MISSOULA — Missoula was recently ranked one of the top cities in the United States by an international organization Resonance Consultancy, ranking 88th overall and 17th for cities under 500,000 people.
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“There's just a whole lot of factors like that that they took into consideration that I think put Missoula up in the rankings,” said Barbara Neilan, executive director of Destination Missoula and Missoula Tourism Business Improvement District.
Neilan says that Resonance Consultancy ranks cities based on things like liveability—
“Those are like your transportation and the things that make life function and how you live in the community,” said Neilan.
Loveability—
“The cultural aspects and the things that make a community really special and stand out and different. The reasons that people live here,” said Neilan.
And prosperity.
“That's more your economic health and how you're doing compared to the other communities that you ranked against,” said Neilan.
Neilan says that she believes Missoula ranked highly in the livability and loveability pillars of judging.
But the loveability aspects are what is unique to Missoula.
“I really honestly, genuinely believe for me, it is the people. It's the kindness, the willingness to step in and be there when people are needed. You know, when you see a crisis happen, people just flood to it to try and help, you know. It's just a kindness that I think we really need right now,” said Neilan.
Neilan also says that 82% of people who visit Missoula for the first time end up coming back.
“They come the first time and they get the first layer off and go, "Oh, wow, that's fascinating." And so they just keep coming back because they're discovering new things all of the time and their experience here is exceptional. And I really believe that most of that is because of the people who live here,” said Nelian.
