Missoula, Montana
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|---|---|
 | |
 Seal | |
| Nicknames: The Garden City, River City, Zootown (informal)[1] | |
| Motto: "The Discovery Continues"[1] | |
 Location within Missoula County and the state of Montana | |
  Missoula  Missoula | |
| Coordinates: 46°51′45″N 114°0′42″W / 46.86250°N 114.01167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Missoula |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Incorporated (town) | March 8, 1883 |
| Incorporated (city) | March 12, 1885 |
| Founded by | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Body | Missoula City Council |
| • Mayor | Andrea Davis (D) |
| Area | |
| • City | 35.00 sq mi (90.6 km2) |
| • Land | 34.81 sq mi (90.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| • Urban | 45.43 sq mi (117.7 km2) |
| • Metro | 2,618 sq mi (6,780 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,209 ft (978 m) |
| Population | |
| • City | 73,489 |
| • Estimate (2023)[4] | 77,757 |
| • Rank | US: 475th (2020) |
| • Density | 2,233.50/sq mi (862.36/km2) |
| • Metro | 117,922 (US: 319th) |
| Demonym | Missoulian |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (Mountain) |
| ZIP Codes | 59801–59804, 59806–59808[6] |
| University of Montana ZIP Code | 59812[6] |
| Area code | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-50200 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0787504 |
| Website | ci |
Missoula (/mɪˈzuːlʌ/ mih-ZOO-lə; Séliš: Nłʔay, lit. 'Place of the Small Bull Trout';[7] Kutenai: Tuhuⱡnana) 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".[8] The 2020 United States census recorded the city's population at 73,489[3] and the population of the Missoula Metropolitan Area at 117,922.[5] As of 2023, the estimated city population was 77,757.[4] Missoula is the second largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Montana.[3] Missoula is home to the University of Montana, a public research university.
The Missoula area began seeing settlement by people of European descent in 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]
By the 1990s, Missoula's lumber industry had gradually disappeared, and as of 2009[update], the city's largest employers were the University of Montana, Missoula County Public Schools, and Missoula's two hospitals.[12] 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.[13] The city is also home to both of Montana's largest and its oldest active breweries, as well as the Montana Grizzlies. Notable residents include the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, Jeannette Rankin.[14]
- ^ a b "About Missoula". Destination Missoula. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Montana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c "P1. Race – Missoula city, Montana: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 24, 2024. Cite error: The named reference "Census 2020" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Montana: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "P1. Race – Missoula, MT Metro Area: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Look Up a ZIP Code". USPS. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015.
- ^ "Nɫʔay" (PDF). Plateau Portal. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Gilder, Don. "Three, Five or Eight: Judge Woody Would Hold His Nose". Old Missoula. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ Allan James Mathews (2002). A Guide to Historic Missoula. Montana Historical Society. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-917298-89-9. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
historicmissoula.orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Arrival of the Railroad (1883–1893)". Historic Missoula. Missoula's Office of Planning and Grants. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
employers 2009was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Missoula Official Website: Parks & Recreation". City of Missoula. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- ^ "Cool Montana Stories: Jeannette Rankin". Travel Montana. 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.