Missoula. The Garden City. Zootown. God’s Country.
No matter what you call it, Missoula, Montana is a rare combination of urban and outdoor, cultured and down-home, cowboy and hippie. Make it Missoula is the stage upon which all these diverse personalities and lifestyles dance, and make Missoula the interesting and lively place we love. Learn more about Missoula, MT.
Missoula Community Theatre AUDITION: The Bridges of Madison County
The Missoula Community Theatre audition for The Bridges of Madison County is Sunday, January 15th, 2023, from Noon to 4PM at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts.... more
Rohrbach Named FCS Punter of the Year
Montana freshman punter Patrick Rohrbach earned the Football Championship Subdivision's highest special teams honor Wednesday, being named FCS Punter of the Year.... more
Dahlberg Arena Floor to be Named Robin Selvig Court
The banner went up not long after Robin Selvig retired, recognition for 865 wins while coaching the Montana women’s basketball program from 1978-79 to 2015-16. It fa... more
How To Cook the Perfect Roast Beef + Leftover Recipes
Cooking the perfect roast beef can be tricky, so we've put together this guide to help you get your roast beef recipe just right.... more
Missoula Restaurants
Missoula has many kinds of options for dining out. Learn More.... more
The Pulse {News & Opinion} Posts
6 Things You Should Know About the Missoula Chick-fil-A
Here’s a quick overview of the main points of interest relating to th... more
Missoula Community Theatre AUDITION: The Bridges of Madison County
The Missoula Community Theatre audition for The Bridges of Madison Coun... more
Dahlberg Arena Floor to be Named Robin Selvig Court
The banner went up not long after Robin Selvig retired, recognition for... more
Off the Couch {Sports & Recreation} Posts
How to Survive in the Wilderness – 2023
Every person who got lost in the woods had no plans of doing so. In th... more
Rohrbach Named FCS Punter of the Year
Montana freshman punter Patrick Rohrbach earned the Football Champion... more
Montana to Host SEMO Under the Lights in First Round Playoff Game
Montana will extend its FCS record playoff appearances to 26 this Satur... more
Live It Up {Lifestyles & Entertainment} Posts
Understanding the Importance of Relaxation for Physical and Mental Health
This blog post explores ways that relaxation can benefit your physical ... more
Roundup Cancer Lawsuit: What You Need to Be a Part of It
Learn how you can join this lawsuit and the costs involved with joining... more
Making Space for Design: Exploring Creative Options with Restaurant Booths
From custom shapes to intelligent storage solutions, there are many way... more
Eat, Drink & Be Merry {Food & Drink} Posts
How To Cook the Perfect Roast Beef + Leftover Recipes
Cooking the perfect roast beef can be tricky, so we've put together thi... more
Restaurant design – everything you need to know
If you're opening your own restaurant or are simply curious about resta... more
How Does Dehydration Affect Women?
Did you know that dehydration can cause an odor? Here are some other ti... more
About Missoula, MT
Missoula, Montana is located along the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers. Located in Western Montana at the convergence of five mountain ranges, Missoula is sometimes referred to as the “Hub of Five Valleys."

Photo by Mark Mesenko, mesenko.com.
The city now named Missoula was founded in 1860. At the time the area was officially part of the Washington Territory and called Hellgate Trading Post. Because the area was originally home to several mills that provided supplies to western settlers traveling along Mullan Road the name was changed to Missoula Mills, then shortened again to its present day name of Missoula.
By the 1880s, the Northern Pacific Railway came through the area and Missoula matured to support a thriving lumber industry. As the city experienced rapid growth, Missoula was chosen by the Montana Legislature as the site for the new state’s first university. Along with the U.S. Forest Service headquarters which was founded in 1908, the city’s lumber industry and the university would serve as forerunners of the local economy for the next hundred years. However, by the late 1990s, Missoula’s lumber industry had all but disappeared. Today the city’s largest employers are the University of Montana and Missoula’s two hospitals.

Photo by Paul Queneau, PQPHOTO.NET.
The University of Montana ranks 17th in the nation and fifth among public universities in producing Rhodes Scholars, with a total of 28 such scholars. The University of Montana has 11 Truman Scholars, 14 Goldwater Scholars and 31 Udall Scholars to its name. UM’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library houses the earliest authorized edition of the Lewis and Clark journals.
The city is governed by a mayor-council government with twelve city council members, two from each of the six wards. In and around Missoula are 400 acres of parkland, 22 miles of trails, and nearly 5,000 acres of open-space conservation land.
Missoula, MT has been home to a number of notable individuals in a wide variety of fields. In politics, Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to congress, was born and raised in Missoula. Senator Mike Mansfield, the U.S.'s longest serving Senate Majority Leader began his political career while living in Missoula. Max Baucus, Montana's longest serving U.S. Senator and currently U.S. Ambassador to China, also established his political career while residing in Missoula.
Other notable Missoula citizens included athletes, Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback John Elway, and former Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Krystowiak. Actor Dana Carvey and filmmaker David Lynch were both born in Missoula while Carroll O'Connor and J.K. Simmons both attended UM. Also notable is author Norman Maclean, whose book, A River Runs Through It, later became an acclaimed movie, and chronicles Maclean’s life in early-20th century Missoula, Mt.