Pullman () is the largest city in

Whitman County Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,973. The county seat is Colfax, and its largest city is Pullman. The county was formed from Stevens County in 1871. It is name ...

, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 29,799 at the 2010 census, and estimated to be 34,506 in 2019. Originally founded as Three Forks, the city was renamed after industrialist George Pullman in 1884. Pullman is noted as a fertile agricultural area known for its many miles of rolling hills and the production of wheat and

legumes A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

. It is home to Washington State University, a public research

land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Morrill Acts of 1862 and ...

, and the international headquarters of

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) designs, manufactures, and supports products and services ranging from generator and transmission protection to distribution automation and control systems. Founded in 1982 by Edmund O. Schweitzer ...

. Pullman is from

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city in North Central Idaho, United States. Located along the state border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the Universit ...

, home to the University of Idaho, and is served by the Pullman–Moscow Regional Airport.

History

In 1876, about five years after European-American settlers established Whitman County on November 29, 1871, Bolin Farr arrived in Pullman. He camped at the confluence of Dry Flat Creek and Missouri Flat Creek on the bank of the Palouse River. Within the year, Dan McKenzie and William Ellsworth arrived to stake claims for adjoining land. They named the first post office here as Three Forks. In the spring of 1881, Orville Stewart opened a general store and Bolin Farr platted about of his land for a town. Pullman was incorporated on April 11, 1888, with a population of about 250–300 people. It was originally named Three Forks, after the three small rivers that converge there: Missouri Flat Creek, Dry Fork, and the South Fork of the Palouse River. In 1884, Dan McKenzie and Charles Moore (of Moscow) replatted the site and named it for American industrialist George Pullman. On March 28, 1890, the Washington State Legislature established the state's land grant college, but did not designate a location. Pullman leaders were determined to secure the new college and offered of land for its campus.

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

had established its land grant college in 1889; the University of Idaho was to be in neighboring Moscow. On April 18, 1891, the site selection commission appointed by Washington's governor chose Pullman. On January 13, 1892, the institution opened with 59 students under the name Washington Agricultural College and School of Science. It was renamed the State College of Washington in 1905, more commonly known as "Washington State College," and became Washington State University in 1959. In 1961, Pullman became a non-chartered code city under the mayor–council form of government. The city has an elected mayor with an elected seven-member council and an appointed administrative officer, the city administrator.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Pullman has a total area of , all of it land. The city is in the eastern part of Whitman County in southeastern Washington, approximately south of Spokane and north of

Lewiston, Idaho Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States, in the state's north central region. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene, and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is ...

. The city is situated across several

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...

hills which characterize the Palouse Prairie, formed from windblown sediment over an estimated period of over one million years.Busacca, A.J., 1989
''Long Quaternary record in eastern Washington, U.S.A., interpreted from multiple buried paleosols in loess.''
Geoderma. 45:105-122. This prairie region, the Palouse, is noteworthy for its fertile rolling hills where winter and spring wheat, barley, lentils, and peas are grown. These hills provide a variety of elevations across the city, from 2342 to 2575 ft (714 to 785 m) above sea level. Downtown Pullman is situated in a valley between these hills. Within the Pullman city limits, the Missouri Flat Creek and Paradise Creek both join the South Fork of the Palouse River. Pullman sits in the watersheds of the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

and the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. Pullman is situated across four major hills which divide the city into nearly equal quarters. These are: * Military Hill, north of the Palouse River and west of North Grand Avenue * Pioneer Hill, south of Main Street and the downtown area, and east of South Grand Avenue * Sunnyside Hill, south of Davis Way and west of South Grand Avenue * College Hill, north of Main Street and east of North Grand Avenue Military Hill is named for the Pullman Military College that opened its doors in 1891 and burned down in 1893.

Climate

Pullman's climate is classified as dry-summer humid continental ( Köppen ''Dsb''), using the 0° threshold for mean coldest winter month; it nearly qualifies as having a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen ''Csb''). This climate is typified by hot, dry summers followed by cold, snowy winters with short transitional seasons in between. Due to the rain shadow effect of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

to its west, clear skies occur regularly throughout the year and rainfall is drastically less frequent in comparison to cities west of the mountains. Clouds of any variety are especially scant between June and September, which contributes to a diurnal temperature variation that is much higher during the summer compared to winter. Pullman has an annual average of of precipitation. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from in December to in August. The lowest temperature recorded in Pullman is on December 30, 1968, while the highest is on August 4, 1961.

Demographics

In 2011, '' Bloomberg Businessweek'' selected Pullman as the "Best Place to Raise Kids" in Washington. Factors included affordability, safety, a family-friendly lifestyle, the quality of Pullman High School, the presence of Washington State University, and the natural environment of the area.''Bloomberg Businessweek,'' December 14, 2010

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,799 people, 11,029 households, and 3,898 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,966 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.3% White, 2.3% African American, 0.7% Native American, 11.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

residents of any race were 5.4% of the population. There were 11,029 households, of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 64.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 22.3 years. 11.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 51.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.7% were from 25 to 44; 10.5% were from 45 to 64; and 4.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,675 people, 8,828 households, and 3,601 families living in the city. The population density was 2,740.8 people per square mile (1,058.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was: * 83.10% White * 8.48%

* 3.40% Mixed race * 2.40% African American * 1.58% from other races * 0.67% Native American * 0.38% Pacific Islander Hispanic or

of any race were 3.86% of the population. The 2000 Census found 9,398 housing units at an average density of 1,043.9 per square mile (403.2/km²). There were 8,828 households, out of which: * 59.2% were non-families * 33.0% were married couples living together * 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals * 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them * 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present * 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older (included in the 31.1% of households made up of individuals) The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out as follows: * 13.1% under the age of 18 * 49.4% from 18 to 24 * 22.8% from 25 to 44 * 10.3% from 45 to 64 * 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there are 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,652, and the median income for a family was $46,165. Males had a median income of $36,743 versus $29,192 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,448. About 15.3% of families and 37.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Washington State University is the largest employer in both Pullman and Whitman County. As part of the

Palouse Knowledge Corridor The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

, companies associated with an expanding high-tech industry are at the city's north end, anchored by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), the largest private employer in the region. The lab company was founded by

Edmund Schweitzer Edmund O. Schweitzer III (born 1947, Evanston, Illinois) is an electrical engineer, inventor, and founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL). Schweitzer launched SEL in 1982 in Pullman, Washington. Today, SEL manufacturers a wide variet ...

, a Ph.D. graduate of WSU. SEL and other firms are within the Pullman Industrial Park, run by the Port of Whitman County. Pullman Regional Hospital opened on Bishop Boulevard in late 2004; its predecessor, Pullman Memorial Hospital, was on the WSU campus and shared facilities with the student health center.

Agriculture

Dumas Seed Company warehouse The Dumas Seed Company warehouse, located in Pullman, Washington at 110 Whitman Street, is a steel pre-engineered structure that served for several decades as an agriculture storage facility for dry peas harvested from farms around the Palouse reg ...

Culture

Since 1989, Pullman has been home to the

National Lentil Festival The National Lentil Festival is an annual festival in Pullman, Washington. Activities Each year, the citizens of Pullman, Washington celebrate The National Lentil Festival, a food festival honoring the lentil. The festival takes place every ye ...

, a major community event celebrating the lentil

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

grown in the surrounding Palouse region. The festival includes a lentil cook-off, Friday night street fair, Saturday parade and music in the park, and more. It is held in Reaney Park on the August weekend before fall semester classes start at WSU.

Sports

College sports are popular in Pullman, with most support centered on the Washington State Cougars who compete in the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

. The

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team plays at

Martin Stadium Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-12 Conference. Its full name is ...

, and their in-state rivals are the Washington Huskies, with whom the Cougars play an annual

rivalry game Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both ...

, the Apple Cup. The

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

and men's basketball teams play at

Beasley Coliseum Beasley Coliseum is a general-purpose indoor arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The home venue for both the Cougars men's and women's basketball teams of the Pac-12 C ...

, and the baseball team at Bailey–Brayton Field. Moobery Track hosts track and field, and historic

Bohler Gymnasium Bohler Gymnasium is a 3,000 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Opened in 1928 and located directly northwest of Rogers Field (now the site of Martin Stadium), it was home to the Co ...

(1928) is the home of women's volleyball. The challenging 18-hole

Palouse Ridge Golf Club Palouse Ridge Golf Club is an 18-hole championship golf course in the northwest United States, located at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. On the east edge of campus on the Palouse of the Inland Northwest, it opened for play in ...

opened in 2008, an overdue upgrade of the nine-hole WSU course. The

Greyhounds The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

of Pullman High School compete in WIAA Class 2A in District Seven. Historic rivals are the Clarkston Bantams to the south and the Moscow Bears, in adjacent Idaho.

Theatre

Regional Theatre of the Palouse Regional Theatre of the Palouse (RTOP) is an established non-profit theater company based in Pullman, Washington. It was founded in 2007 by award-winning Managing Artistic Director John Rich. Its mission statement explains its goal: "make a posit ...

Education

The

Pullman School District Pullman School District #267 is a public school district in Whitman County, Washington, USA and serves the city of Pullman. As of May 2011, the district has an enrollment of 2,430 students and as of October 2010, the district had an enrollmen ...

consists of the following schools: * Franklin Elementary School * Jefferson Elementary School * Sunnyside Elementary School * Kamiak Elementary School * Lincoln Middle School * Pullman High School The city's only public high school, Pullman High School (PHS) has about 700 students. It is on Military Hill. Its mascot for its athletic teams is the greyhound. PHS offers honors and advanced placement courses, along with

Running Start Running Start is a dual credit enrollment program in Washington, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Montana and Illinois which allows high school juniors and seniors to attend college courses numbered 100 or above, while completing high school. It is simila ...

course work through WSU and Spokane Falls Community College.

Washington State University

Pullman is the site of the flagship campus of Washington State University (WSU), a member of the

(Pac-12) in NCAA Division I. WSU is the second-largest university in the state of Washington, and is well known for its veterinary medicine, business, architecture, engineering, agriculture, pharmacy, and communications schools.

Transportation

Pullman is located near the junction of several major highways.

U.S. Route 195 U.S. Route 195 (US 195) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.65 miles of its 94.02 miles (1.05 of 151.95 km) are within the state of Washington. The highway starts in rural Idaho north of the city ...

and State Route 27 travel north towards the Spokane area, passing through various towns in the Palouse, while State Route 270 follows the

Bill Chipman Palouse Trail The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail is a paved rail trail in the northwestern United States, from Pullman, Washington, eastward to Moscow, Idaho. Completed in 1998, it follows the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and connects the rural ...

. Pullman is served by the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport east of Pullman and west of Moscow. Horizon Air offers four flights daily from Pullman-Moscow to Seattle and four flights daily from Seattle to Pullman-Moscow. Shuttle service to Spokane International Airport is available. Major bus routes, including Greyhound, pass through Pullman. The city is also served by

Pullman Transit Pullman may refer to: Places in the United States *Pullman, Chicago, Illinois *Pullman, Michigan *Pullman, Texas *Pullman, Washington *Pullman, West Virginia * Pullman Lake, a lake in Minnesota * Pullman neighborhood, in the city of Richmond, Cal ...

, which provides bus service for residents and WSU students who do not live on campus. WSU students are able to ride without fares by presenting their student ID card, as the university includes a transit fee in tuition.

Notable people

Pat Beach Patrick Jesse Beach (born December 28, 1959) is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and Phoenix Cardinals. He ...

, NFL tight end for eleven seasons for the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

John Elway John Albert Elway Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is an American professional football executive and former quarterback who is the president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Elway played college f ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos, was a resident for four years and attended Pullman High School as a freshman *

John M. Fabian John McCreary Fabian (born January 28, 1939) is a former NASA astronaut and Air Force officer who flew two Space Shuttle missions and worked on the development of the Shuttle's robotic arm. He later led the Air Force's space operations. Personal ...

, former NASA astronaut, graduated from Pullman High School and WSU * Susan Fagan, Politician. Member of Washington House of Representatives. *

William La Follette William Leroy La Follette (November 30, 1860 – December 20, 1934) was a four-term member of the United States House of Representatives representing Washington. He represented the 3rd District from 1911 to 1915, and the 4th District from 1915 ...

, U.S. Congressman, lived in Pullman * Gary Larson, Cartoonist, graduated from Washington State University in Pullman *

Timm Rosenbach Timm Lane Rosenbach (born October 27, 1966) is an American college football coach and former professional gridiron football player. Rosenbach was the head football coach at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, taking the position at the ...

, NFL quarterback for the

and New Orleans Saints; played at Pullman High School and Washington State *

James Mattis James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 26th US secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019. During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persian ...

, former USMC general and the 26th Secretary of Defense *

Jean Hegland Jean Hegland (born November 1956) is an American novelist. Early life and education She was born and raised in Pullman, Washington, near the Washington/Idaho state line. Her mother taught high school and college level English, and was the Pullman ...

, novelist, born and raised in Pullman *

Ron C. Mittelhammer Ronald Carl Mittelhammer (born c. 1950) is an American economist at Washington State University. He received his Ph.D. from the Washington State University in 1978, with specialisms in econometrics and marketing. In 2008 he commenced consecu ...

, former director of the School of Economic Sciences and former president of the American Agricultural Economics Association * Jay Swanson, You Tuber, grew up in Pullman * Kirk Triplett, three-time winner on the PGA Tour and member of the 2000 President's Cup team, 1980 graduate of Pullman High School *

Young Jean Lee Young Jean Lee is an American playwright, director, and filmmaker. She was the Artistic Director of Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, a not-for-profit theater company dedicated to producing her work. She has written and directed ten shows for Yo ...

, playwright, raised in Pullman

Notes

References

External links

* *
Primer: Pullman Washington : home of the State College of Washington
a 1911 publication about the city by Sunset Magazine {{authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Whitman County, Washington Populated places established in 1875 Micropolitan areas of Washington (state)