Missoula Montana MT Warrant Search

Missoula, Montana Missoula (pronounced /mɨˈzuːlə/), located in the west-central portion of Montana is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. The US Census Bureau's 2009 estimate of Missoula's population was 68,876; making Missoula, Montana the second largest city in Montana. The 2009 census estimate put the population of Missoula County at 108,623. Missoula is rapidly growing; it has had the second largest actual growth of any City in Montana with an increase in population of 11,823 since 2000. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area.Missoula was founded in 1860 as Hellgate Trading Post before being renamed Missoula Mills (Missoula from the Salish name for the area Nemissoolatakoo and Mills after the prosperous flour mill and sawmill that served as Missoula’s first industry). Mills was dropped from the name and in 1877, Ft. Missoula’s establishment ensured the survival of the city.Missoula’s nickname is the Garden City in reference to the large number of orchard homes that once lined its periphery and an extensive vegetable and flower garden owned by Cyrus and William McWhirk that formed the eastern entrance to the city. Though founded as a lumber and agricultural center as well as a trading post, the basis of Missoula’s economy today is the University of Montana, government, healthcare, tourism, and professional services.In addition to the University of Montana, Missoula is, perhaps, best known for being the most politically liberal city in Montana, the birthplace of first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, Jeannette Rankin, and the home of Montana’s largest brewery. Missoula is also headquarters to the Montana Rail Link. Earliest Missoula Today’s Missoula lies at the bottom of what once Glacial Lake Missoula, a 3000 square mile proglacial lake which stretched from 60 miles south and east of Missoula north to today’s Flathead Lake and west to Idaho’s Lake Pend Oreille. Held in place by a glacial dam, this lake drained and refilled repeatedly over 2000 years during the past Ice Age. When the flood waters cleared, the resultant Missoula Valley became a geographic hub of five Mountain Valleys formed by the Bitterroot Mountains, Sapphire Range, Garnet Range, Rattlesnake Mountains, and Reservation Divide.The oldest artifacts date from the the end of the glacial lake period around 12,000 years ago with the first-known settlements dating from 3,500 BCE. From the 1700's until European settlement, the region was used by Salish, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreille, Blackfoot, and Shoshone tribes.As a natural corridor through the mountains, the valley was the scene of great conflict between local Native American Tribes and those traversing the region to and from Montana’s eastern plains which were rich with Buffalo. The narrow valley at Missoula’s eastern entrance was so strewn with human bones from repeated ambushes that French fur trappers would later refer to this area as “Porte d’ Enfer,” translated as Hell’s Gate. Hell Gate would remain the name of the area until renamed Missoula in 1866. Early explorers The first European Americans to visit what would become Missoula were members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The expedition stopped twice just south of Missoula at Traveler’s Rest; first from Sept. 9-11, 1805 and again from June 30-July3, 1806. It is from here that the Lewis and Clark Expedition divided on the return from the Pacific with Clark taking the southern route along the Bitterroot River and Lewis travelling north through Hellgate Canyon on July 4.The region was first surveyed by Washington Territory governor Isaac Stevens in the 1850’s by Congressional request as a means of developing a transcontinental rail route. He would also negotiate the Treaty of Hellgate through which the Native American tribes of Western Montana relinquished their territories to the U.S. government. Steven’s was assisted by Lieutenant John Mullan who would build the Mullan Road in 1853, the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest, which would enable the establishment of Fort Missoula in 1877. Hell Gate Village Settlement in Missoula began five miles west near modern Frenchtown in 1860 as a trading post founded by Christopher P. Higgins, who had been present at the Treaty of Hellgate, and business partner Francis L. Worden with the expectation that Mullan Road and any future railroad would necessarily pass through the valley. Their gamble was correct and Hell Gate became the Missoula County seat in 1860 and the first post office established November 25, 1862, with Worden as the first postmaster. The settlement moved upstream to its modern location in 1864 as Higgins and Worden’s desire to build a lumber and flourmill required a more convenient water supply to power the gristmill.The Missoula Mills replaced Hell Gate Village as the economic power of the valley and replaced it as the county seat in 1866. The name Missoula comes from the Salish name for the Clark Fork River which runs through the city. The name ‘’nmesuletkʷ’’, though often mistakenly believed to translate as “River of Ambush” as a reflection of the inter-tribal fighting common to the area, the word actually has the approximate meaning of 'place of freezing/cold liquid', or more roughly 'cold water' (cf. Interior Salishan locative marker n-, Southern Interior Salishan sul, 'cold/frozen', and -etkʷ, 'liquid'). This name is thought by some Salish tribal members to refer to Glacial Lake Missoula. Missoula as a city Missoula never “boomed” as many western Montana towns did as a consequence of the gold rush, though the town did grow rapidly and by 1872, the town had 66 new buildings. Higgins and Worden established the towns first stores and banks, but by 1876 the pair faced its largest competition and rivalry from Eddy, Hammond and Company who established the Missoula Mercantile Company.By the 1880’s growth had slowed, but the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883 caused the town to boom and Territorial Governor Benjamin F. Potts approved a charter for the Town of Missoula. The need for lumber for the railway and its bridges spurred the opening of multiple saw mills in the area and the beginning of Missoula’s lumber industry. The economic frenzy led to the construction of many of the historic buildings in downtown today. In particular, architect A. J. Gibson arrived in the late 1880’s and designed many of Missoula’s most recognizable buildings, including the Missoula County courthouse and the University of Montana’s Main Hall. Establishment of the University of Montana In an agreement with Helena that Missoula would not enter a bid to become the new state of Montana’s new capital and not openly support nearer by Anaconda Missoula was able to win the vote to be the home of the state’s university in 1893. Land south of the Clark Fork River (Downtown had established itself north of the river) was donated for the construction of a campus. 20th century The continued economic windfall from railroad construction and lumber mills led to a further boom in Missoula’s population. A.B. Hammond and Copper Kings Marcus Daly and William A. Clark competed fiercely in the region over lumber share and Missoula investments and in 1908 Missoula became the district and later a regional headquarters for the United States Forest Service which also began training smokejumpers in 1942.In the 1930’s Missoula was able to obtain fourteen Civil Works Administration projects that helped build the Airport, Orange Street Bridge, several schools, and four major buildings at the university.Logging remained a mainstay of industry in Missoula with the groundbreaking of Hoerner-Waldorf pulp mill in 1956 which led to subsequent protests over the resultant air pollution. Still, in 1979, almost 40% of the county's labor income came from the wood and paper products sector. By the early 1990’s, however, many of the region’s log yards and legislation had cleaned the skies, though the valley’s topography still makes the city susceptible to lingering smoke from forest fires and winter smog. Geography Missoula is located at 46°51′45″N 114°0′42″W / 46.8625°N 114.01167°W / 46.8625; -114.01167 (46.872146, -113.9939982), at an altitude of 3,209 feet (978 m).According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.9 square miles (61.9 km²), of which 23.8 square miles (61.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) (0.46%) is water. Missoula is located in a deep valley in the western part of the state, near where the Clark Fork River is joined by the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers. Glacial Lake Missoula During the last Ice Age, the Purcell lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet blocked the Clark Fork river near what is now Clark Fork, Idaho creating Glacial Lake Missoula which extended approximately 320 kilometers (200 mi) eastward, filling the Missoula Valley and connecting today's Flathead and Pend Oreille Lakes. The ice dam holding back waters periodically thawed and refroze causing the Missoula Floods that swept across Eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge approximately 40 times during from 15,000 to 13,000 years ago leaving behind giant ripple marks across the valley. These 15-30 foot ripple marks were first noted as evidence of the rapid draining of Glacial Lake Missoula by USGS employee Joseph Pardee in his 1942 publication Unusual Currents in Glacial Lake Missoula and supporting J Harlen Bretz's popularly dismissed 1923 theory of the Missoula Floods forming the Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington.Evidence of the city of Missoula's lake bottom past can be seen in the form of ancient wave-cut shorelines that can now be seen as horizontal lines on nearby mountains Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo. At the location of present-day University of Montana, the lake once had a depth of 950 feet. Terrain As could be expected for a former lake bottom, the layout of Missoula is relatively flat and surrounded by steep hills. The Clark Fork River enters the Missoula Valley from the east just after it joins with the Blackfoot River at the site of the former Milltown Dam. The Bitterroot River and multiple smaller tributaries join the Clark Fork after the river enters Missoula.The surrounding terrain also gives Missoula its moniker of being the 'Hub of Five Valleys' in reference to the five mountain ranges and valleys that converge in the valley: TheBitterroot Mountains, Sapphire Range, Garnet Range, Rattlesnake Mountains, and the Reservation Divide. Wildlife Missoula's location in the Northern Rockies has endowed the region with a typical Rocky Mountain ecology. Local wildlife includes populations of white-tailed deer, black bears, osprey, and bald eagles. During the winter months, Mount Jumbo is home to grazing elk and mule deer, preferred for because of its rapid snow melt due to its steep slope.The rivers around Missoula provide nesting habitats for bank swallows, northern rough-winged swallows and belted kingfishers. Killdeer and spotted sandpipers can be seen foraging insects along the gravel bars. Other species include song sparrows, catbirds, several species of warblers, and the pileated woodpecker.The rivers also provide cold, high quality water for native fish such as westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. The meandering streams also attract bear and wood ducks. Plant life Native riparian plant life includes sandbar willows and cottonwoods with Montana's state tree, the Ponderosa Pine, also being prevalent. Other native plants include wetland species such as cattails and beaked-sedge as well as shrubs and berry plants such as Douglas hawthorn, chokecherry, and western snowberries.Missoula is also unfortunately home to several noxious weeds which multiple programs have set out to eliminate. Notable ones include dalmatian toadflax, spotted knapweed, leafy spurge, St. John's wort, and sulfur cinquefoil. Climate Missoula has a semi-arid climate (Koppen climate classification BSk), with cold and moderately snowy winters, hot and dry summers, and spring and autumn are short and crisp in between. Winter conditions are usually far milder than much of the rest of the state due to its western position within the state. However the mildness is also induced by the dampness, as unlike much of the rest of the state, precipitation is not at a strong minimum during winter. Winter snowfall averages 43 inches (109 cm), with most years seeing very little of it from April to October. Summers see very sunny conditions, with highs peaking at 84 °F (28.9 °C) in July. However, temperature differences between day and night are large during this time and from April to October, due to the relative aridity. 1996 winter In the winter of 1996, Missoula suffered the worst winter in its history. For the winter of 1996 Missoula received more than 200 inches of snow, and experienced more than 70 days with snow. This year is known also for extreme coldness. In November of 1996 there were 7 days where the temperature dropped below zero degrees F. In December 1996 12 days fell below zero. In January 1996 there were 11 days in which the temperature fell below zero, and in February there were 3 days where the temperature fell below zero. Combined there were 33 days in the winter of 1996 that the temperature fell below zero in Missoula, Montana. City layout In the Mid-1860's C.P. Higgins and Francis Worden began plotting what would become the town of Missoula along the Mullan military road along the northern bank of the Clark Fork River. This road, which today in downtown Missoula is known as Front St. was then intersected by Higgins Ave. which continued as a bridge to the southern side of the river. From this intersection of Higgins and Front, which continues as the numerical center of the city, development spread along the road with homes to the north toward the surrounding hills. The arrival of the railroad in 1883 brought with it a rapid increase in population which settled along the track. When the university was founded in 1893, the land donated for its cause south of the Clark Fork was still little more than farm land. Development continued east along Mullan Road and south along the road to Lolo, Montana which today is known as Brooks St.The city primarily follows a standard north-south grid pattern, though newer subdivisions and residential areas located on hills often do not follow the established pattern. Notable exceptions to the grid pattern are Downtown where the grid follows the contour of the river and a section of the Rose Park Neighborhood where the grid instead aligns with Brooks St. (Highway 12), one of only two arterials (the other being Stephens Ave.) to traverse the city diagonally. The Bitterroot Branch of Montana Rail Link also traverses Missoula diagonally south of the river while the main branch as well as Interstate-90 move with the river and hill's terrain north of the Clark Fork. Neighborhoods The city of Missoula is divided into eighteen neighborhood councils of which all Missoula residents are a member. The city further contains ten historical districts. Surrounding Communities Missoula is the primary city of the Missoula Metropolitan Statistical Area with all other communities within Missoula County also being part of said area. Architecture Missoula is home to over 60 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places beginning with the A.J. Gibson designed County Courthouse constructed in 1908 and added to the list in 1976. The Post Office, Wilma Theatre and Higgin's Block were all added a couple years later. In the early 1990's both the Gleim Building, a former brothel, was added to the list along with the University District. Metropolitan Statistical Area The Missoula Metropolitan Statistical Area is the second largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Montana. Located in the West-central portion of the state, its population was 95,802 at the 2000 census. As of July 1, 2009 the estimate of Missoula Metropolitan area was 108,623.It is one of the largest metropolitan area between Boise, Idaho, and Calgary, Alberta Canada, and Spokane, Washington, and Billings, Montana. It is also the second largest media market in the state of Montana, and also has one of the best Health care facility programs in its surrounding area.The 2009 Census population estimates put Missoula's population at 68,876. There currently are 57,053 people, 24,141 households, and 12,336 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,397.1 people per square mile (925.6/km²) in 2000. There were 25,225 housing units at an average density of 1,059.8/sq mi (409.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.57% White, 2.35% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population.There were 24,141 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.88.In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 20.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.The median income for a household in the city was $30,366, and the median income for a family was $42,103. Males had a median income of $30,686 versus $21,559 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,166. About 11.7% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. 40.3% of Missoula residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree. Economy Missoula began in the 1860's as a trading post on the Mullan Military Road to take advantage of the road's purpose of being the first route across the Bitterroot Mountains to the plains of Easter Washington. The arrival of Fort Missoula (1877), the Northern Pacific Railroad (1883), and U.S. Forest Service offices (1877) solidified Missoula's economy with a steady stream of employment.Timber demand for the railroad lead to the setting up of numerous saw mills, which were gradually consolidated, and the lumber industry remained important to the Missoula economy for much of the 20th century.Today, Missoula's economy has diversified with Education, health care, retail, government, and professional services all playing an important part in the economy at large. In particular, the University of Montana is the region's largest employer, while St. Patrick Hospital and the Community Medical Center follow making Missoula the regional medical center. Fastest Growing Occupations and Industries According to the Montana Department of Labor, the fastest growing occupations for the state as a whole are Forensic Science Technicians, Medical Assistants, Industrial Engineers, Food Prep and Service, and Physical Therapist Assistants. The fastest growing industries are Administrative & Support Services, Administrative & Waste Services, Arts Entertainment & Recreation, Professional & Business Services, Professional & Technical Services, and Health Care & Social Assistance. Major employers University of Montana St. Patrick Hospital Community Medical Center (Montana) Missoula County Public Schools Wal-Mart Supercenter Tourism Missoula is home to the Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau, which was founded in 2003. The Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau has been formed exclusively for the promotion of tourism, the development of effective methods of attracting and hosting conventions and events for Missoula and the surrounding area, and to educate the local community of the significance of the tourism as an economic driver. The promotion and development was a huge part in the making of this organization. Southgate Mall One of the most popular shopping destinations in the state, and servicing over 7 million customers each year, Southgate Mall is currently the largest enclosed regional shopping center of its kind in all of Western Montana. Arts Missoula has a thriving arts scene. The International Wildlife Film Festival, the largest animal-themed film festival in the world, is held annually at the historic Wilma Theatre. The Missoula Children's Theater is an international touring program that visits nearly 1,000 communities per year. The Children's Theater routinely has residencies in all fifty states, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy, and many other countries. The Missoula Art Museum , exhibits a variety of contemporary art. The museum was founded in 1975, and in 2005 the facilities were renovated and expanded. The museum offers art classes, tours, gallery talks, and has free admission.The city is frequently mentioned in novels of Ernest Hemingway, Stephen Frey, Chuck Palahniuk, James Lee Burke, James Crumley, and former resident Norman Maclean. In his novel, A River Runs Through It, Maclean wrote that 'The world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana.'Missoula is home to a diverse and influential music scene. Members of bands such as Deranged Diction (Jeff Ament), which formed in Missoula, later moved to Seattle and became key members of groups such as Green River, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Silkworm, and Love Battery, playing an important role in the birth of the grunge movement. The city is prominently featured in 'Apology Song' by Oregon indie-band The Decemberists. Prior to moving to Portland, Decemberist frontman Colin Meloy studied at the University of Montana. In Missoula, Meloy formed the pop band Tarkio.[citation needed] Wantage Record hosts Totalfest, a yearly diy music festival featuring local and touring acts, in Missoula. Points of interest Missoula is located near the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, two areas that protect Missoula's municipal watershed and serve as wildlife habitat and recreational areas. The Forest Service's smokejumper base, the largest of its kind, is located near the Missoula airport. Free tours of the base are popular with tourists during the summer wildfire season. A walking bridge over the downtown yards of the Montana RailLink railroad is a popular destination for railfans. University of Montana The University of Montana is a state university located in Missoula, Montana, U.S. The school was founded in 1893. It is the largest campus in the five-campusUniversity of Montana System. Playfair Park Water park in Missoula, known as Splash Montana. Caras Park Park inDowntown Missoula, that hosts many annual events. Greenough Park Park in Missoula that is loctaed in the Rattlesnake neighborhood. Wilma Building The first steel-framed building inMontana, and at 8 stories is one of the tallest in Missoula. Sports Missoula is Home to the Missoula Osprey, Missoula Phoenix, the Missoula Maulers, and the Hellgate Rollergirls. The Missoula Osprey has won two Leauge Championships in 11 years at Missoula, and 4 division titles. The Missoula Phoenix have won 1 championship, and the Missoula Maulers have won 1 division title since starting its franchise in 2005.Professional sports teams in Missoula includeTheMissoula Phoenix, a AAA semi-pro football team in the Rocky Mountain Football League. TheMissoula Osprey, a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks. TheMissoula Maulers, a Tier III Junior A hockey team. TheHellgate Rollergirls, aroller derbyleague. University of Montana Griz The sports teams of the University of Montana play in Missoula:Football Basketball (men and women) Cross Country (men and women) Tennis (men and women) Golf (Men and women) Soccer (women) Volleyball (women) Caras Park The Caras Park Pavilion, located in the heart of Downtown Missoula on the Clark Fork River, is the epicenter of Downtown Missoula. With the help of the Missoula Downtown Association, Caras Park has been the main venue to these yearly events:Out to Lunch Downtown ToNight Garden City River Rod International Wildlife Film Festival WildFest Parks & Recreation Kids Fest YMCA Riverbank Run First Night Missoula Garden City BrewFest Hemp Fest GermanFest Concerts by Jewel Chris Isaak Los Lobos Santana Ziggy Marley and B.B. King Adjacent to Caras Park is A Carousel for Missoula, a wooden, hand-carved and volunteer-built carousel. Outdoor activities Missoula is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise throughout the entire year. Throughout the year, activities like skiing, hiking, biking, golf and fly fishing are available. Missoula biking system Missoula is a focal point of bicycle travel, because of the presence of Adventure Cycling Association, North America's largest cycling membership organization. Thousands of bike travelers come through Missoula and stop at Adventure Cycling's downtown headquarters (in a former church at 150 E. Pine Street) for free ice cream, advice, and the chance to be photographed. Government and politics Missoula is governed via the mayor-council system. There are twelve members of the city council who are elected from one of six wards. Each ward elects two council members. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. Missoula is known as a more liberal area than the rest of the state, having 14 Democrats and one Republican in its state legislative delegation. Missoula's Mayor has been John Engen since 2006 and is currently the 50th mayor of Missoula, MTCurrently the City of Missoula is undergoing a rewrite of the zoning and subdivision regulations, is undertaking a study of the Urban Fringe Development Area (UFDA), is working in partnership on the Downtown Master Plan, and is finalizing a long-range transportation plan. Marijuana In 2006, voters in Missoula County passed Initiative 2, which made marijuana possession the lowest priority for law enforcement. However, in 2008 a volunteer citizen committee established to oversee progress on the initiative found that marijuana arrests rose in the 2 years since its passage. It also concluded, 'In short, the lowest priority recommendation issued to public officials by voters in 2006 continues to be mostly disregarded.'City police chief Mark Muir defended criticism of the rising number of arrests, saying the rise could be attributed to 'some people [being] more flagrant in their pot smoking because they wrongly believe the initiative protects them within the city.'Most of the legislative districts that approved of medical marijuana overwhelmingly include the city of Missoula within their boundaries.A statewide chapter of NORML was founded in 1998 and is based out of Missoula. Organizations and non-profits NORML's state office is located in Missoula. Other organizations that call Missoula home include the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Boone and Crockett Club, Forward Montana, Western Montana Gay & Lesbian Community Center, the Montana Justice Foundation and the American Indian Business Leaders which is housed at the University of Montana. The Missoula Downtown Association (MDA) is also located in Missoula as is the Poverello Center, the largest emergency homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Montana.Missoula is also home to Missoula Correctional Services a non-profit company that runs a Pre-Release Center for the Montana Department of Corrections and coordinates various city and county programs such as Community Service, Misdemeanor Probation, Pretrial Supervision and the Alternative Jail Program. Colleges and universities University of Montana(flagship campus - in Missoula) High schools There are four public high schools, and four Private schools, for a total of eight high schools: Hellgate High School, Sentinel High School, Big Sky High School, and Willard Alternative High School. The private schools include: Missoula International School, Sussex School, Valley Christian High School (Missoula, Montana), Loyola Sacred Heart High School, Clark Fork School and Next Step Prep, a performing arts high school opened in 2009 by Missoula Children's Theatre. Elementary schools (Grades K-5) Russell Elementary Franklin Elementary Chief Charlo Elementary Lewis and Clark Elementary Cold Springs Elementary Lowell Elementary Hawthorne Elementary Rattlesnake Elementary Paxson Elementary Middle schools (Grades 6-8) C.S. Porter Middle School Washington Middle School Meadow Hill Middle School Other educational programs Jefferson Center (Pre-school) The Lifelong Learning Center (Dickinson Adult Education Program) Media Missoula is the second largest media market in Montana. Newspapers The Missoulian Missoula Independent The Montana Kaimin AM radio KMPT930,GapWest Broadcasting KGVO1290, GapWest Broadcasting KYLT1240, Cherry Creek Radio KGRZ1450, Cherry Creek Radio FM radio KUFM-FM89.1,University of Montana-Missoula KBGA89.9, University of Montana, Missoula College Radio KUFN91.1 S.O.S Radio for Life KGGL93.3, Cherry Creek Radio KYSS94.9, GapWest Broadcasting KBAZ96.3, GapWest Broadcasting KDXT97.9, Mountain Broadcasting KXDR98.7, Cherry Creek Radio KZOQ100.1, Cherry Creek Radio KVWE101.5, GapWest Broadcasting KMSO102.5, Mountain Broadcasting KDTR103.3, Spanish Peaks Broadcasting KKVU104.5, Spanish Peaks Broadcasting KYJK105.9, Spanish Peaks Broadcasting KBQQ106.7, Cherry Creek Radio KENR107.5, GapWest Broadcasting KHDV107.9, Mountain Broadcasting Television KPAX-TVCh. 8CBS KPAX-TV2ch. 7CW Television NetworkLogo for KPAX Missoula headquarters-Missoula,MT KUFM-TVCh. 11PBS KECICh. 13NBC KMMFCh. 17Fox KTMFCh. 23ABC Missoula traffic The worst traffic is usually centered around U.S highway 93/Reserve St., which is a 4 (at times 5 lane) major street considered a mini-highway at times. The trafic is worst on weekday evenings where it is the most used street to get around in most of Missoula. The traffic along Orange st. intersections, and Downtown Missoula intersections also cause traffic problems in Missoula. In the Winter season, traffic can also be a problem due to Missoula's snowy and icy winter's.[citation needed] Reported crashes The Missoula Police Department (MPD) responds to approximately 1,800 reported crashes per year, which is the most in a Montana city. The highest and most severe crash rates taking place are along U.S. 93 / Reserve St., which is the epicenter for traffic for Missoula.[citation needed]14% of all reported crashes are alcohol related, which is about average with the state and national average. Since 2003, the department has made DUI enforcement and traffic enforcement a major priority, increasing the DUI arrests from 358 to a high of 873 in five years.[citation needed] Bus system Missoula is served by Mountain Line public transportation system. Mountain Line operates twelve bus routes throughout the area. The Associated Students of the University of Montana also operate four bus routes that serve the university area.There is a network of bicycle and pedestrian trails throughout the community, and there is a large population that walks and bike for pleasure and commuting.A number of transportation-oriented organizations are located in Missoula as well. The Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula aims to enhance biking and walking in Missoula. Missoula in Motion operates an incentive-based program for commuters who choose not to drive alone, and the Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association provides vanpool and other tr