Richland Washington

Richland Washington

In Benton County in Southeastern Washington lays Richland – a city situated at the confluence of the Yakima River and the Columbia River - also known as Tricity with Pasco and Kennewick for company. Richland is more famous for being center of production and research in nuclear energy and related technology and home to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)) since 1965.

Predominantly an agriculture-based city thanks to highly favorable Columbia Basin, Richland becomes a but-natural choice for a base for food processing companies like ConAgra/Lamb-Weston.

The production of wine is another main industry at Richland facilitated by the excellent produce grown at the Columbia Basin. In fact, Richland is internationally acclaimed for its flourishing viticulture comprising of four major Washington appellations, namely 7,000 hectares of wine grapes plantations at the Columbia Valley appellation, 5,000 hectares of the Yakima Valley appellation on the west, 500 hectares of the Walla Walla Valley to the east and 350 hectares of the Red Mountain to the immediate west. Wineries are situated in Richland in abundance, including names like Barnard Griffin Winery, Bookwalter Winery and Tagaris Winery.

W R Amon and his son Howard laid down the foundation of Richland in 1904-05, when they bought 2,300 acres of land on the north bank of Yakima river as a town site. They registered the site with the Benton County courthouse in 1906 upon its approval as Richland by the postal authorities 1905. Finally, on April 28,1910, the city was incorporated as Washington's fourth-class city.

Delving deeper into history reveals that the Army Corps of Engineer mostly planned Richland. During World War II, the US Army purchased 1660 km² of this sleepy little farm town to turn it into a bedroom community for workers on its Manhattan project. By the end of World War II, the population increased from 300 to 25,000 and access to the city was restricted to residents and other personnel authorized by US army. Housing and other facilities were assigned to residents for a token rent. In 1947, the cold war with the Soviet Union assumed prominence and revived the US nuclear program by all means, which in turn gave a boost to the population of Richland once again.

Since World War days, the government owned the entire property at Richland. However, government decided to get out of the landlord business in 1957 and sold the real estate in the area to the residents. In 1958, Richland was incorporated as a self-governed chartered First Class City. However, the city still remained primarily financially dependent on Hanford site as the mission continued for years during cold war. Even now Hanford site provides prominent employment in the area with local residents employed with it in its environmental cleanup mission.

As regards recreation, sports and other outdoor activities, Richland provides ideal environs for golf, boating, water skiing, fishing, kayaking and waterfowl hunting opportunities.

Technology in Richland Washington

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, Washington Closure 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, Areva creating nuclear fuel, Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. providing technology services and the U.S. Department of Energy which operates the Hanford Site.

Richland Wa Agriculture

Agriculture is important in the Richland area; the Tri-Cities area of the Columbia Basin grows excellent produce. Richland hosts an important food processor, ConAgra/Lamb-Weston, which processes potatoes and other foods. The production of wine in the lower Columbia Basin has become one of the main industries.

Richland Wa Viticulture

Richland lies at the center of a flourishing viticulture area which produces internationally recognized wines in four major Washington appellations and serves as an ideal center for wine tours. The Columbia Valley appellation which surrounds Richland contains over 7,000 hectares planted to wine grapes. On the west the Yakima Valley appellation includes 5,000 hectares. To the east, the Walla Walla Valley appellation includes 500 hectares of wine grapes. To the immediate west, Red Mountain, 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 regional wineries. Another 20 wineries lie within a 15-minute drive from Richland, and more than 100 wineries within a 60-mile radius.

Richland Business and Industry

The Tri-City Industrial Development Council promotes both agricultural related and technology related industries in the region.

Education in Richland

The Richland School District serves the cities of Richland and West Richland with eight elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools, Richland High School, Rivers Edge High School, and Hanford High School. The school district 2006 budget is about $70 million. There are 10,150 students and 1,100 employees. Columbia Basin College has a branch campus in Richland and the Washington State University, Tri-Cities campus is located in North Richland.

Richland Washington Geography

Richland is located at 46°16′47″N, 119°16′53″W (46.279657, -119.281377). 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 (7.79%) is water. Elevation at the airport is 120 m (394 ft).

People and Culture ~ Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,708 people, 15,549 households, and 10,682 families residing in the city. The population density was 429.2/km² (1,111.8/mi²). There were 16,458 housing units at an average density of 182.5/km² (472.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 4.72% of the population. There were 15,549 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $53,092, and the median income for a family was $61,482. Males had a median income of $52,648 versus $30,472 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,494. About 5.7% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. 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.

Richland Wa Recreation

Richland's exceptional climate makes golf 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 in Richland

Richland has developed a number of parks, several of them fronting on the Columbia and Yakima Rivers. The rivers provide boating, water skiing, fishing, kayaking and waterfowl hunting opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast. Snow skiing and hiking are no more than 1-2 hours away. Richland lies within a semi-arid, shrub-steppe environment, and has a number of interesting natural areas within or contiguous to the city: The Yakima River delta and wetlands lie within Richland and provide habitat for many birds and animals. The area around the Yakima delta provides a wooded variation of the normal shrub-steppe. the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve, located on the edge of Richland in the Richland GMA area, provides a spectacular view of the Tri-Cities as well as the Columbia and Yakima rivers. A non-profit group, Friends of Badger Mountain, worked to procure this shrub-steppe area that has most native vegetation intact and then in 2005 built a trail to the summit so others can enjoy it. The 2-kilometer trail rises 300 meters above the trailhead in Richland.

The Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, at the western edge of Richland on the Hanford Reservation, is the last remaining large block of undisturbed shrub-steppe habitat in the Pacific Northwest. The site has been closed to public since the 1940's, preserving its character. It is managed as an environmental research area and wildlife reserve. North of Richland, the Hanford Reach, the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River in the U.S., provides both excellent sightseeing and superior salmon fishing. This free-flowing stretch flows through the Hanford Reach National Monument, which was created by Presidential proclamation in 2000, is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Volunteers are working to construct an interpretive center on Richland's Columbia Point at the confluence of the Yakima a Columbia; as of January 2006, $22M of the necessary funds are in hand and construction is expected later in the year.

Richland Washington Professional Sports

Three professional sports teams are found in the immediate area:
The Tri-City Americans WHL ice hockey team plays in Kennewick.
The Tri-City Dust Devils Single-A baseball team (affiliated with the Colorado Rockies) plays in Pasco.
The Tri-Cities Fever indoor football team, a member of the National Indoor Football League, plays in Kennewick.

Little League World Series
In 2003, Richland was represented in the Little League World Series by Richland National Little League of Washington District 5. Richland defeated Pearl City Little League in the regional final in San Bernardino, California. See Wikipedia, Richland Washington.