Richland, Washington
Richland is a city located in Benton County in southeastern Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima River and the Columbia River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 38,708. Along with the nearby cities of Pasco and Kennewick, Richland is one of the Tri-Cities of Washington.
History
For centuries the village of Chemna stood at the mouth of the current Yakima river. Today that village site is called Columbia Point. From this village the Wanapum, Yakama and Walla Walla Indians harvested the salmon runs entering the Yakima river. Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition visited there on October 17, 1805.
Formative years
In 1904-1905, W.R. Amon & his son Howard, purchased 2,300 acres and proposed a town site on the north bank of the Yakima river. Postal authorities approved the designation of this town site as Richland in 1905. In 1906 the town was registered at the Benton County Courthouse. It was incorporated on April 28, 1910 as a Washington Fourth Class City.
The war years
Richland was a sleepy little farm town until the US Army purchased 1660 km2 (640 square miles - half the size of Rhode Island) along the Columbia River for the war effort, evicting the 300 residents of Richland as well as those of the now vanished towns of White Bluffs and Hanford just upriver. The army turned it into a bedroom community for the workers on its Manhattan Project at the nearby Manhattan Engineering District (later the Hanford Nuclear Reservation). The population increased from 300 in July and August of 1943 to 25,000 by the end of World War II in August of 1945. Richland became a closed city (federally controlled Atomic Energy community), with access restricted to residents and other personnel authorized by the U.S. Army. Mail was postmarked Seattle and many addresses were misleading.
The end of the war
With the end of the war, that Hanford workers camp, originally located 15 miles north of Richland at the old Hanford town site, was closed down. Although many of them disbanded as the war effort wound down, some of these workers moved to Richland, offsetting the depopulation that might otherwise have occurred.
The Cold War boom
Fears that the Soviet Union’s intentions were aggressive set off the Cold War in 1947. When the Soviet Union developed and tested their first nuclear weapon in 1949, the U.S. nuclear program was reinvigorated. Richland’s Cold War construction boom resulted in Richland’s population growing to 27,000 people by 1952. Many of these people lived in a construction camp of trailers located in what is now north Richland. With time these trailers were vacated and the core city grew.
Richland was incorporated in 1958 as a chartered First Class City, an open self-governed city. Richland's dependency on the federal Hanford facility changed little at this time because Hanford's mission as a weapons materials production site continued during the Cold War years.
After the production boom
With the shutdown of the last production reactor in 1987, the area transitioned to environmental cleanup and technology. Now, many Richland residents are employed at the Hanford site in its environmental cleanup mission.
Richland contains many reminders of its past. Richland High School's sports teams are called the Bombers - complete with a mushroom cloud (at one point there was a campaign to change this to the more politically correct B-52 logo that had been used during the war, but the cloud still prevails). Some of the streets are named after generals in the US Army ( Patton Street, MacArthur Street, & Sherman Street) and after various nuclear themes, (Einstein Avenue, Curie Street, Proton Lane, Log lane, and Nuclear Lane). A local museum (Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology (CREHST)) features exhibits of nuclear technology.
Washington State University Tri-Cities was founded there in 1989, growing out of a former Joint Graduate Center which had been affiliated with the University of Washington. Richland is also home to Kadlec Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in eastern Washington. There is a developing "medical district", including a Columbia Basin College Medical Training Center near the Kadlec facility.
Economy
Technology
After the end of World War II Richland continued to be a center of production and research into nuclear energy, and related technology.
It has been the home of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory(PNNL) since 1965. One of the two Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory sites is located immediately north of Richland. Numerous smaller high technology business and expert consultants have grown up around the Richland technology center as well.
Major employers include Battelle Memorial Institute operating PNNL, Fluor Hanford, Inc. integrating work performed at Hanford, Bechtel National Inc. building a waste vitrification plant and providing waste management, Duratek Federal Services, Inc. providing services to the U.S. government, Energy Northwest generating nuclear power at a nearby reactor facility, CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc. providing technical consulting service, Framatome ANP fabricating nuclear fuel, Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. providing technology services and the U.S. Department of Energy which operates Hanford.
Agriculture
Agriculture is important in the Richland area; the Columbia basin grows excellent produce. Richland hosts an important food processor, ConAgra/Lamb-Weston, which processes potatoes and other foods.
Business and Industry
Tri-City Industrial Development Council promotes both agricultural related and technology related industries in the region.
Recreation
Viticulture
Richland lies at the center of a flourishing viticulture area which produces internationally recognized wines in four major Washington state appellations and serves as an ideal center for wine tours. The Columbia Valley appellation which surrounds Richland contains over 7000 hectares planted to wine grapes. On the west the Yakima Valley appellation includes 5000 hectares. To the east the Walla Walla Valley appellation includes 500 hectares of wine grapes. To the immediate west Red Mountain, Washington's newest appellation with only 350 hectares planted to grapes, produces world class wines (consistent award-winning Cabernet Sauvignons from Washington's first quarter-century of fine winemaking often rely on fruit from Red Mountain vineyards near Richland). Barnard Griffin Winery, Bookwalter Winery and Tagaris Winery, all located in Richland, are three of the many excellent regional wineries. Another 20 excellent wineries lie within a 15 minute drive from Richland, and more than 100 wineries within a 60 mile radius with more appearing yearly as the superior viticultural soils of the region are recognized.
Golf
Richland's exceptional climate makes golf is one of the most popular sports. Three golf courses designed for varying levels of skill are available in Richland and seven beautiful courses are found in the area.
Outdoor activities
The Columbia and Yakima rivers provide boating, water skiing, fishing and bird hunting opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast. Snow skiing and hiking are no more than 1-2 hours away.
Professional sports
Three professional sports teams are found in the immediate area:
- Tri-City Americans WHL ice hockey plays in adjacent Kennewick
- Tri-City Dust Devils baseball, affiliated with the Colorado Rockies plays in adjacent Pasco
- Tri-Cities Fever, a member of the National Indoor Football league plays in adjacent Kennewick
Geography
Richland is located at 46°16'47" North, 119°16'53" West (46.279657, -119.281377)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 97.8 km² (37.8 mi²). 90.2 km² (34.8 mi²) of it is land and 7.6 km² (2.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.79% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 38,708 people, 15,549 households, and 10,682 families residing in the city. The population density is 429.2/km² (1,111.8/mi²). There are 16,458 housing units at an average density of 182.5/km² (472.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 89.55% White, 1.37% African American, 0.76% Native American, 4.06% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.85% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. 4.72% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,549 households out of which 34.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% are non-families. 27.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $53,092, and the median income for a family is $61,482. Males have a median income of $52,648 versus $30,472 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,494. 8.2% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.8% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Richland ranks 83rd of 522 areas ranked in the state of Washington--the highest rank achieved in Benton County.
Photos
See also
References
- Richland, Celebrating Its Heritage; Barbara J. Kubik; City of Richland, Washington; 1994
- Nuclear Culture: Living & Working in the World's Largest Atomic Complex; Paul Loeb; New Society Publishers; 1986; ISBN 0-86571-088-0
- Federal City Revisited: Atomic Energy and Community Identify in Richland, Washington; Christine F. Noonan; Thesis-Ball State University; 2000
- Hanford and the Bomb; S.L. Sanger, Living History Press; 1989; ISBN 0-9624867-0-1
External links
[Richland Municipal Link] Template:Mapit-US-cityscale
More Photos
