- Missoula (/m?‘zu?l?/ mih-ZOO-l?; S�li�: Nl?ay, lit.?‘Place of the Small Bull Trout’; Kutenai: Tuhu?nana) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five mountain ranges, and thus it is often described as the “hub of five valleys”. The 2020 United States census recorded the city’s population at 73,489 and the population of the Missoula Metropolitan Area at 117,922. As of 2023, the estimated city population was 77,757. Missoula is the second largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Montana. Missoula is home to the University of Montana, a public research university.