Pullman area mild summers? (Spokane, Cheney: crime, house, employment)

[Dizzwhiz]

We are looking to relocate from the Dallas, TX area to escape the deadly heat, awful humidity, horrible conditions for allergies, and crime. I have heard the Pullman area is nice. We don't care about cold winters; we love snow.

[skinem]

By Texas standards, western or eastern Texas, Pullman has mild summers. The single biggest difference you'll find is the difference in humidity. It is so much lower in Pullman.
Many people's allergies leave or often lessen when they go to eastern WA--it's pretty dry. When my family moved from Tennessee for me to go home, we moved not far from Pullman, towards Tri-Cities, so it was drier. It was dry enough that my wife had nosebleeds for awhile--it was the first time she'd been out of the humidity!

Winters are pretty mild as well.

Now, if you're allergic to wheat, you may have an issue in Pullman!

Pullman's close enough to Spokane so you can have some decent shopping with not a ridiculous drive. Mountains in Idaho are close...the University brings in some first-class entertainment and Division I sports. All still with a small town feel.

All in all, not a bad place.

[j_k_k]

Pullman itself is pretty much a town built around a university. Nearly everything there revolves around the Cougs, so if you like college towns it might be the ultimate college town. Were it not for WSU, they'd just plant wheat or lentils there. Probably the only crime in Pullman is underage drinking/drunk driving. Easy to get college football tickets for most games. And if you really really like CFB, Moscow is eight miles away. You could probably attend a game every weekend if you liked it (and I'm not sure I've ever met a Texan that didn't care about college football).

Cold winters, hot summers. Doesn't rain much; does get some snow, more than we do a couple hours and change to the west.

[Dizzwhiz]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

Pullman itself is pretty much a town built around a university. Nearly everything there revolves around the Cougs, so if you like college towns it might be the ultimate college town. Were it not for WSU, they'd just plant wheat or lentils there. Probably the only crime in Pullman is underage drinking/drunk driving. Easy to get college football tickets for most games. And if you really really like CFB, Moscow is eight miles away. You could probably attend a game every weekend if you liked it (and I'm not sure I've ever met a Texan that didn't care about college football).

Cold winters, hot summers. Doesn't rain much; does get some snow, more than we do a couple hours and change to the west.

Well, thanks, but we have no interest at all in college football, but then we aren't native Texans either.
We just need to live within 45 miles or so of WSU so my wife can go to school there. Our dream is to find a quiet place out in the country to live with at least an acre or 2 of land. It would also need to be within 45 miles of a large hospital, nursing home or rehabilitation center so I can find work.
I am a bit alarmed by your statement of "hot summers." The info we pulled made it look like the Pullman area had only about 10 days all year that got above 90F, with many summer days in the 70s or cooler even. Is this not the case?

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by Dizzwhiz

Well, thanks, but we have no interest at all in college football, but then we aren't native Texans either.
We just need to live within 45 miles or so of WSU so my wife can go to school there. Our dream is to find a quiet place out in the country to live with at least an acre or 2 of land. It would also need to be within 45 miles of a large hospital, nursing home or rehabilitation center so I can find work.
I am a bit alarmed by your statement of "hot summers." The info we pulled made it look like the Pullman area had only about 10 days all year that got above 90F, with many summer days in the 70s or cooler even. Is this not the case?

On researching, seems you're right about the temps. It always seemed hot in Pullman in summer, but maybe I was just there on some of the spiking days.

I don't know about medical facilities. Maybe in Moscow, which isn't far from Pullman. On the whole, it sounds like Cheney would be more like your place: close access to EWU and Gonzaga, and plenty of medical employment possibilities in Spokane, which is significantly larger than Pullman and Moscow combined. Also, Cheney is a very small college town where it isn't far at all to the country, and there have got to be plenty of rural places to live with a spot of land.

[skinem]

Originally Posted by Dizzwhiz

Well, thanks, but we have no interest at all in college football, but then we aren't native Texans either.
We just need to live within 45 miles or so of WSU so my wife can go to school there. Our dream is to find a quiet place out in the country to live with at least an acre or 2 of land. It would also need to be within 45 miles of a large hospital, nursing home or rehabilitation center so I can find work.
I am a bit alarmed by your statement of "hot summers." The info we pulled made it look like the Pullman area had only about 10 days all year that got above 90F, with many summer days in the 70s or cooler even. Is this not the case?

I lived for years not too far from Pullmanl; we used to play Pullman High in school--I do know the weather there first hand. You are right about the heat. It's not that bad, nor that often. I know some family who says it feels hotter maybe because it can LOOK hot what with all the golden hills...
I don't know what the definition of a large hospital is, but I do know that Pullman and Moscow both serve quite a surrounding population. I have family coming up often from Clarkston/Lewiston for various things. (There are also smaller hospitals there, roughly 45 minutes away.)
There are also nursing homes and rehab centers in Pullman, Moscow, Lewiston, Clarkston.

Cheney is not near as much a college town as Pullman is, different size colleges; and Spokane is close enough that Cheney is in many respects a bedroom community.
The countryside is significantly different, (more trees and water around Cheney) and Cheney is just far enough north and higher that the winters are definitely more, well, winter-like.

[Dizzwhiz]

Thank you. This information is helpful. We definitely do not expect a paradise, we know there are trade offs. We will cheerfully take cold snowy winters and 45-minute drives to school or work in exchange for the miserable deadly heat of Texas. We need to find a rural place to live (buy not rent) within driving distance of a college with a veterinary program and jobs for me. (I am a Speech Language Pathologist)

[skinem]

Originally Posted by Dizzwhiz

Thank you. This information is helpful. We definitely do not expect a paradise, we know there are trade offs. We will cheerfully take cold snowy winters and 45-minute drives to school or work in exchange for the miserable deadly heat of Texas. We need to find a rural place to live (buy not rent) within driving distance of a college with a veterinary program and jobs for me. (I am a Speech Language Pathologist)

Vet school? Well, that narrows it right down, as WSU has the only vet program in the state...

Sounds like it's Pullman for you!

[tindo80]

Pullman has mostly dry summers, hot by WA standards, but dry and mild by Texas standards (I moved from Texas to Pullman for school years ago).

That being said, the last time I was there, it snowed in early June (this time last year), so you never can tell. You wont find humidity to be the problem it is in texas. The problems you will find when leaving dallas-

1. Not much to do comparably. There are a few bars (very few comparably to other similar sized towns) and most of them cater to students. Theres a few movie theaters, lots of wildlife places if you are willing to drive 30 or so minutes, but other than that, nada.

2. The food choice is DRASTICALLY decreased. Get your fill of Whataburger, taco cabana, taco bell (there is one in moscow), burger king, chic fil a, any fried chicken vendors other than kfc, and sonics. Pullman has 2 McDonalds, a Dairy Queen, an Arbys and a Jack in the box. It once had many more choices, but the town (business and commercially) has been shrinking for a number of years and I dont think the trend will stop in this economy.

3. Be prepared to drive 1.2 hours to spokane to get any real shopping (target, Fred Meyer *kmart equivalent for us texans- but much nicer*, shopping malls, etc).

4. I have no idea why, but as of late housing prices have skyrocketed. You will probably be paying as much or more for a house in Pullman as you did in Dallas.


Dont go into any waters until at least august, no matter how warm it is. The waters in eastern WA and N Idaho take forever to warm, and then only stay warm for about a month or two. I recommend visiting the water park in Moscow. Cheap and worth the trip.

[XXclimberX]

Summers in Pullman are considered Heaven compared to anything in Texas.