Missoula - Missoula, USA
Click to check upcoming Events 2024-2025 at Missoula - Missoula, USA
Missoula, Montana - Wikipedia
Flora and fauna[edit]. Parks and recreation[edit]. Government and politics[edit]. Print and online[edit]. Infrastructure[edit]. City layout and development[edit]. Transportation[edit]. Notable people[edit]. Sister cities[edit]. Portrayal in media[edit]. External links[edit].
Missoula (/mɪˈzuːlə/ (listen) miz-OO-lə; Séliš: Nłʔay, lit. 'Place of the Small Bull Trout';[5] Kutenai: Tuhuⱡnana) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. 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, thus it is often described as the "hub of five valleys".[6] The 2020 United States Census shows the city's population at 73,489[7] and the population of the Missoula Metropolitan Area at 117,922.[3] After Billings, Missoula is the second-largest city and metropolitan area in Montana.[8] Missoula is home to the University of Montana, a public research university.
In 1858, the Missoula region saw European-American settlers. These included William T. Hamilton who established a trading post on the Rattlesnake Creek; Captain Richard Grant who settled near Grant Creek; and David Pattee who settled near Pattee Canyon. [9] Missoula, Washington Territory's first capital, was established in 1860 as Hellgate Trading Post. The settlement had moved 5 miles (8km) east by 1866 and was renamed Missoula Mills. Later, Missoula was shortened to Missoula. [10] These mills supplied supplies for western settlers who traveled along the Mullan Road. Fort Missoula was built in 1877 as a protection for settlers to stabilize the economy. The Northern Pacific Railway's arrival in 1883 saw rapid growth and maturation of the local lumber sector. The Montana Legislature selected Missoula in 1893 to be the first state university. The university and lumber remained the foundation of the local economy for 100 years, along with the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in 1908. [11]