>see Walla Walla in eastern Washington

Calling Walla Walla a college town is laughable at best compared to places like Pullman, Cheney, Ellensburg, and Bellingham where either a majority or a large percentage of the population (ie like 30-60% of the population) is students. Growing up in a real college town, you notice when all the students leave and when they come back. Plus large public universities bring events to smaller towns like Pullman that wouldn't have happened in a city of the same size without a large university.