Plastic Container Possessing Improved Top Load Strength and Grippability

A plastic container includes a sidewall having an outer surface and an inner surface that defines an interior space. The sidewall is shaped so as to define a container neck, a main body portion and a dome that may be substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section. The dome has a lower and that is integral with the main body portion and a shoulder at an upper end that is integral with the container neck. The dome preferably includes at least one longitudinally extending buttress column defined in the sidewall that when viewed in transverse cross-section protrudes laterally outwardly from adjacent portions of the sidewall in order to enhance the strength of the container. The longitudinally extending buttress column may extend along an entire length of the dome from the main body portion to the container neck in order to further enhance the strength of the container.