[81alum]

I grew up in Northern Idaho not far from Pullman and have friends that live there and love it.  Pullman is rural.  It is close to fantastic outdoor activities and beauty.  Pullman's appeal is very different from other Pac 12 schools in large urban areas.  Poor airport connectivity causes it to be more isolated than the rest of the Pac 12 especially in the winter when the roads to Spokane can be bad.  Also, it is not commonly visited as Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding areas would be the big tourist draw in the area. Making it unknown or misunderstood by a large part of the population of the western US.



Could I live there and enjoy it?  Yes.  (I have lived in Idaho, Montana, Northern & Southern California, Switzerland, Australia, France and now Ireland.)  Pullman is not for everyone but look at it for what it is, a rural city surrounded by nature, not for what it is not, a bustling urban center.



I certainly understand that when going to university many students  (and student athletes) want to go to or stay in the big urban areas.  Pullman does not check that box.

I also grew up in Idaho, my brother got his advanced degree from WSU and I spent a fair bit of time in Pullman.  I agree with your sentiments.  The Palouse is quite beautiful, and the weather is no worse than that of any of the non coastal US areas.  There is good proximity to a lot of outdoor activities.

However, placing WSU in such a small town has to be regarded as a mistake, especially given the way it was allowed to grow from an ag college to a full multiversity.  Had its founders been prescient they should have put it in Spokane which could provide better infrastructure.  The population of Pullman has always been a bit of a sore point since people wonder if they are counting the university population in the city population.  The 2010 census put Pullman at over 30k, but the size of WSU is over 20k.  When my brother was there the population of the university quite clearly outnumbered that of the town.  Moscow across the border has a similar problem but they have kept that university half the size of WSU and directed growth to Boise State.  (Despite this, I'd still prefer U of I to Boise State!)

[81alum]

I grew up in Northern Idaho not far from Pullman and have friends that live there and love it.  Pullman is rural.  It is close to fantastic outdoor activities and beauty.  Pullman's appeal is very different from other Pac 12 schools in large urban areas.  Poor airport connectivity causes it to be more isolated than the rest of the Pac 12 especially in the winter when the roads to Spokane can be bad.  Also, it is not commonly visited as Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding areas would be the big tourist draw in the area. Making it unknown or misunderstood by a large part of the population of the western US.



Could I live there and enjoy it?  Yes.  (I have lived in Idaho, Montana, Northern & Southern California, Switzerland, Australia, France and now Ireland.)  Pullman is not for everyone but look at it for what it is, a rural city surrounded by nature, not for what it is not, a bustling urban center.



I certainly understand that when going to university many students  (and student athletes) want to go to or stay in the big urban areas.  Pullman does not check that box.

I also grew up in Idaho, my brother got his advanced degree from WSU and I spent a fair bit of time in Pullman.  I agree with your sentiments.  The Palouse is quite beautiful, and the weather is no worse than that of any of the non coastal US areas.  There is good proximity to a lot of outdoor activities.

However, placing WSU in such a small town has to be regarded as a mistake, especially given the way it was allowed to grow from an ag college to a full multiversity.  Had its founders been prescient they should have put it in Spokane which could provide better infrastructure.  The population of Pullman has always been a bit of a sore point since people wonder if they are counting the university population in the city population.  The 2010 census put Pullman at over 30k, but the size of WSU is over 20k.  When my brother was there the population of the university quite clearly outnumbered that of the town.  Moscow across the border has a similar problem but they have kept that university half the size of WSU and directed growth to Boise State.  (Despite this, I'd still prefer U of I to Boise State!)