Tri-Cities, Washington
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:P1150033.JPG The Tri-Cities in the state of Washington are Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick. They are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia Rivers in southeastern Washington. Pasco is on the north side of the Columbia, Kennewick and Richland are south of it (Kennewick is directly east of Richland). According to the 2000 census, the combined population of the Tri-Cities is 125,467, though 2005 census estimates put the population at closer to 160,000. The Tri-Cities Airport located in Pasco provides the region with commercial and private air service. Columbia Basin College is a two-year college in Pasco (with facilities in Richland), and Washington State University has a branch campus in Richland. Pasco is the seat of Franklin County, while Kennewick and Richland are located in Benton County.
Contents |
Climate and geography
Image:RichlandWaRattlesnakeYakima.jpg The Tri-Cities are in a desert climate, receiving on average of 7 - 8 inches (175 - 200 mm) of rain every year. Winds periodically exceed 30 mph (48 km/h) when Chinook wind conditions exist. There are over 300 days of sunshine every year. Temperatures range from as low as 10 degrees F (-12 °C) in the winter to as high as 110 (43 °C) in the summer. The region receives occasional snow most years. Due to the desert climate and subsequent large amounts of sand, a perpetual annoyance to residents is the amount of dust blown about by the frequent winds. Thanks to the aforementioned rivers, a large amount of cheap irrigation is available.
Washington is the most northwest of the lower 48 states—subsequently, the area is in the Pacific Standard Time Zone. The Tri-Cities makes up the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern quadrant of Washington. The large Cascade Mountain Range to the west contributes to the desert climate, which is far drier than the famously wet western side of the state. See rain shadow for more information on this phenomenon.
Industry
The Tri-Cities economy has historically been based on farming and the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. From Pasco's incorporation in 1891 on, the Tri-Cities have had a large degree of farming thanks to the excellent soil. Irrigation is made easy by the three nearby rivers. Wheat is easily the most commonly grown product; however, large amounts of apples and grapes are also grown, along with potatoes and other products. The area is well known for its fine wines.
Since the 1940s, Hanford has become the area's number one employer. The United States government decided to build a top-secret facility to produce nuclear weapons, and decided on an area just west of then-tiny Richland. The city had an overnight population explosion, which spread to Kennewick and (to a lesser extent) Pasco. Despite the huge boom, virtually no one knew what the purpose of Hanford was until the destruction of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 by a Hanford-produced weapon. After the war, Hanford continued work on creating nuclear weapons.
After the Cold War ended, Hanford switched gears and began attempting to contain the waste. See Hanford Site for more details.
Other major corporations that have facilities in (or are based in) the Tri-Cities include:
- Amazon.com
- Areva
- Battelle Memorial Institute (operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science)
Sports teams
The Tri-Cities are home to three minor league sports teams: the defending National Indoor Football League champion Tri-Cities Fever, the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, and the Tri-City Dust Devils, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the short-season class A Northwest League baseball. The Fever and Americans play in Kennewick, while the Dust Devils play in Pasco.
History
Founding
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 after the arrival of Hanford. Despite attempts by Richland to annex the community, they remained separate and eventually became incorporated in 1955. Image:RichlandWaBadgerTrail-d.jpg
Early history
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.
As noted above, farming was the basis of almost everything in the early years. As a result, many Hispanics were drawn up every autumn to harvest apples, giving the cities a temporary surge in population and employment. This surge still occurs today, but its effect is less noticeable. Because of their constant arrival, and the weather's similarity to many Latin American countries, the Tri-Cities acquired a sizable Hispanic population, which remains to this day (over half of Pasco is Hispanic as of the 2000 census). Once Hanford arrived, the area immediately became different.
1940s - 1980s
Richland became the largest city, followed by Kennewick, over this time period. Richland High School adopted "Bombers" as its mascot (replete 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. Image:RichlandWaEMSL.jpg
1990s - present
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 90's, many major corporations entered the Tri-Cities, diversifying the economy. In 1995, Southridge High School was founded. In 2005, Census Bureau figures placed Kennewick's population at over 60,000, Richland's at over 40,000, and Pasco's at almost 45,000, which marked the first time since pre-Hanford days that Pasco was more populous than Richland. According to those figures, if the Tri-Cities were to be counted as one city (along with West Richland's 10,000-plus citizens), it would be the fourth-biggest city in Washington, following Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma, with a population of just under 160,000.
Staying "The Tri-Cities"
Over the years, there has been a push to bring all four cities into one united incorporated area (or at least combining the three cities on the south side of the river—Kennewick, Richland, and West Richland). Motions that would make this happen have repeatedly failed.
Residents of West Richland and newcomers to the area often suggest that the area rename itself, since there are obviously four cities in the Tri-Cities. This suggestion is usually considered ridiculous by residents of the other cities, for the simple reason that "Quad-Cities" doesn't sound as good (as well as the fact that West Richland really doesn't measure up to the level of the three major cities). The name "Three Rivers" has recently come to be used more for the area (from the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima rivers), yet is rarely mentioned beyond professional settings.
See also
- Kennewick, Washington
- Pasco, Washington
- Richland, Washington
- West Richland, Washington
- Finley, Washington
- Benton County, Washington
- Franklin County, Washington
- List of cities in Washington
- Kennewick School District
External links
- Kennewick web site
- Richland web site
- Pasco web site
- Kennewick School District web site
- Richland School District web site
- Pasco School District web site
- Pasco Chamber of Commerce site
- Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau web site
- Tri-Cities Airport web site
- WSU Tri-Cities web site
- Hanford web site
- Battelle's web site
