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Community Profile - Pullman: College Town On the Upswing |
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Written On: May/June 2005 |
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Written By: by Paul Schlienz |
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With agricultural roots, a present dominated by education, and a future full of high-tech promise, Pullman is well positioned for the 21st century.
Located near the Idaho border, in southwestern Washington, Pullman is one of the largest towns on the Palouse, a beautiful region of rolling hills with the thickest topsoil in the United States. From these fertile hills come bountiful yields of wheat, peas, lentils and rape, the latter a mustard-like herb grown as a forage crop.
Pullman was a small, agricultural center until 1891 when Washington selected it as the site for its land grant college—the State College of Washington, now known as Washington State University—in no small part because the town possessed an abundant supply of water from artesian wells.
Pullman is best known as the home of WSU and its Cougars, arch rivals of the University of Washington’s Huskies. Although generations of Cougars can attest that WSU’s reputation for student partying is not unwarranted, the school is also a serious, world-class research institution. Indeed, WSU is renowned for its research in such diverse areas as animal sciences, biotechnology, agriculture, history, veterinary medicine, environmental science and communication, to name just a few.
In recent years, the university has expanded far beyond Pullman to encompass branch campuses in Vancouver, the Tri-Cities and Spokane. Nevertheless, the Pullman campus, with 18,321 students, remains WSU’s focal point.
"The sales tax from students is the biggest contributor to Pullman’s economy," observed Mel Taylor, WSU’s director of external affairs.
Pullman is a college town par excellence. Throughout downtown Pullman and on College Hill, home to WSU’s Greek row, one notices numerous student-oriented businesses—pubs, coffeehouses, restaurants of many varieties, bookstores and music retailers. An excellent bus system makes it easy for students to get around without a car. Thanks to the university, Pullman’s spirit will always be youthful.
WSU, however, contributes much more than students to Pullman. With 5,300 faculty and staff, the university is Pullman’s largest employer by far. In addition, many employees of the University of Idaho, eight miles east, in Moscow, live in Pullman.
Expansion and Renewal
Pullman, however, is more than a college town. On the north side of Pullman lies the headquarters of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc., a developer of products for electric power systems with 30 domestic and 18 international branch offices and plants. Started in 1982, SEL is now the second-largest employer in Pullman with 680 employees.
SEL is growing by leaps and bounds. On April 13, the company hired its thousandth employee. Before the end of 2005, SEL will hire 125 more people to work at its Pullman headquarters.
Pullman is clearly on the upswing. Indeed, it is difficult not to notice many signs of revitalization and renewal all over town.
Major investments have been made to revitalize downtown Pullman. Buildings are being renovated to house commercial and residential tenants. New restaurants have opened. In cooperation with WSU, the city is cleaning up the South Fork of the Palouse River, which runs through the heart of Pullman, and building the Riverwalk, a scenic trail and promenade along the river’s banks. The Riverwalk will be an important link in one of Pullman’s great recreational amenities, an extensive network of bicycling and walking trails that spread out well beyond the city limits.
Over on College Hill, the university has purchased a mall, which is being refurbished and leased out to a developer to bring in new businesses. Also on College Hill, one of Pullman’s true historic landmarks—the old Greystone Church, a 1914 neo-Gothic gem that has stood empty for 25 years—will not face the wrecker’s ball as many in the community had feared. Instead, it is being renovated into a unique apartment building while still maintaining its architectural integrity.
One aspect of Pullman that has been both a blessing and a curse is its unique topography. Pullman is built on four steep hills. These hills provide stunning views and much scenic beauty, but also have made development difficult, especially downtown, which is squeezed between the hills in a narrow valley.
To remedy this problem, Pullman created an entirely new business district along Bishop Boulevard on the southeastern side of town. Here, where there is still much open land, is some of Pullman’s most astonishing growth.
A brand new hospital, a multiplex movie theater complex, an expanded Safeway, a bowling alley and a casino are among the recent development on Bishop Boulevard. And there is much more to come.
Wal-Mart is now considering building a new super store, including a supermarket and an automotive department, along Bishop Boulevard. If this store is built, it will operate in addition to another nearby Wal-Mart, eight miles away in Moscow, Idaho.
A new conference center may also be in the pipeline for the Bishop Boulevard corridor.
"WSU is working in tandem with SEL and the city to get a meeting and convention center," Taylor said. "We have many conferences and meetings, but we normally have to take them elsewhere due to lack of facilities."
Pullman is also eyeing the Pullman-Moscow corridor, between Pullman and the Idaho state line, for future expansion. Already, State Road 270, which links Pullman and Moscow, is slated to expand to four lanes by 2006. Plans are also underway to extend utilities into this largely rural area.
The Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, located in the heart of this corridor, is being upgraded for larger aircraft and all-weather operations.
Challenges on the Border
East of the airport lies one of Pullman’s greatest challenges—the State of Idaho.
Idaho has many policies that appeal to business, including:
• A $5.15 minimum wage in contrast to Washington’s $7.35 minimum wage,
• A more balanced tax structure with no B&O tax,
• No local sales tax,
• No California auto-emissions standards, and
• Lower workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance costs.
"When you’re a border community, you have to be aware of business concerns," observed Glenn Johnson, Pullman’s mayor. "We’ve got a great quality of life in Pullman, but sometimes businesses say 'Maybe, I’ll just go eight miles away to Idaho,' so we’re always fighting that battle."
Housing is another challenge facing Pullman. SEL has lost potential employees due to Pullman’s high housing costs and short supply. Although the City of Pullman is working to speed up the building permit process, 45 to 50 percent of SEL’s employees commute from Idaho. In the meantime, SEL is responding with plans to develop housing near its headquarters.
Nevertheless, Pullman’s future prospects remain bright. A Biotech Center nears completion at WSU. Hopes abound that this research center will spawn local biotech businesses.
WSU’s nine-hole golf course is being expanded to 18 holes with an eye to attracting tourists. Meanwhile, Pullman is luring retirees who appreciate the cultural amenities of a college town.
"Pullman’s a wonderful community, a great small town with excellent K-12 education in addition to the university," commented Fritz Hughes, executive director of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. "It’s a great place to raise a family, and there are many opportunities for growth."
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