Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington. The population was 29,799 at the 2010 census up from 24,675 in 2000 census. Originally incorporated as Three Forks, the city was later renamed after George Pullman.

Pullman, on the Palouse, is best known as the home of Washington State University, a four-campus land-grant university, and of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, an international firm in the power industry. Eight miles (13 km) east of Pullman is Moscow, Idaho, home of the University of Idaho, also a land-grant institution.

Contents 1 History 2 Neighborhoods 2.1 Schools 2.2 Washington State University 3 Geography and climate 3.1 Climate 4 Demographics 4.1 2010 census 4.2 2000 census 5 Transportation 6 Additional information 7 Notable people 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

History

About five years after the establishment of Whitman County on November 29, 1871, Bolin Farr arrived, camping in 1876 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. The first post office located there was named Three Forks. In the spring of 1881, Orville Stewart opened a general store and Bolin Farr platted about 10 acres (40,000 m²) of his land for a town. Pullman was incorporated in 1886 with a population of about 200 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 George Pullman of the Pullman Car Company.^[6]

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 160 acres of land for its campus. On April 18, 1891, the commission appointed by Washington's governor to select a site for the new agricultural college chose Pullman.^[7] 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, and became Washington State University in 1959.^[8]

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 supervisor. The current mayor is Glenn A. Johnson, who doubles as a professor at WSU's Edward R. Murrow College of Communication; he is the long-time WSU Cougars football announcer in Martin Stadium and the basketball announcer at Beasley Coliseum. The long-time city supervisor is John Sherman.

Neighborhoods

Pullman sits on four major hills that divide the city into nearly equal quarters. The four hills are Military Hill, found north of the Palouse River and west of North Grand Avenue; Pioneer Hill, located south of Main Street and the downtown area and east of South Grand Avenue; Sunnyside Hill, sitting south of Davis Way and west of South Grand Avenue; and College Hill, found north of Main Street and east of North Grand Avenue. The WSU campus is located on College Hill--part of which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic character of College Hill is manifest in its many early-twentieth century craftsman-style bungalows and two streets which retain their original red brick paving. See Red Brick Roads of Pullman, Washington (NE Palouse St./NE Maple St.).^[9]

An expanding high-tech industry is located on the north end of the city, anchored by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), founded by Edmund Schweitzer, a Ph.D. graduate of WSU. SEL and other firms are located within the 107-acre (0.43 km²) Pullman Industrial Park, run by the Port of Whitman County.

Schools

The Pullman School District consists of the following:^[10]

• Franklin Elementary school
• Jefferson Elementary school
• Sunnyside Elementary school
• Lincoln Middle School
• Pullman High School

Pullman High School (PHS) is attended by about 700 students, and is the city's only public high school. It is located on Military Hill, and the mascot for its athletic teams is the Greyhound. PHS offers honors and advanced placement courses, along with Running Start course work through WSU and area community colleges.

Washington State University

Pullman is the site of the largest and original campus of Washington State University (WSU), an NCAA Division I school, and member of the Pac-12 Conference. WSU is well known for its veterinary medicine, business, architecture, engineering, agriculture, pharmacy, and communications schools.

Geography and climate

Pullman is located at (46.7326, -117.1718).^[11] Elevation 2,552 ft (778 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.88 square miles (25.59 km²), all of it land.^[1] The water supply is a natural aquifer. The surrounding region, called the Palouse prairie, or simply the Palouse, is noteworthy for its fertile rolling hills where winter and spring wheat, barley, lentils, and peas are grown.

Climate

The Pullman area climate is semi-arid, features dry and clear weather for much of the year, with hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Based on records kept from 1940 to 2005 by the Western Regional Climate Center, Pullman's average annual rainfall is 21 inches (530 mm) while the average annual snowfall is 28 inches (710 mm). The warmest month is August with 82 degrees the average maximum temperature, while January is the coldest month with 22.7 degrees the average minimum temperature. The average density of air in the Pullman vicinity is approximately 1.15 grams/liter. However, this value constantly changes because of Pullman's dry summers and wet winters. The nearness of the Cascade mountain range also contributes to Pullman's changing air density.

Climate data for Pullman, Washington
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	35	41	48	57	65	72	82	83	74	60	43	35	57.92
Average low °F (°C)	24	27	31	36	42	47	50	50	44	37	30	24	36.83
Precipitation inches (mm)	2.46	2.1	2.01	1.72	1.77	1.3	0.79	0.89	0.88	1.48	2.83	2.78	21.01
Snowfall inches (cm)	7.09	4.43	3.57	1.63	0	0	0	0	0	.49	3.48	7.80	28.49
Source: The Weather Channel[12]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	868		—
1900	1,308		50.7%
1910	2,602		98.9%
1920	2,440		−6.2%
1930	3,322		36.1%
1940	4,417		33.0%
1950	12,022		172.2%
1960	12,957		7.8%
1970	20,509		58.3%
1980	23,579		15.0%
1990	23,478		−0.4%
2000	24,675		5.1%
2010	29,711		20.4%

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 29,799 people, 11,029 households, and 3,898 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,016.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,164.5 /km²). There were 11,966 housing units at an average density of 1,211.1 per square mile (467.6 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.3% White, 2.3% African American, 0.7% Native American, 11.2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.4% of the population.

There were 11,029 households out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.5% were married couples 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^[4] of 2000, there were 24,675 people, 8,828 households, and 3,601 families residing 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% Asian
• 3.40% from two or more races
• 2.40% African American
• 1.58% from other races
• 0.67% Native American
• 0.38% Pacific Islander

Hispanic or Latino 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.

Transportation

Pullman is served by the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Pullman and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Moscow, Idaho. 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. Pullman is also served by Pullman Transit which provides service for many students of the university who do not live on campus and also provides service to the residents of Pullman. Students can get on the bus by showing their student ID card, as all students pay a fee for use of the bus system which is included in their fees when attending WSU.

Additional information

Bloomberg Businessweek chose Pullman as the "Best Place to Raise Kids" in the State of Washington for 2011. Factors include affordability, a family-friendly lifestyle, the quality of Pullman High School, the presence of Washington State University, and the natural beauty of the area. Neighboring Moscow, Idaho, received the same recognition for that state.^[13]

Since 1989, Pullman has been home to the National Lentil Festival, a major community event celebrating the lentil legume 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 on the August weekend before fall semester classes start at WSU.^[14]

Pullman, Washington is the sister city of Kasai, Hyōgo, Japan.^[15]

Notable people

• Philip Abelson, physicist and long-time editor of Science, studied at WSU
• Chester La Follette, artist, was born in Pullman.
• William La Follette, U.S. Congressman, lived in Pullman.
• Tamara Grigsby, Wisconsin legislator
• John M. Fabian, former NASA astronaut, graduated from Pullman High School and WSU
• John Elway, NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos, attended Pullman High School as a freshman.
• Timm Rosenbach, NFL quarterback for the Phoenix Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints, played at Pullman High School and Washington State.
• Glenn Johnson, Pullman mayor, Voice of the Cougars, President of the Association of Washington cities
• Monica B. Olson, biologist with numerous patents, was born in Pullman.
• James Mattis, USMC General
• Sherman Alexie, author, poet, director, studied at Washington State University.
• Ron C. Mittelhammer, former director of the School of Economic Sciences and former president of the American Agricultural Economics Association.
• Constantine Alexander, who established the Tilos Natural Park (a Greek National Park), served as the Executive Director of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce.
• Kirk Triplett, three-time winner on the PGA Tour and member of the 2000 President's Cup team, 1980 graduate of Pullman High School.
• Henry Heald, alumnus of Washington State University, 1923 B.S. Civil Engr., President of the Ford Foundation, New York University, Illinois Institute of Technology, & American Society for Engineering Education. Received the WSU Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1962.

References

Further reading

• MacGibbon, Elma (1904). "Columbia River and Pullman" (DJVU). Leaves of knowledge. Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection. Shaw & Borden.

External links

• Official website
• Pullman Chamber of Commerce
• Pullman, Washington at the Open Directory Project
• Census 2010: Washington › Pullman