The population of Whitefish grew by 60% from the 2000 Census to the summer of 2007. But it is still only the 11th largest city in Montana. Billings remains the largest, with an estimated population of nearly 102,000. It grew by 13.4% over that time frame.

The other fastest growing places by percentage: Kalispell, Belgrade, Columbia Falls and Bozeman. The data is put together by the U.S. Census bureau. It estimates Montana's population at 957,861 in 2007, up 6.2% from the 2000 Census. It estimates Montana's population will surpass 1 million between 2015 and 2020.