1980s–1990s The Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a major national laboratory in RichlandĬompletion of the Interstate 182 Bridge in 1984 made Pasco much more accessible, fueling the growth of that city. The Columbia Center Mall opened in 1969 on land newly incorporated into Kennewick, drawing growth to western Kennewick and south Richland. Since the 1970s, Kennewick has had the greatest population of the three cities. During this time, other employers slowly made their way into the area, but they too would often be forced to cut jobs in the bad times. Every time the Hanford facilities experienced reduced funding, thousands of people would suddenly become jobless. The economy continued to grow, but not without some turbulence. In 1970, Kamiakin High School (in the neighboring city of Kennewick) was founded in response to the continued influx of people. Richland's Columbia High School adopted "Bombers" as its mascot (complete with mushroom cloud logo). Even today, agriculture is a big part of the Tri-Cities, Pasco in particular.Īfter the founding of the Hanford Site in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, Richland became the largest city of the three overnight. It did not have a daily newspaper or radio station until the mid-1940s. Indeed, the area remained mostly rural well into the 1940s. It also had the most land for easy irrigation and farming and was still the largest up until the founding of Hanford near Richland.įarming was the basis of virtually every sector of the economy in the early years. Pasco was the largest city in the Tri-Cities, mostly due to its railroad station. Despite attempts by Richland to annex the community, they remained separate and eventually became incorporated in 1955. West Richland-a suburb of Richland, as well as the fourth largest city in the metropolitan area-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. Kennewick was incorporated in 1904, and Richland followed in 1910. Pasco was the first of the Tri-Cities to be incorporated, in 1891. Main article: Timeline of the Tri-Cities, Washington Founding Central Richland as seen from Badger Mountain In 2010, Kiplinger rated the Tri-Cities among the Top 10 best places to raise a family, and CNN/Money ranked the Tri-Cities one of the top 10 best bets for gains in housing value, due to its relatively stable economic conditions since the early 2000s. Pasco is the seat of Franklin County, while the other two cities are located in Benton County. The Tri-Cities Airport is located in Pasco and provides the region with commercial and private air service. As of April 1, 2021, the Washington State Office of Financial Management, Forecasting Division estimates the cities as having a combined population of 224,640. The combined population of the three principal cities themselves was 220,959 at the 2020 census. MSA estimates show the Tri-Cities population as over 300,000. The official 2016 estimate of the Tri-Cities MSA population is 283,869, a more than 12% increase from 2010. The Tri-Cities urban area consists of the city of West Richland, the census-designated places (CDP) of West Pasco, Washington and Finley, as well as the CDP of Burbank, despite the latter being located in Walla Walla County. The three cities function as the center of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, which consists of Benton and Franklin counties. The cities border one another, making the Tri-Cities seem like one uninterrupted mid-sized city. The Tri-Cities are three closely linked cities ( Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland) at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia Rivers in the Columbia Basin of Eastern Washington.
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