Missoula, Montana listed among best places for kids in U.S.

What do Missoula and Honolulu have in common?

If you said palm trees and white sandy beaches, you obviously have never visited Missoula with your eyes open.

But the cities share one thing: They’ve both been named to a list called the 100 Best Communities for Young People http://www.americaspromise.org/100Best/index.cfm .
Sponsored by America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth, the 100 communities selected were whittled down from 700 that applied.

"They asked some very specific things, such as high school graduation rates, standardized test scores and the amount of sidewalks," said Peggy Seel, grants administrator in the Missoula City-County Office of Planning and Grants. "And they asked some very general things, like what challenges we face."

The selection committee was impressed with Missoula’s 250 miles of sidewalks, 135 miles of trails, 50 parks and 340 acres of green space.

It liked child-friendly events such as KidsFest, RiverFest, the International Wildlife Film Festival and First Night Missoula.

By VINCE DEVLIN of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2005/10/01/news/local/news04.txt