Missoula (population 66,788) is a city in the western portion of the state of Montana. It is the 2nd biggest city in the state and serves as the county seat of Missoula County. The city is called the "Hub of Five Valleys" due to its location at the convergence of five mountain ranges. The larger Missoula Metropolitan Area has a population of approximately 109,299.
Missoula was established during 1860 along the Bitterroot and Clark Fork rivers. It was first named Hellgate Trading Post when it was part of Washington Territory. The settlement moved upstream to be closer to a convenient water supply that will enable the establishment of a lumber and flour mill. It was then known as Missoula Mills, and eventually just Missoula. The settlement supplied settlers traveling west along the Mullan Road and the occupants of Fort Missoula. The Fort was established during the year 1877 to provide security for settlers. During 1883 the Northern Pacific Railway arrived in the area, boosting the lumber industry and sparking the population growth. In the year 1893 the Montana Legislature chose Missoula as the site for the new very first university of Montana. During the year 1908 the U.S. Forest Service built its headquarters within the City of Missoula.
For more than a century, lumber and higher education would underpin the local economy. Aside from those businesses, Missoula is a regional trade center serving a trading area comprising about 180,000 individuals. The bigger trading area encompasses the western third of the state including 301,000 residents. Important industries of the local economy are education, health care, financial services, transportation, retail shopping, government/social services, culture, events and arts.
Missoula's largest employer is the University, while the St. Patrick Hospital and the Community Medical Center rank second and third respectively. Health care is the fastest growing trade. Slightly over 50 percent of all employment within Missoula comes from the service and retail industries. Missoula produces a great deal of product for export, within the engineering, construction, beverage, transportation and forestry industries. Tourism is an essential industry with roughly 4 million tourists coming from out of state each and every year.