MISSOULA COUNTY
County Offices
200 West Broadway
Missoula 406-721-5700
https://www.missoulacounty.us/
Chamber of Commerce
825 East Front Street
Missoula 406-543-6623
http://www.missoulachamber.com/
Missoula is a vibrant community with deep character, rich history, and diverse terrain. The city provides many opportunities for new businesses, families, and individuals seeking and incredible quality of life. Located in Western Montana, “The Garden City” is known for its friendly atmosphere and beautiful scenery. Missoula County is home to over 100,000 residents.
Lifestyle
Missoula offers numerous cultural, educational, medical, and recreational amenities to both residents and visitors. In 1805, Meriwether Lewis first visited the “hub of five great valleys” – Flathead to the north, Frenchtown to the west, Bitterroot to the south, Blackfoot to the northeast, and Hellgate to the east. In 1833 the Northern Pacific Railroad helped to make Missoula a logging and marketing center. Then, in 1893, the University of Montana was founded, now it is home to more than 14,000 students. Missoula County is a thriving area with growing cities, quaint small towns, outdoor recreation, and a lifestyle that is the envy of many. Professional and financial services, retail trade, health care and other professions have supplemented the older resource-based economy. Missoula County offers residents unmatched scenic beauty and surroundings. Residents have opportunities to ski, fish, golf, hike or simply enjoy the outdoors. Sporting events, concerts, museums, and fine restaurants are all found throughout the small towns and communities that make up the county.
Services
Missoula County is home to 18 school districts (13 Elementary, 2 Secondary, and 3 Unified). Missoula County Public Schools supports its students through the Achievement for All Plan, a program designed to ensure every student achieves their full potential. The districts lead the state in programs like the AP Capstone Diploma, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program K-12, a Dual Language Immersion Pathway K-8, Career Academies and national recognition for its arts program. Missoula County is home to the University of Montana and the University of Montana College of Technology. Roughly 13,000 students attend UM and Missoula College, where they receive a world class education in a broad range of degrees that include the liberal arts, sciences, graduate and postdoctoral study and professional education. Missoula College is a leader in higher education and workforce development. The college offers rigorous educational programs in 35 different areas. Centrally located in Missoula, Walla Walla University’s Missoula MSW site is dedicated to providing an outstanding clinical educational experience for Master-Level social work students.
As the major medical hub between Minneapolis and Seattle, Missoula has many health care options including traditional and alternative medical services. Providence St. Patrick Hospital is a not-for-profit medical center founded in 1873 in Missoula by the Sisters of Providence. The 253-bed hospital offers a nationally acclaimed heart program, a full list of woman’s and children’s services, neurology and neurosurgical services, cancer services, neurobehavioral services and inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, among others. The hospital operates the only Level II Trauma Center in Western Montana. Community Medical Center is located on a 45-acre campus in Missoula. Community Medical Center is licensed for 151 acute-care beds, which includes: Medical/Surgical, Pediatric, Obstetrics, Ortho, ICU, ICU – Pediatric, Neonatal ICU and Rehabilitation. Community Medical Center provides its services to everyone in the county.
Communities
Missoula
City Offices
435 Ryman St.
Missoula 406-552-6000
http://ci.missoula.mt.us/
Chamber of Commerce
825 East Front Street
Missoula 406-543-6623
http://www.missoulachamber.com/
Nestled in the Northern Rockies of Montana, surrounded by seven wilderness areas and at the confluence of three rivers, Missoula is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. You can kayak, raft or tube through the downtown area or take a hike in more than 60,000 acres of wilderness minutes from town. Missoula is known for its trout fishing and spectacular natural beauty. The outdoor recreational opportunities are unlimited and play a big part in the culture of the city. With a river literally running through the downtown, it’s not unusual for residents to go paddle boarding or kayaking in the middle of the day. The city is home to several parks including First Interstate Place and Bank Street Park, Missoula Art Park, Brennan’s Wave, and Ron’s River Trail. Residents can start almost any adventure right from downtown.
Missoula is also a regional destination for shopping and dining, featuring four distinct shopping districts and an abundance of restaurants, cafes, coffee houses and breweries focusing on mostly local fare. Downtown Missoula shopping is comprised of mostly locally-owned, small businesses, featuring local and regional goods and handcrafts. Additional shopping includes everything from big box stores to the Southgate Mall with its national chain retailers.
Besides great shopping and outdoor recreation that’s unrivaled anywhere, Missoula if also home to the arts. The Missoula Community Theatre, Missoula Children’s Theatre and the Montana Repertory Theatre offer performances of every type throughout the year. Residents can choose from concerts, plays and dance that bring in great performers and companies from around the country. And the arts are well represented with both the Missoula Art Museum and the Dana Gallery offering an amazing array of art covering contemporary through Native American art in a wide range of mediums. The city also offers a thriving civic art program with unique art pieces throughout the community – whether a painted electrical box or a free standing sculpture.
The city of Missoula is made up of several distinct neighborhoods. Each of the neighborhoods has its own unique style and character, with everything from the homes to the restaurants reflecting those differences. Residents enjoy a strong loyalty to their neighborhoods, and this leads to the feeling of community that is so prevalent in the city. There are several small towns that surround the city. Many of those that live in these small towns commute to Missoula for work, since it is truly the heart of the county. But this doesn’t lead to big city traffic jams, it just means that the city has an energy that is part of its fabric. Missoula is truly a place that offers its residents everything that they need and so much more. Quality of life is a big part of living in the city.
