Missoula: A Perfect Mix of Town and Country

Author Rick Bass trades wilderness for city life, Montana style

  • By Rick Bass
  • Photographs by Jessica Lowry
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Missoula Montana
Many of the West's outdoor towns lie farther south, and closer to larger population centers. Missoula, Montana still has space around it. (Chuck Haney)

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Many towns in the West consider themselves “outdoor” towns—suggesting a citizenry eager to bike, run, ski, paddle, hunt, fish, hike, backpack, float and camp. Missoula, Montana, is one of these towns, but it possesses some indefinable spirit that keeps it from being confused with any other. Many of the West’s outdoor towns lie farther south, and closer to larger population centers. Missoula still has space around it.

In autumn, Missoula swells to some 67,000 souls, but just when you think it will tip over into a seething metropolis, it contracts; students from the University of Montana flee for winter or spring break. In summer, people head for Yellowstone, Glacier, the Seeley-Swan, the Selway-Bitterroot, the Bob Marshall, the Rattlesnake, the Big Hole, the Missions—wilderness in all directions. The newly empty town breathes, relaxes. I moved here nearly three years ago from a desolate, wooded valley up on the Canadian border for the town’s highly regarded high schools, and have not been disappointed. I had to get used to the sounds of sirens, dogs, snowplows and the general low-level hiss of traffic, a contrast to the utter peace, stillness, silence, stars and dense sweet scent of the forest. But I can still see mountains.

More than any city or town I’ve known, Missoula balances out-of-door attractions and the arts. Missoula has hundreds, maybe thousands, of artists and writers, in part—but by no means exclusively—because of the university. It’s got a great library and great bookstores: Fact & Fiction, Shakespeare & Co., the Book Exchange, to name but a few. There’s a symphony, a children’s theater and numerous art galleries. And yet there’s healthy dirt between the cracks. The nightly river-rushing winds of Hellgate Canyon keep most things scoured clean.

Missoula has a reputation as a bastion of seething, crazed liberals—it is, after all, a university town—but in my opinion, while elsewhere there is often hostility, even venom, between political polarities, here there seems to be a dynamic stasis, a healthy—dare I use the word?—tolerance for one another, at least a desire for tolerance. Missoula was home to Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, in 1916, and the only member of Congress to vote against entering World War I and World War II.

The town has a close-cousin relationship with Butte, 120 miles south­east, a historic player in the nation’s labor movement, where, in 1878, a contingent of 400 silver miners refused a pay cut from $3.50 a day to $3. They formed the Butte Workingmen’s Union, leading Butte to become known as the “Gibraltar of Unionism.”

But Missoula is mostly about the land beyond the town—the protected open space—and the grudging respect residents have for each other, no matter their political beliefs, due to the shared good luck—and pluck—of being Montanans. Most people live in Montana because it’s the place they want to be.

Many western towns are, in my opinion, canted a little off-center: a tad too hot in summer, or possessing just a bit too much winter. Missoula, however, is a land of four distinct, almost perfect seasons. Like all outdoor-minded people, we inhabit the current season, whichever it is, with passion, though we also take great pleasure in anticipating the next one as well.

Winters are somber, gray, severe; gray skies press down like a heavy boot. Magpies peck at wizened ash berries. Frozen dog dirt stipples the tundra of the golf course. Loud music seeps from blue-glowing bars, neon light spills onto icy sidewalks, the lanes are crusted with road salt.

Then comes the spring, with the explosiveness of longer days and songbirds returning to the willows along the Clark Fork River, which flows through the center of town, east to west. Bald eagles and ospreys roost in the old cottonwoods that line the gravel shores. In summer, children and adults alike bob in the rushing Clark Fork in inner tubes. A white-water pool was constructed right beneath the downtown bridge, where you can stop on the pedestrian walkway and watch kayakers and surfers practice in the wave. Wild ducks jet up and down the blue waters in spring and autumn, and fly fishermen wade the riffles, casting leisurely. As the Seine divides yet unites Paris, so too does the Clark Fork cleave—yet weave—a more robust Missoula.


Many towns in the West consider themselves “outdoor” towns—suggesting a citizenry eager to bike, run, ski, paddle, hunt, fish, hike, backpack, float and camp. Missoula, Montana, is one of these towns, but it possesses some indefinable spirit that keeps it from being confused with any other. Many of the West’s outdoor towns lie farther south, and closer to larger population centers. Missoula still has space around it.

In autumn, Missoula swells to some 67,000 souls, but just when you think it will tip over into a seething metropolis, it contracts; students from the University of Montana flee for winter or spring break. In summer, people head for Yellowstone, Glacier, the Seeley-Swan, the Selway-Bitterroot, the Bob Marshall, the Rattlesnake, the Big Hole, the Missions—wilderness in all directions. The newly empty town breathes, relaxes. I moved here nearly three years ago from a desolate, wooded valley up on the Canadian border for the town’s highly regarded high schools, and have not been disappointed. I had to get used to the sounds of sirens, dogs, snowplows and the general low-level hiss of traffic, a contrast to the utter peace, stillness, silence, stars and dense sweet scent of the forest. But I can still see mountains.

More than any city or town I’ve known, Missoula balances out-of-door attractions and the arts. Missoula has hundreds, maybe thousands, of artists and writers, in part—but by no means exclusively—because of the university. It’s got a great library and great bookstores: Fact & Fiction, Shakespeare & Co., the Book Exchange, to name but a few. There’s a symphony, a children’s theater and numerous art galleries. And yet there’s healthy dirt between the cracks. The nightly river-rushing winds of Hellgate Canyon keep most things scoured clean.

Missoula has a reputation as a bastion of seething, crazed liberals—it is, after all, a university town—but in my opinion, while elsewhere there is often hostility, even venom, between political polarities, here there seems to be a dynamic stasis, a healthy—dare I use the word?—tolerance for one another, at least a desire for tolerance. Missoula was home to Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, in 1916, and the only member of Congress to vote against entering World War I and World War II.

The town has a close-cousin relationship with Butte, 120 miles south­east, a historic player in the nation’s labor movement, where, in 1878, a contingent of 400 silver miners refused a pay cut from $3.50 a day to $3. They formed the Butte Workingmen’s Union, leading Butte to become known as the “Gibraltar of Unionism.”

But Missoula is mostly about the land beyond the town—the protected open space—and the grudging respect residents have for each other, no matter their political beliefs, due to the shared good luck—and pluck—of being Montanans. Most people live in Montana because it’s the place they want to be.

Many western towns are, in my opinion, canted a little off-center: a tad too hot in summer, or possessing just a bit too much winter. Missoula, however, is a land of four distinct, almost perfect seasons. Like all outdoor-minded people, we inhabit the current season, whichever it is, with passion, though we also take great pleasure in anticipating the next one as well.

Winters are somber, gray, severe; gray skies press down like a heavy boot. Magpies peck at wizened ash berries. Frozen dog dirt stipples the tundra of the golf course. Loud music seeps from blue-glowing bars, neon light spills onto icy sidewalks, the lanes are crusted with road salt.

Then comes the spring, with the explosiveness of longer days and songbirds returning to the willows along the Clark Fork River, which flows through the center of town, east to west. Bald eagles and ospreys roost in the old cottonwoods that line the gravel shores. In summer, children and adults alike bob in the rushing Clark Fork in inner tubes. A white-water pool was constructed right beneath the downtown bridge, where you can stop on the pedestrian walkway and watch kayakers and surfers practice in the wave. Wild ducks jet up and down the blue waters in spring and autumn, and fly fishermen wade the riffles, casting leisurely. As the Seine divides yet unites Paris, so too does the Clark Fork cleave—yet weave—a more robust Missoula.

Numerous creeks and rivers meet in the broad valley, each bringing a certain chemistry and vigor, melding with the valley to create their places of convergence. The creeks Rattlesnake, Butler, Lolo, Rock and Deep shimmer and surge; the Blackfoot and the Bitterroot rivers join the Clark Fork just outside of town.

Upstream is the poisonous Berkeley Pit, an open-pit mine in Butte, which was once called the Richest Hill on Earth for the quantities of gold, silver and copper mined there. Rather than accepting the toxins from the remnants of mines in the upper river valley, Missoula has set about cleaning them up. A local group, the Clark Fork Coalition, works to restore the watershed and helped remove a failing dam that was storing dangerous levels of toxins, so now the Clark Fork runs free again. Other groups have formed to protect entire mountains surrounding the town.

The university is committed to being carbon neutral by 2020. The city council is fighting plans for Imperial Oil, a Canadian subsidiary of ExxonMobil, to transport massive petroleum equipment—on trailers 200 feet long and three stories high—over historic Lolo Pass and through downtown Missoula, en route to the oil sands mining in Alberta. I’m betting on Missoula.

Tuck into urbane country fare at the Pearl; fresh, sustainably grown local foods at the Red Bird; simple yet sophisticated bistro dishes at Scotty’s Table or incredible Italian food at Caffé Dolce. Indulge in late night coffee and sweets at Break Espresso and ice cream at Big Dipper, where, if you’re lucky, they’ll be serving the mango habanero sorbet. Shop for fresh seafood (Seattle is eight hours away by car) at Pattee Creek Market. Of course, there are local breweries and several farmer’s markets.

Missoula has a developing local music scene as well—folk singers Kira Means and Michelle Dufflocq Williams, not yet out of high school, have already recorded CDs—including longtime guitar favorites Amy Martin, David Boone and John Floridis. The Decemberists’ frontman, Colin Meloy, hails from here, as does the Broken Valley Roadshow bluegrass band, and a hot new group, Stellarondo. The old Wilma Theatre is a funky, lovely, ornate riverside venue. There’s also a vinyl record shop, Ear Candy, and the obligatory music and gag gift store, Rockin Rudy’s.

Missoula is a place where, when your dog slips her collar, you can check the animal shelters or post an ad on the public radio station, where someone is more likely to have her safe than to have turned her in. My German shorthaired pointer has broken free so many times that the local radio announcers have learned how to pronounce her name, Auna (Awn-uh). In her most recent esca­pade, she ran to the nearest high school—crossing several busy streets to get there—hopped in the back of a truck headed south and ended up near Hamilton, almost 50 miles away. She has one of those newfangled chips in her; a vet there scanned her, and her finders called me.

Living here is sweet, if you must live in a town. I’ll get back to the woods some day. I’m just treading water. In the meantime, I stand on the bridge at night and watch the Clark Fork glimmer, reflecting Missoula’s lights as the river hurries past.

Rick Bass is the author of 25 books. His most recent is the novel Nashville Chrome.


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Comments (27)

I became a Missoulian reluctantly. I came here to attend the University of Montana. At the wise age of 18, I considered Missoula the "anti-Montana," and I was, and am, very much a Montana girl (sixth generation, as a matter of fact). I came from upstream -- Anaconda. My plan was to spend as little time as possible in Missoula and get out. 18 years later you couldn't pry me out.

There are some bitter Missoulians posting comments in this thread that make me wonder if they've ever lived elsewhere, traveled, or talked with people who live in other cities. Yes, we have a transient population downtown -- it being "kinder" to live homeless in Missoula than anywhere else in the region is the reason for that (milder winters, more services, even the very tolerance and generosity of Missoulians). Yes, the cost of living is higher than much of MT, but not higher than other "urban" areas. Granted, wages are also usually lower, but that's part & parcel of being a college town and, like it or no, the University of Montana is a vital organ to this city. No doubt, our winters are dark and gray. However, you don't have to drive far to find clear blue skies and, as pointed out in the article, the places that surround Missoula with outdoor opportunities are as much a part of living here as the arts & entertainment.

Instead of harping on some negatives the article missed (though I can't miss the opportunity to get a dig in at the fruitcakes in the City Council), I want to mention a few of the positives there must not have been room for. The article didn't mention the wonderful generosity of Missoulians. The article didn't mention the wonderfully eccentric and varied shops downtown (including artist' shops). Local breweries (several) were mentioned only briefly and I think are a wonderful aspect of Missoula. What's really lacking, though, is the words "old hippie." How can anyone talk about Missoula without mentioning old hippies?

Posted by Katie LaSalle-Lowery on September 20,2011 | 11:16 AM

Liven in the "Inland Empire" half my life (some in Priest River country in Idaho). I too enjoyed the verbal reprise. Was a kid there, then a student at UM then a faculty member until I got head-hunted to the Big Ten for triple my then paltry salary at UM. As they say, publish or stay. I miss the old places and need to get back. She painted the "stay-in- town" picture of Missoula in the winter -- not the one we skiers know -- above the pulp paper smog in bright blue sky and champagne powder (at times). We were the ones with big smiles on our faces, meeting the grey frowns of townies. Got my start in bar patron research for fun then in earnest at the Trail's End, Oxford and Club 41 -- in the day.

Posted by Jim Schaefer on August 30,2011 | 05:37 PM

I was born in Missoula 18th of july, 1938 and lived there "till i graduated from MSU in 1959. Have been back many times. Climate: certainly more moderate than Butte, Helena, Great Falls' or Billings. Rarely had much snow at Christmas however I do remember a "Hellgate Blow" once when I was a child and the temperature did not get above -40º F for a week. Didn't see Dad much because he was with the MPCO busy thawing pipes. The longest poker game in MT is still at the OXFORD on N. Main St. It was even kept going when the OX moved one block north. Re Helen Cappodicio comments, I really doubt her statistics, her comments about the oil company only apply to the area souh of Billings, if at all, and I would suggest that she is one of the persons MT could well do without.I currently live in the Communist Commonwealth of MA and certainly hope that MT never gives in to those who would make MT similar. Bruce Mueller

Posted by Bruce Mueller on August 16,2011 | 04:04 PM

With regard to Brad's comment on the high cost of living in Missoula, I sympathize, but . . . This San Francisco Bay Area transplant, who grew up there and still loves it, can only note that it could be worse. A one-bedroom apartment in a just-okay neighborhood of San Francisco now starts at $2,500 per month if you can beat out scores of other applicants vying for it. In the burbs, you might pay only $1,800. No rushing rivers, no mountain air, no wild asparagus or morels in the Spring. No Chinooks. No mountains that I'm willing to call mountains. I don't think life's easy for most people anywhere, ever, but at least in Missoula you get your money's worth.

Posted by Cyra McFadden on August 10,2011 | 04:05 PM

Yes, if one must live in a town, then where best to live well but in The Last Best Place.

Posted by mj on August 7,2011 | 11:01 PM

Growing up in Butte, I know Missoula well, but was only able to live there for a few years after college due to the lackluster job market. I'd move back tomorrow if an opportunity presented itself. This is a fun article, but as others have mentioned, there's a not-so-pretty center to the town that gets covered up most of the time.

Posted by Just Me on August 4,2011 | 06:35 PM

Nice article indeed about truly one of the most unique and special cities in the world but sad to find missing any mention of the world's very first and one of the most important wildlife film festivals in the world --- IWFF which was founded, established, nurtured and grown, right here in Missoula, Montana. To have a world class event and something as significant as the Wildlife Film Festival thrive in a relatively small college town is feat enough --- but more important still, that it was founded and established by the world renowned bear biologist, Dr. Charles Jonkel and a group of students on the campus of the University of Montana some 35 years ago, that alone speaks volumes about what Missoula inspires. Missoula has nurtured this film and conservation event for over three decades which in turn helped to spawn a thriving international media center as well. Missoula is special indeed for much more than mountains and rivers.

Posted by Janet Rose on July 16,2011 | 09:37 AM

Great article. Makes meknow want to spend.some.serious.time there.

Posted by Kathy on July 13,2011 | 01:20 PM

I was born and raised in Missoula in the 40s and 50s (gasp!) and I think of it very fondly. I live in the UK now and have done for many years. I love it here in Oxfordshire and though tempted to return to Missoula to live out my retirement, I think I will stay in this also lovely place and satisfy my temptation by visiting Montana from time to time.

Posted by Jay Myrdal on July 12,2011 | 04:17 AM

Wow! So much bitterness. I'm sure the writer didn't intentionally leave out some of the not-so-perfect aspects of Missoula, but it is an amazing area. I, for one, enjoy all that it and the surrounding areas have to offer. And while it may not be ideal for everyone, I'd have to say it's a far cry better than a lot of other places. And this is coming from a transplant who moved here from Oregon in the early 90's, and from a family that had to move away (to Colorado and Alaska) for 5 years before we could "afford" to live here again. Nope, you can't take the rose-colored sunglasses off this girl. I'm going to enjoy all that Missoula has to offer!

Posted by Angela W on July 9,2011 | 10:52 PM

thank you for mentioning local business with local flavor, it is important to have this in a community like Missoula. (the ones you mentioned work very hard!) Also common sense people are right, Missoula does need more blue collar jobs that pay or just jobs that pay!

Posted by jim Edwards on July 6,2011 | 06:37 PM

Missoula is a great town, but 25% of the children go hungry although we do have a food bank and out of the whole nation,Montana has one of the lowest percentages of students graduating from high school. Exxon-Mobil continues to run rough-shod, threatening our roadways and today dropping crude oil by way of a ruptured line into the Yellowstone River, 1000 barrels before it was stopped. We have a high level of homeless. But we do have an engaged city council and a miracle of a mayor, John Engen to whom we owe a lot. They work to do the best that can be done. The U of Montana contributes a great deal to the mix both internationally and locally but income levels remain a problem and students scramble to continue on at university. But we love our town. We also love tourists and unlike many residents I think that our weatherwonderful in any season. Helen I Cappadocia

Posted by Helen I. Cappadocia on July 3,2011 | 01:20 PM

Great article. However, Colin Meloy is actually from Helena, MT.

Posted by Andy Mulvaney on June 30,2011 | 09:44 PM

My sister has known of Missoula's virtues since she first adopted it as her own many years ago. Today, and with thanks for a fine article by Mr. Bass and Ms. Lowry, Missoula welcomes us all to enjoy those many virtues.

Posted by Barry Anderson on June 30,2011 | 02:21 PM

Certainly not for everyone. You mentioned the grim winters - it's not just the cold -- it's not seeing the sun for six months (Nov - April) during the dark, drizzly, inversion-layered cloudy winters. And then you think it's spring and you have two more months of freezing rain/snow mix. It's a special place but those inversion winters create a lot of Jack Nickelson's in The Shining....

Posted by Ed on June 29,2011 | 11:37 PM

Pennsylvania boy who attended & graduated UofM in Missoula 1975. Dragged it out five years because of the magnificent blend of Big Sky, Mountains, Lakes, Streams, Forests, Wildlife, Glacier, Yellowstone, most of all ~ the Montanan People. Indescribable. Been back many times and must admit, the growth and pulse have changed the city. However, 'natural selection' works well, and the folks who can stay do stay. They care about Missoula & Montana and take care of it all beautifully. Thanks, Rick!

Posted by Bill Volbers Pennsylvania on June 29,2011 | 06:30 PM

@Clare Kelly - you are so right. Missoula is, for many, poverty with a view.

Posted by Marc on June 29,2011 | 05:28 PM

Rick, I'm afraid I have to agree with Clare Kelly's comments about how you've painted a very beautiful, but fanciful picture of how things are in Missoula. It is a great place to live, provided you aren't dependent on the local economy to sustain a living. Average incomes here are very low, and housing costs are ridiculously high. The university students somehow manage by cramming as many room mates as they can into a dwelling, so they can all share the rent. If you're a single person living alone, a couple living together, especially with children....it's going to take two average incomes to get by...and even then...it's going to be tough.
In the early days of Missoula, up until 20 years ago or so...the wood products industry had much to do with the cities prosperity. Now that almost all of the mills have gone the way of the dodo bird, our economy has suffered greatly, but somehow...the cost of living here has only gone up. Yes...there are lots of great things to do here, and the weather isn't too bad most of the time...by Montana standards anyway, but you better have a money tree in your back yard if you plan to live here.

Posted by Brad on June 29,2011 | 04:23 PM

I love my hometown, but it does read a bit like an Advertorial.

Posted by Mayor McCheese on June 29,2011 | 02:16 PM

We are from the South and love Missoula. My husband has a sculpture by the river that just missed being in the river photo.

Posted by Michelle on June 28,2011 | 04:39 PM

"Living here is sweet" . . . well, not so fast, Rick. 75% of the residents in Missoula cannot afford the average-priced home. Slum lords rule, taking advantage of that "swell" of college students in the fall. Many, many people in Missoula patch together livelihoods consisting of two or three jobs. And they still don't reach the living wage for Missoula which has been estimated at $15 - $17 an hour. People exist in "stacked up" living arrangements, piled on top of each other, trying to make those paychecks stretch. It's a very tough town for alot of people who aren't dining at the Red Bird or Pearl. I think it's great, Rick, that you picked up a paint brush and made such a pretty picture. However, next time, turn the canvas over and show us the other side.

Posted by Clare Kelly on June 27,2011 | 12:59 AM

Okay, keep writing like this and my town WILL turn into a "seething metropolis!"

Posted by Clare on June 27,2011 | 12:42 AM

the article forgot to mention the extreme problem of drunk driving here. watch yourself -- practically everybody drives drunk at night (and sometimes day as well). not the safest place to live if you like to leave your house every so often.

Posted by missoulian on June 27,2011 | 04:57 PM

Colin Meloy went to college in Missoula but he & his sister writer Maile Meloy hail from Helena!

Posted by P.L. Dean on June 27,2011 | 01:33 PM

I grew up there and couldn't wait to become an adult and leave. Now, all I want to do is return and enjoy all the area has to offer. I miss it and love to vist when I can.

Posted by Rob Gumm on June 27,2011 | 12:47 PM

I am from Montana and I miss it so much. I love your pictures.

Posted by Heather Bireley on June 24,2011 | 09:20 AM

I already want to plan my trip. Seriously, it made it on to the list without question. Thanks for the article!

Posted by brandy moorman on June 22,2011 | 08:37 PM



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