Missoula, Montana

Situated at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountain range in western Montana’s Rocky Mountains, Missoula was once called the “Paris of the ’90s” by writer John Updike and today is known as Garden City. It started out as the Hellgate Trading Post in the mid-1800s and later became a mill town and an army fort.

These days it is the site of the University of Montana (9,000 students) and is in a state primarily populated with working ranches and small, rural communities. Missoula residents enjoy a lively cultural ambiance, good medical facilities, some jaw dropping mountain scenery, four seasons and nearly unlimited outdoor recreation.

Missoula straddles the clean Clark Fork River and sits in a high altitude valley that was once a glacier lake. National forests and wilderness areas abound, and elk herds graze just outside of town. Locals and tourists alike engage in camping, hiking, cross country skiing, river rafting, kayaking and golfing (seven courses).

Fly fishing is particularly popular in these parts, and two nearby sparkling rivers (as well as a sparkling Brad Pitt) were featured in the 1992 movie A River Runs Through It. Ample opportunities exist for photographing nature’s bounty or just enjoying some solitude.

The trendy downtown has restaurants, pubs, shops, coffee houses, bookstores and galleries.  The farmers’ market, held every summer Saturday and Tuesday, is here, too, and it features fresh produce, baked goods and live music.

The Missoula Symphony Orchestra is very active, as is the city’s alternative music scene. The Missoula Cultural Council supports a wide range of cultural events and groups, including the Downtown Dance Collective and the First Friday Gallery Night. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre and the Montana Repertory Theatre give residents even more venues for enjoying the arts. There are also plenty of festivals and fairs, from the Garden City Brew Fest to the Montana Festival of the Book.

UM Grizzlie football, basketball, soccer and cross country athletic activities ensure that there is always a game to attend. The University’s
College of Visual and Performing Arts has an extensive calendar, with 20 to 30 different performances each month (jazz festivals, guest artist recitals, dance presentations, etc.).

For the most part, neighborhoods are nicely kept and laid out in orderly grids. A few areas close to downtown, including the Lewis and Clark neighborhood, are very walkable. Expensive homes with acreage dot the outskirts of town. Missoula also has a healthy number of rentals, from apartments to
private homes, but many are leased by students.