slant street

n. - geographic area located in missoula, montana, so named because all the streets run 45 degrees to the rest of the missoula street grid. slightly larger than one square mile, slant street is bounded by 6th street on the north, higgins street on the east, mount street on the south and russell street on the west. it is centrally located in the city and primarily populated by college students and young, very liberal professional/working class people. while not "tightly knit" in the traditional sense, slant street as a community is bound together by its respect for personal expression and value of individuality. the true heart of missoula literally and figuratively. of the several businesses located in slant street, all are local or statewide businesses, there are no national corporations within slant street. there are many corporate chains on border streets, but they all fall on the opposite side of the street from slant street. some might call it a neighborhood, but to any one that lives or has lived there it is a state of mind.