[[St. Patrick Hospital]] opened in 1873 under the sponsorship of the [[Sisters of Providence]]. The present facility opened in 1984, the fourth St. Pat's on this site above the Clark Fork River. In May 2000, they changed the name from "St. Patrick Hospital" to "[[St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center]]" to reflect an increasing involvement with national medical research and education. The hospital has 195 acute-care beds, and 18 transitional-care beds. In 2003, St. Pat's admitted over 9,705 patients and provided more than 49,986 days of patient care. Approximately 95% of patients come from our 17-county service area.
[[St. Patrick Hospital]] opened in 1873 under the sponsorship of the [[Sisters of Providence]]. The present facility opened in 1984, the fourth St. Pat's on this site above the Clark Fork River. In May 2000, they changed the name from "St. Patrick Hospital" to "[[St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center]]" to reflect an increasing involvement with national medical research and education. The hospital has 195 acute-care beds, and 18 transitional-care beds. In 2003, St. Pat's admitted over 9,705 patients and provided more than 49,986 days of patient care. Approximately 95% of patients come from our 17-county service area.
[[Image:STPATS.jpg|thumb|St. Patrick Hospital]]
In November 1999, after imploding the old hospital called the Broadway Building, construction began for a new outpatient services building next to our present hospital building. The Broadway Building opened in March 2002, with two underground floors of parking and six stories of physician offices and outpatient services. Physicians include those from the Western Montana Clinic, the Montana Neuroscience Institute, and the Montana Cancer Center, among others. Outpatient services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, diabetes services, and cardiac rehabilitation.
In November 1999, after imploding the old hospital called the Broadway Building, construction began for a new outpatient services building next to our present hospital building. The Broadway Building opened in March 2002, with two underground floors of parking and six stories of physician offices and outpatient services. Physicians include those from the Western Montana Clinic, the Montana Neuroscience Institute, and the Montana Cancer Center, among others. Outpatient services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, diabetes services, and cardiac rehabilitation.
Revision as of 17:36, 8 December 2010
"Missoula" redirects here. For a ship in the United States Navy, see USS Missoula.
This article is about the city. For the glacial age lake, see Glacial Lake Missoula.
Missoula (pronounced/mɨˈzuːlə/), located in the west-central portion of Montana is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. The US Census Bureau's 2009 estimate of Missoula's population was 64,081;[1] making Missoula, Montana the second largest city in Montana. The 2009 census estimate put the population of Missoula County at 108,623.[2]
Missoula is the second largest media market in the state.[3] Local news sources include the Missoulian and the Missoula Independent. It is served by Missoula International Airport. Missoula was recently ranked number 10 in CNNMoney's list of the best places to launch small businesses.[4] It is also known for being one of the most politically liberal cities in the state.
Missoula also has a thriving Downtown district that has been the host to numerous annual events in Missoula. Missoula's nickname is the Garden City for its vast majority of trees and mountains. Missoula is also the fastest growing city in Montana.
History
The first inhabitants of the Missoula area were American Indians from the Salish tribe. The name "Missoula" is thought to come from the Salish (also known as Flathead) word nmesuletkʷ, the Salish name for the Clark Fork river (Flathead Nation Salish Dictionary). It is commonly believed that this word translates as "river of ambush" a reflection of the inter-tribal fighting common to the area. However, the word actually has the approximate meaning of "place of freezing/cold liquid", or more roughly "cold water" (cf. Interior Salishan locative marker n-, Southern Interior Salishan sul, 'cold/frozen', and -etkʷ, 'liquid'). This name is thought by some Salish tribal members to refer to Glacial Lake Missoula..
The Indians' first encounter with whites came in 1805 when the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the Missoula Valley. There were no permanent white settlements in the Missoula Valley until 1860 when C. P. Higgins and Francis Worden opened a trading post called the Hellgate Village on the Blackfoot River near the eastern edge of the Missoula Valley. It was followed by a sawmill and a flour mill, which the settlers called "Missoula Mills". The first post office in the area was named Hellgate and was established November 25, 1862, with Worden as the first postmaster. The name was changed to Missoula on May 14, 1866.[5]
The completion of the Mullan Road connecting Fort Benton, Montana with Walla Walla, Washington and passing through the Missoula Valley meant fast growth for the burgeoning city, buoyed by the U.S. Army's establishment of Fort Missoula in 1877, and the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883. With this Missoula became a trading center in earnest, distributing produce and grain grown in the agriculturally prosperous Bitterroot Valley. Businessmen A. B. Hammond, E. L. Boner, and R. A. Eddy established the Missoula Mercantile Company in the early 1880s.
20th Century
The city's success was aided by several other factors. First was the opening of the University of Montana in September 1895, serving as the center of public higher education for Western Montana. Then, in 1908, Missoula became a regional headquarters for the Forest Service, which began training smokejumpers in 1942. The Aerial Fire Depot was built in 1954. Big industry came to Missoula in 1956, with the groundbreaking for the first pulp mill.
Logging remained a mainstay industry with log yards throughout the city until the 1970s. Many ran teepee burners to dispose waste material, contributing to the smoky haze that sometimes covered the town. However, by the early 1990s, changes in the economic fortunes in the city had shut down all the Missoula log yards.
21st century
With the loss of the log yards,[6] other industries, such as tourism,[7] have arisen. Missoula is located within the flyfishing Golden Rectangle and is a popular area for outdoor activities including hunting, Snow Boarding, and camping.
Downtown's birth
Downtown Missoula became a permanent spot in Missoula ever since Missoula has been a city. Downtown started in the late 1890s and has been rapidly growing ever since. Downtown Missoula's main burst of steam was when A.J Gibson moved to Missoula with ideas for growth in the small town.[8] A.J Gibson virtually consrtucted and designed every historic building in Downtown Missoula including the Missoula County Courthouse in 1908, and the Wilma Building that was the first steel-framed structure in Montana at its completion in 1921.
The famous Wilma Building in Downtown Missoula
After the A.J Gibson era Downtown Missoula grew at a steady pace until the Modern era. The Modern era is concluded from the 1990s to present day. the start of the Modern era all began when all the log yards in Missoula; that was Missoula's economy at one time totally vanished. once logging had became the past the Missoula Downtown Association was born and the realDowntown Missoula became to what it is today. with the completion of the First Interstate Bank, the First Security Bank, the new St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center, and the tallest Building in Missoula, the Millennium Building.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.9 square miles (61.9 km²), of which 23.8 square miles (61.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) (0.46%) is water. Missoula is located in a deep valley in the western part of the state, near where the Clark Fork River is joined by the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers.
Because it is located in a valley, Missoula suffers from smoke, soot, and occasional fog inversion during the winter months. There have been emissions restrictions placed on various industries and the burning of wood in wood stoves. In recent years, these restrictions have resulted in significant improvement in the problem.[citation needed]
During the last Ice Age, a lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet blocked the Clark Fork river near what is now Clark Fork, Idaho. The resulting lake, Glacial Lake Missoula, extended approximately 320 kilometers (200 mi) eastward, filling the Missoula Valley. Its former shorelines can now be seen as horizontal lines on nearby mountains including Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo.[10]
Missoula has a semi-arid climate (Koppen climate classificationBSk), with cold and moderately snowy winters, hot and dry summers, and spring and autumn are short and crisp in between. Winter conditions are usually far milder than much of the rest of the state due to its western position within the state. However the mildness is also induced by the dampness, as unlike much of the rest of the state, precipitation is not at a strong minimum during winter. Winter snowfall averages 43 inches (109 cm), with most years seeing very little of it from April to October. Summers see very sunny conditions, with highs peaking at 84 °F (28.9 °C) in July. However, temperature differences between day and night are large during this time and from April to October, due to the relative aridity.
In the winter of 1996, Missoula suffered the worst winter in its history. For the winter of 1996 Missoula received more than 200 inches of snow, and experienced more than 70 days with snow. This year is known also for extreme coldness. In November of 1996 there were 7 days where the temperature dropped below zero degrees F. In December 1996 12 days fell below zero. In January 1996 there were 11 days in which the temperature fell below zero, and in February there were 3 days where the temperature fell below zero. Combined there were 33 days in the winter of 1996 that the temperature fell below zero in Missoula, Montana.
Downtown Missoula in the winter of '96
Winter of 1996 statistics
November 1996
December 1996
January 1996-7
February 1996-7
November High Temp.
December High Temp.
January High Temp.
February High Temp.
55 Fahrenheit
45 Fahrenheit
45 Fahrenheit
46 Fahrenheit
November Low Temp.
December Low Temp.
January Low Temp.
February Low Temp.
12 Fahrenheit
0 Fahrenheit
-11 Fahrenheit
-2 Fahrenheit
November snowfall
December snowfall
January snowfall
February snowfall
10.0 inches
27.0 inches
13.0 inches
10.0 inches
Metropolitan Area
The Missoula Metropolitan Statistical Area is the second largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Montana. Located in the West-central portion of the state, its population was 95,802 at the 2000census. As of July 1, 2009 the estimate of Missoula Metropolitan area was 108,623.[2]
It is one of the largest metropolitan area between Boise, Idaho, and Calgary, Alberta Canada, and Spokane, Washington, and Billings, Montana. It is also the second largest media market in the state of Montana, and also has one of the best Health care facility programs in its surrounding area.
Neighborhoods
Missoula's neighborhoods are an important part of its identity. The first areas that were considered neighborhoods in Missoula were the ones like the University District (UM), Westside, Northside, and Riverfront neighborhoods. Since then, neighborhoods such as the Upper Rattlesnake, Lower Rattlesnake, Franklin to Fort, Miller Creek, Patte Canyon, and South Hill have arisen with Missoula's growth.
Geography
Downtown Missoula is mostly flat except for parts of the Clark Fork River which there are some small slopes that is still easy terrain for anyone who wants to fish, or any other activity's. Since Downtown Missoula is located in a valley with the rest of the city it can have uneven terrain at times but overall anyone could surpass the low riding terrain of Missoula. The University of Montana district is located just upstream of the Clark Fork River which makes Downtown even more occupied during the school's session(s)'. Downtown Missoula also has two main parks in its Downtown district which means Downtown has more to offer than just buildings and such.
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 57,053 people, 24,141 households, and 12,336 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,397.1 people per square mile (925.6/km²) in 2000. There were 25,225 housing units at an average density of 1,059.8/sq mi (409.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.57% White, 2.35% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population.
There were 24,141 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,366, and the median income for a family was $42,103. Males had a median income of $30,686 versus $21,559 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,166. About 11.7% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. 38% of Missoula residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.
The Downtown Missoula District has been growing rapidly in the past couple of decades, due to tourism and relocation movements. Downtown has had numerous new small businesses move into the area, and several organizations. One of these organizations which started right in Downtown itself; the Missoula Downtown Association (MDA)[16] has been a very large organization lately in Downtown Missoula, which formed in 1975 and it has organized almost anything that has recently met together in Missoula for the past several decades. With the help of the Missoula Downtown Association, downtown's main venue recently has been Caras Park, which is right next to the heart of Downtown Missoula, and the Missoula carousel.
Local attractions
Missoula is located near the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, two areas that protect Missoula's municipal watershed and serve as wildlife habitat and recreational areas. The Forest Service'ssmokejumper base, the largest of its kind, is located near the Missoula airport. Free tours of the base are popular with tourists during the summer wildfire season. A walking bridge over the downtown yards of the Montana RailLink railroad is a popular destination for railfans.
Infrastructure
Missoula Traffic
To most Missoulians and Montanan's traffic is the worst in Missoula. The Worst Traffic is usually centered around U.S highway 93/Reserve St.; which is a 4 (at times 5 lane) makor street considered a mini-highway at times. The trafiic is worst on weekday evenings where it is the most used street to get around in most of Missoula. The traffic along Orange st. intersections, and Downtown Missoula intersections also cause traffic problems in Missoula. In the Winter season, traffic can also be a problem due to Missoula's snowy and icy winter's.
The Missoula Police Department (MPD) responds to approximately 1,800 reported crashes per year, which is the most in a Montanacity. The highest and most severe crash rates taking place are along U.S. 93 / Reserve St., which is the epicenter for traffic for Missoula.
14% of all reported crashes are alcohol related, which is about average with the state and national average. Since 2003, the department has made DUI enforcement and traffic enforcement a major priority, increasing the DUI arrests from 358 to a high of 873 in five years.
There is a network of bicycle and pedestrian trails throughout the community, and there is a large population that walks and bike for pleasure and commuting.
Greyhound bus that transit(s) Missoula
A number of transportation-oriented organizations are located in Missoula as well. Free Cycles[2] is a community-based bike shop that provides bikes, parts, and help for those in need. The Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula[17] aims to enhance biking and walking in Missoula. Missoula in Motion[18] operates an incentive-based program for commuters who choose not to drive alone, and the Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association provides vanpool and other transportation demand management services. Missoula is also home to Greyhound Lines, and Rimrock Trailways provide intercity bus transportation to and from Missoula.
The Missoula International Airport (Johnson-Bell Field) is a vital part of the western Montana regional airport system and an integral part of the transportation infrastructure of the region. The airport and surrounding area provide visitors arriving by air, with a favorable first impression of Montana.
The Missoula International Airport is a commercial service airport serving a diverse aviation community. Scheduled airline and air taxi service, military, U.S. Forest Service, general aviation, cargo operations, and recreational flying are the major aviation activities.
Delta Airlines, Horizon, Northwest Airlines, United Express, and Allegiant Airlines serve the Missoula International Airport.
Other services
There is no passenger rail service in Missoula, but there is an ongoing effort to restore such service along the former North Coast Hiawatha route. This route, operated by Amtrak until 1979, passed through Missoula and several other Montana cities.
The following major highways pass through Missoula:
St. Patrick Hospital opened in 1873 under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Providence. The present facility opened in 1984, the fourth St. Pat's on this site above the Clark Fork River. In May 2000, they changed the name from "St. Patrick Hospital" to "St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center" to reflect an increasing involvement with national medical research and education. The hospital has 195 acute-care beds, and 18 transitional-care beds. In 2003, St. Pat's admitted over 9,705 patients and provided more than 49,986 days of patient care. Approximately 95% of patients come from our 17-county service area.
In November 1999, after imploding the old hospital called the Broadway Building, construction began for a new outpatient services building next to our present hospital building. The Broadway Building opened in March 2002, with two underground floors of parking and six stories of physician offices and outpatient services. Physicians include those from the Western Montana Clinic, the Montana Neuroscience Institute, and the Montana Cancer Center, among others. Outpatient services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, diabetes services, and cardiac rehabilitation.
Sponsorship
St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center is a not-for-profit medical center under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Providence. The Sisters share sponsorship responsibilities with community leaders in the form of a governing board, which helps direct the hospital in its endeavors. This governing board, in turn, reports to and is directed by Providence Health and Services. Providence Health and Services is a holding company that represents the Sisters of Providence in leading their sponsored healthcare, higher education, and human services ministries in eastern Washington and western Montana. Sponsorship is a special type of not-for-profit ownership. As sponsors, the Sisters of Providence and Providence Health and Services are accountable to the community, the Catholic Church, and state and federal governments for fulfilling the missions of each sponsored organization.[19]
Community Hospital
History
The Community Medical Center (Montana) and its adjacent medical facilities stand as a gleaming monument to the dedication and vision of hundreds of Montanans and, in particular, two doctors who came west in the early 1900s.
Situated on a grassy plain near historic Fort Missoula, Community Hospital is part of a modern complex that includes a nursing home, the Missoula Crippled Children's Center and private offices.
The story of Community Hospital begins with two brothers who were prominent in the early history of Western Montana medicine.
Dr. Charles Thornton (known affectionately as "Dr. Charles") came west in 1905 to begin a practice in Corvallis, Montana. At that time the mortality rate of spotted or "tick" fever was 80 to 90 per cent. Of the first 11 cases Dr. Charles treated, only one patient died. He subsequently became known throughout the Bitterroot Valley for his ability to treat the dreaded Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
An ardent sportsman, Dr. Charles was among the first to introduce Chinese and Hungarian pheasants to Western Montana. He also imported and bred German shorthaired pointers to hunt the wily pheasants. At one time, he had more than 30 German pointers in his kennels. Dr. Charles also imported Belgian horses and brown Swiss dairy cattle.
Dr. Charles' brother, Dr. Will Thornton ("Dr. Will") came west in 1907 and started a practice in Stevensville, Montana. He had been a professor of anatomy and had worked with Dr. J. H. Kellogg, the surgeon who established the Battle Creek sanitarium in Michigan. Dr. Kellogg was the older brother of W. K. Kellogg, who developed the corn flake into a multi-million-dollar industry.
Dr. Will performed more than 15,000 major operations in 36 years of active practice, and he participated in the construction and operation of three private hospitals in Western Montana.
In 1910 he built the first hospital in the Bitterroot Valley and ran it until 1917, when he moved to Missoula. At that time, he built the Thornton Hospital, now the Thornton Apartments at the corner of Third and Orange Streets.[20]
Utilities
In Missoula the following utilities of Power, water, sewer and garbage disposal are: Electricity is provided by Missoula Electric Cooperative or NorthWestern Energy, which also supplies natural gas service. Allied Waste services and Grant Creek Water Systems handles trash pickup. Telephone service in the area is proved by Qwest Communications and Blackfoot Telecommunications Group. Sewer services is handled by the City of Missoula Wastewater Division, and Alltel, Verizon, and Cellular One is the most used cell phone services in Missoula.
Missoula tallest buildings
This is a list of Missoula's tallest buildings.The tallest building in Missoula is used as a dormitory at the University of Montana in Missoula; it is called Aber hall.
This is a list of proposed buildings to be built in Missoula, Montana.[citation needed]
Proposed name
floor count
proposed year comlpeted
city
status
South Patte st. Parking Garage
6 or 7
2011
Missoula
Approved
St. Patrick Hospital Physician building
10
2012
Missoula
Pending
Downtown master plan
The Missoula Downtown Association and the City of Missoula united to investigate the options of developing a Master Plan for Downtown, a 20-year vision for the heart of the community. Crandall Arambula, a team of professional planning consultants from Portland, Oregon, was hired and together with multiple public meetings with the public developed a plan for the future of Missoula's Downtown.
Economy
Unemployment rate
Missoula's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state of Montana, currently at 6.6%, due to Missoula's good economy in the past.
As of October 2010 Trade, Transportation, and Utilities is the largest job sector in Missoula, accounting for 12.0% of jobs. The next largest category is Government jobs, accounting for 10.0% of the workforce. The third largest is Education and Health Services at 9.5%, and after this is Leisure and Hospitality at 7.3%. The fifth largest sector is Professional and Business Services at 6.7%.[22]
Missoula is home to the Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau, which was founded in 2003. The Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau has been formed exclusively for the promotion of tourism, the development of effective methods of attracting and hosting conventions and events for Missoula and the surrounding area, and to educate the local community of the significance of the tourism as an economic driver. The promotion and development was a huge part in the making of this organization.
Southgate Mall
One of the most popular shopping destinations in the state, and servicing over 7 million customers each and every year, Southgate Mall is currently the largest enclosed regional shopping center of its kind in all of Western Montana.
Culture
Arts
Missoula has a thriving arts scene. The International Wildlife Film Festival,[23] the largest animal-themed film festival in the world, is held annually at the historic Wilma Theatre. The Missoula Children's Theater[3] is an international touring program that visits nearly 1,000 communities per year. The Children's Theater routinely has residencies in all fifty states, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy, and many other countries. The Missoula Art Museum[4], exhibits a variety of contemporary art. The museum was founded in 1975, and in 2005 the facilities were renovated and expanded. The museum offers art classes, tours, gallery talks, and has free admission.
The Caras Park Pavilion, located in the heart of Downtown Missoula on the Clark Fork River, is the epicenter of Downtown Missoula.with the help of the Missoula Downtown Association, Caras Park has been the main venue to these yearly events:[25]
Caras Park in the centre of Downtown Missoula
Out to Lunch
Downtown ToNight
Garden City River Rod
International Wildlife Film Festival
WildFest
Parks & Recreation Kids Fest
YMCA Riverbank Run
First Night Missoula
Garden City BrewFest
Hemp Fest
GermanFest
Concerts by Jewel
Chris Isaak
Los Lobos
Santana
Ziggy Marley and
B.B. King
Adjacent to Caras Park is A Carousel for Missoula, a wooden, hand-carved and volunteer-built carousel.
Outdoor activities
Missoula is really an outdoor enthusiast's paradise throughout the entire year. Depending on the weather, you'll be able to enjoy everything from skiing to hiking to biking to golfing and fly fishing.
Missoula biking system
Missoula is a focal point of bicycle travel, because of the presence of Adventure Cycling Association,[26] North America's largest cycling membership organization. Thousands of bike travelers come through Missoula and stop at Adventure Cycling's downtown headquarters (in a former church at 150 E. Pine Street) for free ice cream, advice, and the chance to be photographed.
Government and politics
Missoula is governed via the mayor-council system. There are twelve members of the city council who are elected from one of six wards. Each ward elects two council members. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.[27]
Missoula is known as a more liberal area than the rest of the state, having 14 Democrats and one Republican in its state legislative delegation.[28] Missoula's Mayor has been John Engen since 2006 and is currently the 50th mayor of Missoula, MT[29]
Currently the City of Missoula is undergoing a rewrite of the zoning and subdivision regulations, is undertaking a study of the Urban Fringe Development Area (UFDA), is working in partnership on the Downtown Master Plan, and is finalizing a long-range transportation plan.
List of Missoula mayors
Mayor John Engen- appointed January 2, 2006–present
In 2006, voters in Missoula County passed Initiative 2, which made marijuana possession the lowest priority for law enforcement. However, in 2008 a volunteer citizen committee[31] established to oversee progress on the initiative found that marijuana arrests rose in the 2 years since its passage. It also concluded, "In short, the lowest priority recommendation issued to public officials by voters in 2006 continues to be
mostly disregarded."[32]
City police chief Mark Muir defended criticism of the rising number of arrests, saying the rise could be attributed to "some people [being] more flagrant in their pot smoking because they wrongly believe the initiative protects them within the city."[33]
Most of the legislative districts that approved of medical marijuana overwhelmingly include the city of Missoula within their boundaries.[34]
A statewide chapter[35] of NORML was founded in 1998 and is based out of Missoula.
Missoula is also home to Missoula Correctional Services a non-profit company that runs a Pre-Release Center for the Montana Department of Corrections and coordinates various city and county programs such as Community Service, Misdemeanor Probation, Pretrial Supervision and the Alternative Jail Program.
^Lutz, Dennis J. (1986). Montana Post Offices & Postmasters, p. 26, p. 35. Minot, North Daokta: published by the author & Montana Chapter No. 1, National Association of Postmasters of the United States.
