Missoula’s Biggest Changes That Would Shock Anyone From the 90s

Missoula continues to grow and change. Sometimes, when you’ve lived through the changes, it’s not until you take a step back that you realize just how much our town continues to evolve. 

You don’t have to go back that far to see how much it’s changed — just taking a trip back to the 90s can be shocking to see the changes.

READ MORE: Jump In This Time Machine to Remember Missoula in the 1990s 

Some of Missoula’s beloved businesses have closed their doors, and there are parts of town that have exploded in growth.  

Growth Hotspots: The Parts of Missoula That Changed Most

We wanted to know what changes people noticed the most about how Missoula is different from when it was back in the 90s. We posed a question to our listeners, “If someone who lived in Missoula in the 90s time-traveled to today, what’s the FIRST thing they'd be shocked by?” 

READ MORE: Gone But Not Forgotten: Beloved Missoula Spots We Wish Were Still Around

Setting aside the time-travel part, there are a lot of things about Missoula that someone who hasn’t been here in twenty-five years or more may find shocking. There are things that I have forgotten about.  

People these days will never get the privilege of navigating Malfunction Junction on South Avenue anymore. They will drive over Russell Street and not know that, at one time, that part of the road was an underpass. Today's Punk Rockers won’t have the thrill of seeing live music at Jay’s Upstairs and worry that the floor may collapse when the crowd starts to dance.  

Some people may be shocked about how some things haven’t changed over the years, like the shed on the corner of Reserve and Third Street, which is still for sale to this day. The Dairy Queen on Higgins doesn't look like it's changed at all. 

The Missoula Icons That Somehow Haven’t Changed

Out of the hundreds of responses, we have some of the things that may shock someone who lived here in the 90s below.