3 Things About Pullman - from Traveling Boy

Traveling Boy means the travel adventures of the Traveiling Boitanos

We didn't know about
Pullman, Washington State

What are some of the “things” or activities that residents of Pullman do for fun?

performer at a concert in Pullman

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Myron

ANSWER: Home to Washington State University, residents and visitors alike enjoy a ‘room to breathe’ lifestyle with plenty of athletics, arts and culture that a university provides. Top name concert, theater, and PAC 12 athletics set a sophisticated atmosphere in an otherwise small town. Brilliant blue skies and rolling Palouse hills beckon you to experience the outdoors with golf, hiking and biking over 35 miles of paved trails, rock climbing basalt formations, and photographing the unique topography. Fabulous eateries, farm grown products and a love for good local beer and wine make dining out a pleasure and provide the basis for The National Lentil Festival and other events.

What's one thing the public probably does NOT know about Pullman?

early evening view of main street in Pullman
Photo courtesy of Jerry Prout

ANSWER: Why is this town laid out so funny? Downtown Pullman has the unique distinction of being surrounded by four hills, three rivers and two railroads. The present Grand Avenue was originally a wagon road north to Palouse. The common grid pattern was not an option due to the topography of Pullman. A rock bluff prevented east-west streets from continuing eastward, the river prohibited north-south streets from continuing northward and a steep hill discouraged streets from continuing westward. This organic layout resembles a four-leaf clover and confuses many who try to navigate Pullman.

What has Pullman contributed to the world?

photographer in the rolling hills of Palouse
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Myron

ANSWER: A community blessed with an abundance of intellectual capital from the researchers at WSU and access to a highly educated workforce, Pullman has created a high tech industry in the center of the wheat fields. There are nearly 40 businesses making names for themselves in the global marketplace. One of these is Decagon Devices, recruited to design the soil probe and environmental sensors that were on NASA’s Phoenix spacecraft, which landed on Mars on May 25, 2008.

For further information about Pullman, click-on: http://www.pullmanchamber.com/

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