Neighborhoods of Missoula

Rural neighborhood resting on the edge of the city

By Melissa Fisher for Real Estate Marketplace

Drive west through Missoula and across the busy Reserve Street corridor into the Orchard Homes / Emma Dickinson neighborhood, and almost instantly the noisy city sounds and faster-paced lifestyle give way to a world of quiet homes and lush agriculture.

Bordered by the Clark Fork River to the north and the Kelly Island Recreation Area to the west, this largely residential area features ample open space and a peaceful way of life, right on the western edge of town.
Continue reading Orchard Homes / Emma Dickinson

By Melissa Fisher for Real Estate Marketplace

Tucked away in Missoula’s southwest corner lies Moose Can Gully, a relaxed residential neighborhood filled with families, friends, and plenty of open space. Perched on the grassy hillside are streets filled primarily with single family homes, with a few apartment buildings scattered throughout. The residents here enjoy a laid . . . → Read More: Moose Can Gully Find community spirit in the quiet foothills

By Melissa Fisher for Real Estate Marketplace

Missoula’s thriving Riverfront neighborhood offers something for everyone, including convenience, character and a strong sense of community. Riverfront is in the heart of town, bordered on the north by the Clark Fork River. The neighborhood stretches from Ogren and McCormick parks, through a thicket of houses and apartment buildings, ending at Higgins Avenue’s “Hip Strip” – a hodgepodge of local businesses, including bakeries, breweries and eclectic boutiques with distinct Missoula flair. All the while, running parallel to the Clark Fork, Riverfront boasts incredibly easy access to one of Missoula’s best features, the popular river trail system.

Continue reading Missoula’s Riverfront Neighborhood:Connected by the Clark Fork

By Melissa Fisher for Real Estate Marketplace

The solitude of the mountains, with the convenience of the city just down the street –that’s what draws people to the Grant Creek neighborhood, on the northwestern border of town. Simply drive north through the busy hubbub of Reserve Street, minutes past the shopping centers and the Starbucks to find a scene that is classically and idyllically “Montana,” where roaming wildlife and friendly neighbors co-exist along the rolling river, amidst the open fields and wooded hillsides.

While Grant Creek has grown in population over the years, it has maintained its natural splendor. With just over 1,000 people living in the roughly 2.5 square mile area, it’s easy to find your own little slice of Montana here. It’s a place where folks tend to spend summer evenings perched on the front porch, and winter nights nestled inside next to the fire. Homes range from small log cabins, to upscale subdivisions, to impressive mansions featuring swimming pools and tennis courts. Residents come from a variety of backgrounds, and include young families, retirees, and hardworking landowners; what they share is a love for a quiet life and the great outdoors.
Continue reading Grant Creek – Missoula’s cozy gateway to the great outdoors

Revitalized neighborhood emphasizes community
By Breeana Laughlin for Real Estate Marketplace

One of the oldest neighborhoods in Missoula is considered to be up-and-coming by many of its residents.

The historic neighborhood has undergone a renewed spirit in recent years. New projects have rallied residents and brought the community together.

“I would say it’s a hip area. It’s an area where you’ll get a very diverse group of neighbors, and it’s a very welcome atmosphere,” said Debbie Saylor, a Northside / Westside neighborhood resident since 2006.

“In the five years I’ve lived here, they’ve done a lot of revitalization in the neighborhood. It’s been great seeing that process. The community garden is new. The apartments that I live in have been redone. They are energy efficient and get a third of their energy from renewable resources.

That seems to be the theme that’s going on in the neighborhood,” Saylor said.

The Northside, Westside and residential Downtown developed largely because of their relationship with the Northern Pacific Railroad and St. Patrick Hospital. The Northside and Westside now boast a mix of historic homes, remodels and new construction. Homes remain affordable, and many residents appreciate the proximity of the neighborhood to downtown Missoula.

The neighborhood attracts a mix of residents from retirees and working professionals, to students and young families.

“I think it represents what Missoula is in a really good way,” Saylor said. “It really feels like a neighborhood and a community, and I like that a lot.”

The neighborhood features a variety of innovative attractions. These include the Missoula Community Co-op, a cooperatively-owned food co-op, the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project, or MUD, a nonprofit model of sustainable living emphasizing education and demonstration, and the ZooTown Arts Community Center, which brings working artists, artists-to-be, children, and community members together.
Continue reading Life in the Northside / Westside neighborhood

By Breeana Laughlin for Real Estate Marketplace
Residents in Missoula’s west side Target Range neighborhood enjoy open space and a simple way of life.

Family farms are interwoven with new development in the Target Range area.

Many neighborhood residences have large yards and acreage, including some with horses and livestock.

Longtime Target Range resident Peggie Morrison enjoys seeing deer in her yard and riding her horse down the street to the equestrian park.

“I enjoy the rural quality of the neighborhood,” Morrison said.

“My neighbor and I can yell out at each other but we can’t reach out and touch each other’s houses,” she said.

The neighborhood includes parks, baseball and soccer fields, wooded floodplains, river corridors and fishing-access sites. It also has also two shooting ranges and features the historic Fort Missoula.

There are a couple of small commercial sites in the neighborhood. The Target Range Market, which is also known as Dale’s Dairy, has become a neighborhood hub.
Continue reading Missoula’s Target Range Neighborhood – Rural by design

Missoulians living in the South 39th Street area enjoy a
well-established residential neighborhood convenient to town

By BREEANA LAUGHLIN
for Real Estate Marketplace

Wapikiya Park is a nice feature of the South 39th Street area. Breeana Laughlin

The neighborhood is part of a major trail system, boasts two schools, a fire station, has several parks and is just minutes away . . . → Read More: South 39th Street Neighborhood

Rural by design
By Breeana Laughlin for Real Estate Marketplace

Residents in Missoula’s west side Target Range neighborhood enjoy open space and a simple way of life.

Family farms are interwoven with new development in the Target Range area. Many neighborhood residences have large yards and acreage, including some with horses and livestock.

Longtime Target Range resident Peggie Morrison enjoys seeing deer in her yard and riding her horse down the street to the equestrian park.

“I enjoy the rural quality of the neighborhood,” Morrison said.

“My neighbor and I can yell out at each other but we can’t reach out and touch each other’s houses,” she said.

The neighborhood includes parks, baseball and soccer fields, wooded floodplains, river corridors and fishing-access sites. It also has also two shooting ranges and features the historic Fort Missoula.

There are a couple of small commercial sites in the neighborhood. The Target Range Market, which is also known as Dale’s Dairy, has become a neighborhood hub.

“Its nice to have a little corner grocery store to pick up some milk if you need it,” said neighborhood resident George Hirschenberger.

Hirschenberger said he also appreciates having nearby river access, and being able to walk down the street without worrying about traffic.

“The neighborhood has a rural flavor,” Hirschenberger said. “It is also small enough and contained enough that we have made friends and our neighbors are important to us.”
Continue reading Missoula’s Target Range Neighborhood