Here’s the Top 6 Reasons Montanans Can’t Stand Missoula

Let me start by saying, I love Missoula, and I love Montana and I don't think those things are mutually exclusive. I've even lived in Billings and listened to years' worth of complaints about my hometown, maybe some of them true, and it still earns my fidelity. I'm not the only one who's staying true to their Montana town, even when it's receiving criticism from the rest of Montana.

Derek, my radio pal in Bozeman, is feeling the pain the same way we do. He put together a list of reasons why Montanans can't stand Bozeman and I realized, Missoula gets the stink eye in a lot of the same ways. I mean, there are probably just as many bumper stickers saying "Make Missoula Montana Again" as there are "Make Bozeman Montana Again." We even embrace it a little with the slogan, "Missoula, 10 miles from Montana."

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But then, Missoula is the ire of Montana's existence for its own reasons too. And while I'd like to use the petty comeback, "You're just jealous," at a minimum, some of these can be downright annoying.

We're Pretty

There's a bumper sticker for this one too. "Too broke for Bozeman. Too ugly for Missoula." I don't know when people started making this observation, but yes, there are an inordinate number of attractive people who live in Missoula. Maybe it's all the fresh air, exercise, and vegan diets. Maybe it's Botox.

We're Weird

From the deer that use crosswalks, to the convoluted driving routes we use to get anywhere, to the festivals, Missoulians love to be weird. Sometimes it might seem like we're being weird for the sake of being weird, and you probably wouldn't be wrong.

We're Bougie/We're Snobs

We can't just have breweries, we have to be in the top cities for beer lovers. (Not to mention, we might just be beer snobs.) We eat avocado toast and drink oat milk lattes. We all have excellent music taste and are in love with a band you've never heard of.

We're Artsy

To a Missoulian, everything we do is art, or everyone is an artist. Your mechanic is a potter. Your tax accountant wrote a novel. Your physician is in a band.

We're Jocks and Olympians

If you ask a Missoulian to go for a walk, you better ask how many miles and what's the grade. When you're home to one of the best marathons in the country, Olympic skiers, and the team of firefighters who've won the Seattle stairclimb more than once, it's kinda hard not to be athletic in this town.

We're Woke

We're home to the first woman who was elected to Congress,  Indigenous Made Missoula, Soft Landing, and Zooey Zephyr. If this sets us apart from the rest of Montana, so be it.