On 01/16/2016 02:04 PM, Don Y wrote:
"A town of" is misleading. I grew up in a town of 20,000 -- the high
school
sat in the middle of a corn field. But, in a metro area of some several
MILLION! In the time it took me to drive to high school, I could have
headed
off for any of the surrounding "cities".

Technically Missoula is a first class city. The only larger city in
Montana is Billings, 340 miles to the east. Then there's Spokane, 200
miles to the west, or Boise, 370 miles south.

If you can't find it 'in town' you're not likely to drive to a nearby
city. 25 years ago I would go over to Spokane but in the last two
decades the big box stores have come to town, for better or worse. Now a
trip to REI is a short walk from work, not a 400 mile trek. Even at that
the selection is limited compared to the big city stores.