The secret history of Washington's most explosive urban center

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Tri-Cities of Washington might look like a standard mid-sized metropolitan area, but their growth was fueled by a top-secret Manhattan Project facility. From nuclear weapons production to a multi-billion dollar waste cleanup, this region's identity is inextricably linked to some of the 20th century's most consequential science.

Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland form the Tri-Cities, a continuous metropolitan zone situated where the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima Rivers meet. While Pasco was the first to incorporate in 1891 due to its railroad station and irrigation potential, the region remained largely rural until the 1940s. The landscape shifted dramatically in 1943 with the founding of the Hanford Site. This top-secret Manhattan Project facility required an overnight population explosion, with the government building infrastructure for over 45,000 workers. Residents of Richland lived in a state of secrecy; the true purpose of the site remained unknown until the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

During the Cold War, Hanford persisted in manufacturing nuclear weaponry components after the conclusion of World War II. Environmental restoration became the primary objective once the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. This transition saved the region from becoming a 'ghost town,' though it introduced massive economic and environmental complexities. The United States currently hosts one of its most extensive decontamination operations at this location. The process of vitrification—turning 53 million gallons of nuclear waste into glass—is a centerpiece of this effort. While original cleanup estimates in the 1990s were around $50 billion, the projected cost to complete the work by 2078 has ballooned to between $300 and $640 billion.

The region's economy remains deeply tied to this legacy, with 18 percent of all jobs in Benton and Franklin counties being nuclear-related, research-related, or engineering. This industrial backbone is balanced by a robust agricultural sector and a growing educational hub, including Washington State University Tri-Cities. Despite the semi-arid climate and periodic dust storms, the area has maintained a stable economic climate, supported by federal funding for Hanford's cleanup and a diverse influx of retirees and corporations since the 1990s.

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