Where we are in the world
I actually came across this map via Twitter and was intrigued! There was no indication on where this was in the world, so I took to Google to try to find out where in the world this strange neighborhood street configuration was.
After searching “Rose Park” (the neighborhood depicted in the map) and various combinations of the street names that appear in the below map, I landed on Missoula, Montana, which is located in the western half of the state. The grid pattern is something common throughout cities in the middle part of the US, but I’ve never seen a map like this depicting a diagonal neighborhood design…this is what I found!
Note: after this search, I eventually saw the Tweet was also posted on Reddit, with the location clearly noted…which could have saved me a ton of searching time 🙂
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
The original direction of the streets was meant to be parallel to an old wagon road
Before there were streets built in Rose Park, Missoula, the area was flat plains and prairie with a road called Bitterroot Wagon Road running through. The direction of this road was originally diagonal, in the same structure as the roads above, running from the Clark Fork River to Fort Missoula about 3 miles to the southwest.
The original city planners intended for roads to be parallel to this original wagon road. However, when the original Higgins Bridge was built, it connected with streets running north/south vs. diagonal, like the Bitterroot Wagon Road. According to some sources, this old wagon road was what is now called “Stephens Av” (see interactive Google Map below).
Stephens Av was supposed to be a bustling commerce hub of South Missoula
In the original plans for the development of the neighborhood, Stephens Av (which follows the yellow line in the Google Map below) was supposedly intended to be a bustling commerce center. However, it seems when the main thoroughfares in the neighborhood were realigned around the diagonal streets of Rose Park, this separated the “slant street” section from major traffic, making it more quiet and residential than the town surrounding it. From looking at Google Maps, many of the main businesses and storefronts appear on the outskirts of Rose Park.
There is an intersection in Rose Park, Missoula named “Malfunction Junction”
The orientation of the streets in Rose Park has created confusion and congestion for residents since the beginning. Apparently, no intersection was worst than one labelled “Malfunction Junction”, a six-way intersection where north/south streets South and Russell intersected diagonal street Brooks (see location in Google Map below).
Since 2005, city planners have removed South Av from the six-way intersection, cutting it off before it hits the main traffic signal. This has significantly improved traffic flow and congestion.
Additional links and sources
- Article written about the South Missoula neighborhood (link, published in 2005)
- Explanation on the complicated intersections in Missoula, including the origin of the diagonal structure (link, published in 2013)
- Background details on Malfunction Junction (link, published in 2014)
Did you see the viral Tweet or Reddit post of Rose Park, Missoula when it was first circulated?
See other places around the world Globe Charting has featured!
Including another post located in the Rocky Mountain region of the US: The Winter Park Express!
