The Tri-Cities are three closely linked cities at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia Rivers in the Columbia Basin of Eastern Washington. The cities border one another, making the Tri-Cities seem like one uninterrupted mid-sized city. The three cities function as the center of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, which consists of Benton and Franklin counties. The Tri-Cities urban area consists of the city of West Richland, the CDPs of West Pasco and Finley, as well as the CDP of Burbank, despite the latter being located in Walla Walla County.
Richland is a city in Benton County, Washington, United States. It is located in southeastern Washington state at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 48,058, with a 2019 estimate from the Census Bureau putting its population at 58,225. Along with the nearby cities of Pasco and Kennewick, Richland is one of the Tri-Cities, and is home to the Hanford nuclear site.
Benton County is a county in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 175,177. The county seat is Prosser, and its largest city is Kennewick. The Columbia River demarcates the county's north, south, and east boundaries.
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers and across from the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities. The population was 73,917 at the 2010 census; the Census Bureau estimates the city's population to be 84,347 as of July 1, 2019.
Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon. It runs 144 miles (232 km) from its northwestern terminus at I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington, to its southeastern terminus at I-84 in Hermiston, Oregon. The highway passes through Yakima and the Tri-Cities, and is also part of the link between Seattle and Boise, Idaho. I-82 travels concurrently with U.S. Route 97 (US 97) between Ellensburg and Union Gap; US 12 from Yakima to the Tri-Cities; and US 395 from Kennewick and Umatilla, Oregon.
Pasco is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 59,781 at the 2010 census, and 75,432 as of the July 1, 2019 Census Bureau estimate.
Interstate 182 (I-182) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Washington. It serves as a connector from I-82 to the Tri-Cities region, crossing the Columbia River on the Interstate 182 Bridge between Richland and Pasco. I-182 is concurrent with U.S. Route 12 (US 12) for its entire 15 miles (24 km) and also intersects State Route 240 (SR 240) and US 395.
Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane, the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the Palouse. Unlike in Western Washington, the climate is dry, including some desert environments.
Kamiakin High School is a public high school in Kennewick, Washington, the second of three comprehensive high schools in the Kennewick School District. Kamiakin opened in the fall of 1970 and serves the district's northwest portion. The school colors are scarlet and gold and the mascot is the Braves.
State Route 397 (SR 397) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving the Tri-Cities region. It primarily functions as a truck route through industrial areas in Finley, Kennewick, and Pasco, running 22 miles (35 km) between junctions with Interstate 82 (I-82) and I-182. The highway crosses the Columbia River on the Cable Bridge, built in 1978 to replace an earlier bridge.
The Tri-City Herald is a daily newspaper based in Kennewick, Washington, United States. Owned by The McClatchy Company, the newspaper serves southeastern Washington state, including the three cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. The Herald also serves the smaller cities of Benton City, Connell, Prosser and West Richland. It is the only major English-language newspaper in Washington east of Yakima and south of Spokane, and includes local and national news, opinion columns, sports information, movie listings and comic strips among other features.
The Blue Bridge is a four-lane arch-truss bridge connecting Pasco, Washington to Kennewick, Washington. U.S. Route 395 crosses the Columbia River via this bridge. The name comes from the blue paint used on the truss superstructure, with white paint on the suspension beams. The bridge was painted green at time of construction. It is one of three bridges connecting Pasco to the other members of the Tri-Cities of Washington, along with the Cable Bridge to the east and the Interstate 182 Bridge from Richland to the northwest.
State Route 240 (SR 240) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. It travels diagonally from northwest to southwest within Benton County, serving the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the Tri-Cities region. The highway begins at a junction with SR 24 and travels around Richland on a limited-access bypass. From there, it briefly overlaps Interstate 182 (I-182) and continues southeast as a freeway along the Columbia River into Kennewick, terminating at an interchange with U.S. Route 395 (US 395). SR 240 is one of the busiest highways in the Tri-Cities region, with a daily average of 76,000 vehicles on a section crossing the Yakima River Delta.
Gesa Stadium is a Minor League Baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Pasco, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is the home field of the Tri-City Dust Devils of the High-A West.
KALE is a radio station licensed to Richland, Washington, United States, the station serves the Tri-Cities, Washington area. The station is owned by Stephens Media Group.
The Interstate 182 (I-182) Bridge, officially the Lee–Volpentest Bridges, is the collective name for a pair of bridges carrying Interstate 182 over the Columbia River between Pasco and Richland in the U.S. state of Washington. They are named after Glenn C. Lee, publisher of the Tri-City Herald, and Sam Volpentest, a prominent local businessman. It is one of three bridges connecting Pasco to the other members of the Tri-Cities of Washington, along with the Cable Bridge and the Blue Bridge.
Ben Franklin Transit is the operator of public transportation in Franklin and Benton counties in the U.S. state of Washington. Seventeen routes provide local service for the three component urban areas of the Tri-Cities: Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. Five routes connect the Tri-Cities metro area, as well as extend to the municipalities of Benton City, Prosser, and West Richland. Most routes run six days a week. Bus service runs between 6AM and 10:00PM, Monday-Friday and 7AM and 10:00PM on Saturdays and select holidays. Trans+Plus covers the Tri-Cities portion of the service area 8:30PM to 12:00AM Monday-Saturday and 7:30AM to 6:00pm on Sundays. There is also an ADA Paratransit service Dial-a-Ride for those who are physically unable to use the regular transit bus service.
The Kennewick–Pasco–Richland metropolitan area—colloquially referred to as the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, and officially known as the Kennewick–Richland, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area—is an metropolitan area consisting of Benton and Franklin counties in Washington state, anchored by the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. As of April 1, 2017, the Washington State Office of Financial Management, Forecasting Division estimates the population of the metropolitan area to be 283,830, making it the third-largest metropolitan area located entirely in Washington, after the Seattle metropolitan area and the Spokane metropolitan area. Although it is located outside of the metropolitan area, the CDP of Burbank is part of the Tri-Cities urban area.
The McNary Levee System, also known as the Tri-Cities Levees, is an appurtenant or dam-related structure to McNary Lock and Dam, and consists of three groups of levee segments along the banks of the Columbia River that provide flood risk reduction for portions of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, Washington. The levee group names are based on location and are identified as the Kennewick Levees, Pasco Levees, and Richland Levees. Lake Wallula behind McNary Lock and Dam is about 63 miles long and includes 242 miles of shoreline and a drainage area of 214,000 square miles. The McNary Levee System consists of about 16.8 miles of earthen levees and 11 operational pump plants that remove agricultural runoff, groundwater migration, and rainfall runoff. Construction of the McNary Levee System began in 1950 and was completed in 1954.
The following is a timeline of the history of the Tri-Cities, an area of the U.S. state of Washington encompassing the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland.
