Getting to Know Missoula's Neighborhoods: Westside

Someone once said, "The west side is the best side." I don't know who said that, or if that's even a legitimate quote, but it is now.

In this series, we'll take a look at information from the City of Missoula's Neighborhood Profiles for each of Missoula's Neighborhoods, with all data cited below coming from the Neighborhood Profile. In this article, we'll look at the Westside Neighborhood.

Where is the Westside Neighborhood?

Westside is, you guessed it, located in the western portion of Missoula. Though it's not the neighborhood furthest west interestingly enough. The west boundary is N Reserve Street. To its south is the Clark Fork River downtown and partially Mullan Road. The east boundary is a set of train tracks that runs from the river up to the northern boundary: Railroad Street.

Who Lives in the Westside Neighborhood?

There are 5,873 residents in the Westside Neighborhood, accounting for 7 percent of the city's population. Over the last 12 years, Rose Park grew by 5%, coming in lower than Missoula's 10% growth from 2010-2022.

The median population age for Missoula is 33.8 years old while Westside's median age is slightly younger checking in at 31.9 years old. The 25-34 age range is the most prevalent demographic in Westside accounting for 27.6 percent of the population. The 15-24 demographic is the second largest group accounting for 16.1 percent.

Westside residents have lower high school graduation and bachelor's Degrees than the city average. 95 percent of Westsiders have a diploma, Missoula's average is 97 percent, and 34 percent earned a Bachelor's Degree, 15 percentage points less than Missoula's mean. The median household income follows suit. Westsiders make $41,890 on average.

What is the Housing Like in the Westside Neighborhood?

On overwhelming majority of residents rent rather than own. 72 percent of the population rents, averaging $798 on rent per month, while just 28 percent of people own homes. Missoula's ownership rate is 47 percent. In 2022, homes cost $394,000 on average in the Westside Neighborhood, slightly above Missoula's median price of $519,000.