I call myself a native even though I wasn’t born in Missoula.  I moved there when I was 6 days old.  I think that still counts as native.  I have left a few times; once for college, once to travel, once to try the big city.  But I always found my way back (until a couple years ago when I permanently traded Missoula for the Flathead – just a couple hours north).

If you were to ask me, Missoula has always been great.  Surrounded by mountains with a couple of rivers flowing through.  A progressive college town, not too big, not too small.  Unpretentious but full of innovators and entrepreneurs.  Proud to be Montana.  Respectful of outdoor recreation and grateful for the natural scenery.  It’s a town where people stop on a vacation and then hurry home, pack the car with everything they own and return forever.

But even great places can be made better.  This native would argue that the last 15 or so years has been a sort of revival for this mountain town.  Those same innovators and entrepreneurs that fell in love with Missoula, started to ask questions about what would make Missoula even better.  They, along with the city government, started projects to revitalize many parts of Missoula.

Recent Upgrades

More shopping, more restaurants, more hotels, more commercial real estate, more affordable flights, more access to recreation.  Access to the rivers is easier and better for our rafters, kayakers, and general recreationists.  Bike paths and trails have been connected and now not only connect Missoula neighborhoods, but also the small communities south of town that make up the beautiful Bitterroot Valley.  Youth and league sports got a whole new complex of fields at Fort Missoula.  Parks and Rec updated playground equipment and brought us waterslides!  Southgate Mall got a facelift, added a dine -in theatre and an upscale market.  Logjam Presents showed up big.  Renovating The Wilma theatre – a landmark downtown – into an authentic concert hall and a sister venue for smaller acts just around the corner at the Top Hat.  In 2017, Logjam Presents unveiled their amphitheater on the Blackfoot river and Big Sky Brewery upgraded their amphitheater as well.  In 2019, Ogren Park (our minor league baseball stadium) is quickly becoming a hot music venue in the heart of downtown Missoula next to the booming Sawmill District.

The list of upgrades could continue but suffice it to say, Missoula is better than ever.  The upgrades have culminated with two new downtown hotels.  The Residence Inn by Marriott just opened this spring.  The second, more boutique-y option will open in 2020.  Some day we may even get that convention center they have been talking about.

I thought it was fun bringing people to Missoula before the revitalization.  I can’t wait to show off Missoula 2.0.

About the Author:

Amy LuckeFlathead/Glacier Destination Manager
Amy has been lucky to call Montana home for almost her entire life. Growing up in Missoula fostered her love for hiking mountains and floating rivers. Her best memories are summer days spent just north on Flathead Lake and one of the reasons she now calls the Flathead Valley home.