Welcome to Richland

Richland  is situated on the west bank of the Columbia River north of its confluence with the Yakima River in Benton County in the northern area of  the Tri-Cities region. The other two cities in this region are Kennewick, also in Benton County, and Pasco in Franklin County.  There are many opportunities for viewing wildlife in the Yakima River delta and wetlands.  The Friends of Badger Mountain have information about enjoying more of nature in the Richland area.

Captain Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (see the Lewis and Clark Trail) visited the mouth of the Yakima River during the westbound journey in 1805.  The Wanapum, Yakama and Walla Walla Indians who were native to this area harvested salmon as they entered the Yakima River.

The Academy of Children's Theatre, Camerata Musica, the Mid-Columbia Symphony, the Richland Light Opera Company, the Richland Players and the Washington State University Tri-Cities Exhibition Center are among Richland's contribution to the cultural life of the city and the region.

The Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology tells the story of the Columbia River Basin and the surrounding region.  It overlooks the Columbia River.

The Online Encyclopedia of Washington History has several articles on the history of Richland and its people, including and overview of the history of Benton County, construction of the Hanford reactor site, the establishment of the Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory and the flood of 1948.  Use the search option on the encyclopedia's web site for more articles.

The Hanford Reach National Monument is north of Richland and West Richland.  See also Hanford Reach National Monument Heritage & Visitor Center (The Reach, the Department of Energy Hanford Site and the B-Reactor Museum Association).  This facility played an important role in the Manhattan Project and the growth of the Tri-City region.

There is a good selection of lodging and dining facilities in Richland and the Tri-City area making it a good base for exploring the wineries and historic sites in the area.

The City of Richland, the City of West Richland, the Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau have additional information for planning travel to Richland and the Tri-City region on their web sites.

Transportation:   Ben Franklin Transit provides bus services throughout the Tri-Cities region.  This site also has a useful map of the service area.

Pasco and the Tri-Cities region are well served by major highways:  Interstate 82, which runs northwest to southeast from Interstate 90 in Ellensburg, WA to Interstate 84 near Pendleton in Oregon; US395, a major north-to-south highway serving eastern Washington and Oregon running from Spokane southbound to eventually California and Nevada; and US12, a west-to-east route crossing Washington state from its junction with US101 at Aberdeen on the coast to Lewiston in Idaho and points east.

Airports:   Richland Airport provides general aviation services.  Tri-Cities Airport on the north side of Pasco provides commercial passenger and general aviation services.  

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