CNNMoney.com
Companies Economy International Corrections Pre-market Trading After-hours Trading Winners/Losers/Actives Bonds Currencies Commodities World Markets Money Magazine Real Estate Taxes Jobs Ask the Expert Money 101 Autos Mutual Funds The Help Desk Loan Center Best Places to Live Ask the Expert Ultimate Guide to Retirement Retirement Calculators Best Funds Best Places to Retire Fortune Brainstorm Tech Apple 2.0 Blog Big Tech Blog Sectors and Stocks Tech Talk Resource Guide Small Business Makeovers Questions & Answers Small Business Video 100 Best Places to Launch FSB 100 Fortune Small Business Fortune 500 Brainstorm Tech Investing Management C-Suite Rankings Main Create Portfolio Edit Portfolio Create Alerts Edit Alerts
71 of 100
BACK NEXT
71. Missoula, Mont.
Population: 58,781
Pros: Natural beauty, good college town
Con: Long winters

Despite its long, gray winters and sometimes-smoky summers (due to forest fires), Missoula is so popular with relocating Californians that the price of real estate has become too high for old-timers. It's a liberal college town, home to the University of Montana, with terrific hunting and fishing and expansive mountain views. The city also has a thriving music scene.

Missoula is the hub of western Montana (with traffic to match). Logging was the town's traditional industry, but all logging ceased by the 1990s, clearing the way for new fields. The Missoula Area Economic Development Corp. runs several loan programs and offers assistance to small-business owners. Tourism is a leading local industry, thanks to Missoula's excellent recreational opportunities. The U.S. Forest Service trains "smokejumpers" - firefighters who deploy in remote locales - at its regional headquarters in Missoula. -Elizabeth Bland

The call of the mountains: Why entrepreneurs flock to mountain towns
Interactive map: Missoula, Mont.
Homes for sale Find homes for sale in Missoula, Mont.


NEXT: 72. Brookfield, Wisc.

Last updated July 02 2008: 11:16 AM ET
More Galleries
Detroit: The Innovators The Motor City needs new industries. These 7 entrepreneurs are bringing tech, medical research and design jobs to the Detroit metro area. More
Freebies for the jobless From free dry cleaning to a no-cost vacation, these 5 businesses have come up with creative ways to help out unemployed residents in their communities. More
Ghost among the machines Detroit's derelict Packard Plant is the country's largest abandoned industrial site. One last small company still calls the complex home. More

Special Offer
© 2009 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2009 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.