Pullman is the most populous city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest.

[6] Pullman is noted as a fertile agricultural area known for its many miles of rolling hills and the production of wheat and legumes.

In 1876, about five years after European-American settlers established Whitman County on November 29, 1871, Bolin Farr arrived in Pullman.

Within the year, Dan McKenzie and William Ellsworth arrived to stake claims for adjoining land.

In the spring of 1881, Orville Stewart opened a general store and Bolin Farr platted about 10 acres (4.0 ha) of his land for a town.

In 1884, Dan McKenzie and Charles Moore (of Moscow) replatted the site and named it for American industrialist George Pullman.

On January 13, 1892, the institution opened with 59 students under the name Washington Agricultural College and School of Science.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Pullman has a total area of 11.12 square miles (28.8 km2), all land.

The city is situated across several loess hills which characterize the Palouse Prairie, formed from windblown sediment over an estimated period of over one million years.

[10] This prairie region, the Palouse, is noteworthy for its fertile rolling hills where winter and spring wheat, barley, canola, lentils, and peas are grown.

This climate is typified by hot, dry summers followed by cold, wet winters with short transitional seasons in between.

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.

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.

[23][24] As part of the Palouse Knowledge Corridor, 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 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.

[31] College sports are popular in Pullman; most support is centered on the Washington State Cougars who compete in the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I.

The challenging 18-hole Palouse Ridge Golf Club opened in 2008, an overdue upgrade of the nine-hole WSU course.

Pullman is the site of the flagship campus of Washington State University (WSU), a member of the Pac-12 Conference (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.

[35] State Route 270 provides east–west connections between Pullman and Moscow, Idaho, and shares the same corridor as the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail.

[36][37] The city is also served by Pullman Transit, which provides bus service for residents and WSU students who do not live on campus.

[38] The agency has also provided additional shuttle services during major events at the Washington State University campus, including home football games.