Missoula, Montana viewed from the top of Mount Sentinel in 1999.

Missoula is a city located in Missoula County, Montana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 57,053, making it the second-largest city in Montana. It is the birthplace of Jeannette Rankin (1880 - 1973). The state flower of Montana, the bitterroot, grows only near Missoula. It is the county seat of Missoula County⁶.

Other Points & Pieces of Interest

• Local ski areas: Montana Snowbowl & Marshall Ski Area
• Higher Education: Home of the University of Montana and the Grizzlies
• Other Famous People: Mike and Maureen Mansfield, former US Senator and US Ambassador to Japan and his wife called Missoula home for many years and the University of Montana's Maureen and Mike Mansfield Memorial Library is named after them.
• Underground rock legend Steve Albini is from Missoula, as is movie director David Lynch, comedian Dana Carvey and Pearl Jam bass guitarist Jeff Ament.

Geography

Missoula is located at 46°51'45" North, 114°0'42" West (46.862633, -114.011593)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 61.9 km² (23.9 mi²). 61.6 km² (23.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.46% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 57,053 people, 24,141 households, and 12,336 families residing in the city. The population density is 925.6/km² (2,397.1/mi²). There are 25,225 housing units at an average density of 409.2/km² (1,059.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.57% White, 0.36% African American, 2.35% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 24,141 households out of which 24.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% are married couples living together, 10.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% are non-families. 33.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.88.

In the city the population is spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 20.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,366, and the median income for a family is $42,103. Males have a median income of $30,686 versus $21,559 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,166. 19.7% of the population and 11.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Politics

Missoula has a reputation in Montana as a liberal college town and in fact holds the highest Democratic voting district in the state and was one of the counties with the highest percentages of votes for left-wing candidate Ralph Nader in the country in the 2000 election. In addition to the yearly Hemp Festival, NORML's state office is in Missoula ([1] (http://www.montananorml.org/)). The Garden City is also home to quite a few community gardens run by Garden City Harvest ([2] (http://www.gardencityharvest.org/)) and one by MUD (Missoula Urban Demonstration Project, [3] (http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/database/813.html)), which seek to improve both urban environments and agricultural practices. Missoula is also home to the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center (http://www.jrpc.org/), a WEEL office (a low-income and welfare advocacy group, Working for Equality and Economic Liberation, [4] (http://www.weelempowers.org/)).

Notable eateries

• Tipu's Tiger, Buddhist founded vegetarian Indian restaurant. The founders were with the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order and modeled the business on Right Livelihood Businesses. From the opening of a second location in 1999 until the closing of the first location in 2002 the staff was gender segregated between the two locations: Tipu's, and Tipu's Tiger.

External links

• Missoula City official website (http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/)
• The University of Montana (http://www.umt.edu/)
• Missoulian Newspaper (http://www.missoulian.com/)
  • Missoula's Own Community Website (http://www.missoula.com/) a service of the Missoulian
• Missoula Independent Weekly Newspaper (http://www.missoulanews.com/)
• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=46.862633&longitude=-114.011593&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=46.862633&lon=-114.011593&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-114.011593&lat=46.862633&w=750&h=500)