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The Tri-Cities is an area of the state of Washington that is made up of three neighboring cities:
Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, and is ranked as the 191st most populous metropolitan area of the
U.S. The cities are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the
desert region of Southeastern Washington. A fourth neighboring city, West Richland, is generally
included as part of the Tri-City area and region.
Tri-Cities, Washington History:
Pasco was the first of the Tri-Cities to be incorporated, in 1891. Kennewick was incorporated
in 1904, and Richland followed in 1910. West Richland was founded by dissatisfied residents of
Richland, who wished to be home owners rather than renters of government owned houses, after the
arrival of Hanford. Despite attempts by Richland to annex the community, they remained separate
and eventually became incorporated in 1955.
Pasco was the largest city in the Tri-Cities until the founding of Hanford, mostly thanks
to its railroad station. It also had the most land for easy irrigation and farming. As
noted above, farming was the basis of almost everything in the early years. Richland became
the largest city, followed by Kennewick, over this time period. Richland High School adopted
"Bombers" as its mascot (complete with mushroom cloud). In 1970, Kamiakin High School was
founded in response to the continued influx of people. The economy continued to grow, but
not without some turbulence. Every time the federal government cut funding at Hanford,
thousands of talented, credentialed people would suddenly become jobless and quickly leave
for other jobs. During this time, other employers slowly made their way into the area, but
they too would often be forced to cut back jobs in the bad times. During the 1970s, Kennewick
overtook Richland as the biggest city of the three and has not surrendered the title since.
The Columbia Center Mall was built on land newly incorporated into Kennewick, drawing growth
to western Kennewick and south Richland.
Completion of the Interstate 182 bridge in 1984 made Pasco much more accessible, fueling
the growth of that city. With the end of the Cold War, many in the area feared a
shutdown of Hanford, followed by the Tri-Cities quickly becoming a ghost town. These
fears were allayed after the United States Department of Energy switched the facility's
purpose from the creation of nuclear weapons to the effective sealing and disposal of
radioactive waste. During the 1990s, several major corporations entered the Tri-Cities,
which helped to begin diversifying the economy apart from the Hanford sector. In 1995,
a sixth public high school, Southridge High School, was founded. The 2000s saw continued
rapid growth as the Hanford site hired hundreds of workers to help with the cleanup
effort. Additionally, the Tri-Cities saw a large influx of retirees from various areas of
the Northwest. During this time, and the corresponding nationwide housing boom, all three
cities flourished and grew significantly.
Tri-Cities Businesses Wanted
Have a computer or internet related business in Tri-Cities, Washington?
We would like to talk to you about becoming a reseller of our services.
Contact Us to request more information or a copy of
our resellers agreement.
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