Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana | |
|---|---|
Downtown Missoula | |
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| Nickname(s): Zootown, The Garden City, and the Zoo | |
| Motto: Missoula We Like It Here | |
Location of Missoula, Montana | |
| Coordinates: 46°52′28″N 114°01′34″W / 46.874359°N 114.026136°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Missoula |
| Founded | 1860 |
| Incorporated (town) | March 8, 1883 |
| Incorporated (city) | March 12, 1885 |
| Founded by | Christopher P. Higgins Francis Lyman Worden |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Andrea Davis (D) |
| • City manager | Dale Bickell |
| • Councilmembers | Ward 1: Eric Melson & Jennifer Savage Ward 2: Mirtha Becerra & Sierra Farmer Ward 3: Gwen Jones & Daniel Carlino Ward 4: Amber Sherrill & Mike Nugent Ward 5: Stacie M. Anderson & Bob Campbell Ward 6: Sandra Vasecka & Kristen Jordan |
| Area | |
| 35.217 sq mi (91.212 km2) | |
| • Land | 35.027 sq mi (90.721 km2) |
| • Water | 0.190 sq mi (0.491 km2) 0.54% |
| • Urban | 44.286 sq mi (114.701 km2) |
| • Metro | 3,812.759 sq mi (9,875.001 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,169 ft (966 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 73,489 | |
• Estimate (2024) | 78,204 |
| • Rank | US: 483rd MT: 2nd |
| • Density | 2,232.57/sq mi (862.00/km2) |
| • Urban | 88,109 (US: 335th) |
| • Urban density | 1,989.30/sq mi (768.10/km2) |
| • Metro | 127,741 (US: 320th) |
| • Metro density | 33.514/sq mi (12.939/km2) |
| Demonym | Missoulian |
| Time zone | UTC–7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 59801–59804, 59806–59808 |
| University of Montana ZIP Code | 59812 |
| Area code | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-50200 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411124 |
| Website | ci.missoula.mt.us |
Missoula (/mɪˈzuːlə/ ⓘ mih-ZOO-lə) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five mountain ranges, and thus it is often described as the "hub of five valleys". The population was 73,489 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 78,204 in 2024.
Missoula and Mineral Counties are included in the Missoula metropolitan area at 127,741 in 2024. Missoula is the second-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area in Montana. Missoula is home to the University of Montana, a public research university.
The Missoula area was settled by people of European descent from 1858, including William T. Hamilton, who set up a trading post along the Rattlesnake Creek; Captain Richard Grant, who settled near Grant Creek; and David Pattee, who settled near Pattee Canyon. Missoula was founded in 1860 as Hellgate Trading Post while still part of Washington Territory. By 1866, the settlement had moved east, 5 miles (8 km) upstream, and had been renamed "Missoula Mills", later shortened to Missoula. The mills provided supplies to western settlers traveling along the Mullan Road. The establishment of Fort Missoula in 1877 to protect settlers further stabilized the economy. The arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883 brought rapid growth and the maturation of the local lumber industry. In 1893, the Montana Legislature chose Missoula as the site for the state's first university. Along with the U.S. Forest Service headquarters founded in 1908, lumber and the university remained the basis of the local economy for the next 100 years.
By the 1990s, Missoula's lumber industry had gradually disappeared, and as of 2009, the city's largest employers were the University of Montana, Missoula County Public Schools, and Missoula's two hospitals. The city is governed by a mayor–council government with 12 city council members, two from each of the six wards. In and around Missoula are 400 acres (160 ha) of parkland, 22 miles (35 km) of trails, and nearly 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of open-space conservation land, with adjacent Mount Jumbo being home to grazing elk and mule deer during the winter. The city is also home to both of Montana's largest and its oldest active breweries, as well as the Montana Grizzlies.