Stretching out along the Clark Fork River and tucked amongst five mountain ranges and 60,000 acres of wilderness, Missoula is far away from it all but seemingly not lacking for anything. This is a place where Paul McCartney and Pearl Jam play sold-out shows regularly, where the healthcare system employs 6,000 and two hospitals rival those of any big city. Few university towns are as symbiotic with their schools as Missoula is with the University of Montana. UM helps maintain the #29-ranked museums and retains and attracts the smart talent (Missoula ranks #23 in our Educational Attainment subcategory). They come for the affordable (but rising real estate), the plentiful adventure a short drive away, but also the sense of place the city offers, from the #20-ranked Parks and Outdoors—including a whitewater park for kayakers and surfers—to a downtown peppered with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. That they happen to house award-winning craft breweries and daring Mexican joints just adds to Missoula’s infinite magnetism.