HOA covenants now court-enforceable post-Brandt (2025).
Whitefish deep-dive: full report ships with your first pack.
Permitted zones, banned zones, HOA-permissive buildings, friendly PMs, ADR/LTR benchmarks, seasonality, and red flags — all delivered alongside your 50 ranked leads.