BTW, I attended college in a large East Coast city and loved it. We also live the fairly cosmopolitan Bay Area, but my daughter loves Whitman and Walla Walla. Some kids may be drawn to more urban areas, but I think the relative isolation of Whitman is what makes it such a strong (and vibrant) community. At least that is the feeling my daughter has come away with after visits there. She really likes Walla Walla. There are any number of U.S. colleges situated in more rural locations. Whitman happens to be one of them. It’s all about fit.
As for pain to get to…I have to say I experienced more delays in taking cross-country flights to my college than I’ve experienced getting to Walla Walla. Sure I’ve only done it three times, but in talking to a number of others who make the trip regularly it’s not that big of a deal…Heck, a couple weeks ago it took me longer to get from the East Bay to SF than it took me to get to Walla Walla from here. 