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. Each city borders 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.
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.
The Tri-City Dust Devils are a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the High-A West and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home games at Gesa Stadium, which opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 3,654.
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.
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 Columbia Basin News was a morning daily newspaper published in Pasco, Washington in the United States from 1950 to 1963.
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.
Columbia Park is a public park located in Benton County, Washington, United States. The park comprises the 400-acre (160 ha) Columbia Park East in Kennewick, and the adjacent 50-acre (20 ha) Columbia Park West in Richland. Together, the parks function as a single 450-acre (180 ha) park with 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of shoreline along the Columbia River. The park is a popular destination for residents of the Tri-Cities.
Delta High School is a high school in Pasco, Washington, United States. It provides a STEM-based curriculum for students in grades 9-12 from three school districts in the Tri-Cities area. The school is operated as a collaborative effort by the Kennewick School District, Pasco School District, and Richland School District, and in partnerships with a local skill center, colleges, and businesses. The school has been designated by the State of Washington as an Existing Innovative School.
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.
Howard Amon Park is a multi-use recreation area on the shore of the Columbia River in Richland in the U.S. state of Washington. The original arch at the entrance to the park was the first thing in the city when it was incorporated in 1912, but has since been replaced. The park is named after Howard Amon, one of Richland's early settlers.
Mid-Columbia Libraries is a library system in Eastern Washington. There were 250,500 people in its service area in 2018, which spans the Tri-Cities metropolitan area except for Richland, which retains a city library: West Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco, and surrounding Benton, Franklin, and parts of Adams Counties are part of Mid-Columbia. It was founded in 1948, originally to serve patrons in unincorporated parts of the counties. As of 2016, the last city to be annexed was Kennewick, and several cities which were still independent on paper, including Pasco and West Richland, paid Mid-Columbia to gain patronage rights for city residents. The system considered expanding to cover Walla Walla County Rural Library District in 2012.
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.
