Kennewick

Understand

The discovery of Kennewick Man along the banks of the Columbia River provides evidence of Native Americans' settlement of the area for at least 9,000 years. American settlers began moving into the region in the late 19th century as transportation infrastructure was built to connect Kennewick to other settlements along the Columbia River.

Kennewick and the greater Tri-Cities region were developed as one of the secret sites of the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s. In nearby Richland, the Hanford Nuclear Site is the home to the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor. The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 contained plutonium produced in Hanford. Today, the nuclear site has changed its mission from plutonium enrichment to environmental clean up and restoration. A major employer of many residents in Kennewick is Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's major national laboratories.

In modern times, agriculture has been a major factor in the area's economy. Wheat is the most widely grown crop in the region, as well as fruit such as apples, cherries, and grapes (the region is home to more than 160 wineries). This is due mainly to the high quality of the region's soil and the ease of irrigation made possible by three nearby rivers (Columbia, Snake and Yakima Rivers).

Tourist information

• Visit Tri-cities website

Get in

By air

Tri-Cities Airport, 2 mi northwest of Pasco, is the third largest commercial airport in Washington. It operates flights daily to and from Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver and Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

By train

* Amtrak Empire Builder makes a once daily trip in each direction between Portland and Spokane via Vancouver, WA; Bingen, Wishram and Pasco. The train joins (or splits going westbound) with the other branch coming from (or going to) Seattle in Spokane. Eastbound trains continue to Chicago from Spokane. The Amtrak intermodal station, which is shared with Greyhound and Grape Line buses, is a facility in Pasco, close to major hotels and attractions

By bus

By car

US Highway 395 (US-395) is one of Kennewick's busiest roads, running right through the center of the city north and south. Oregonians can easily travel to Kennewick, as it is less than an hour's drive from the Washington-Oregon border.

• From Spokane: Take I-90/US 395 West to Ritzville. At Ritzville, US-395 continues South from I-90, stay on US-395 until you get to Kennewick.
• From Walla Walla: Take US-12 into Pasco. In Pasco, US-12 is also I-182, exit at US-395 South (Exit 12A) and cross the Columbia River.

Interstate 82 (I-82) runs along the southern edge of the Tri-Cities.

• From Seattle and Tacoma: Take I-90 across the Cascade Mountains until I-82 in Ellensburg. Just past Ellensburg, take I-82 South (signed as East), passing through Yakima and Prosser, until you reach I-182 East, then take Hwy 240 to reach Kennewick. You can also reach Kennewick by continuing on I-82 SE until you reach either Badger Rd. or US-395.
• From Portland, Oregon: Take I-84 through the Gorge to I-82 West, signs for Hermiston. See below. Highway 14 on the Washington side is more scenic, but longer.
• From Oregon: Take I-82 across the OR/WA border. After about 20 miles, exit off of I-82 onto US-395.

For driving conditions around Kennewick and in the greater Tri-Cities region, check the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) website.

Get around

By bus

By car

Streets are wide and logically laid out. Kennewick is more spread out than other cities its size, so there is almost no traffic.

Main east/west thoroughfares are 10th Ave on the south end, Clearwater in the center which connects with Kennwick Ave to serve the Downtown, and Canal Dr at the north. You can also utilize Highway 240 Eastbound to quickly get from one side of Kennewick to the other.

Main north/south thoroughfares are also conveniently laid out. Steptoe runs from Clearwater to Highway 240 on the west end, Columbia Center Blvd traverses the width of the city from Col. Park Trail to the southern limit, intersecting Highway 240 along the way. Kellogg runs straight through the center of town, intersecting Canal Dr and 10th Ave. Finally, US-395 serves the east end and is known as Ely Street on some maps and signs.

There are only 3 places where you can cross the river into Pasco: I-182, 395/240, and 397/Chemical Drive

Car rentals are available through Avis, Enterprise and Hertz at the Tri-Cities air terminal.

Stay safe

During the summer, the temperature in the Tri-Cities often exceeds 100 °F. If you plan on being outside for long periods of time, drink plenty of water and limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine to prevent dehydration and heat stroke.

The city enjoys a crime rate that is well below the national average; violent crime is almost non-existent. The most widely reported crime in the city is theft. As with any travel destination, if you take the proper precautions to keep your possessions safe, you should have no problems at all during your stay.

Go next

• Idaho - the state line is a little over 2 hours away.
• Oregon - the state line is only about a 1/2 hour away.
• Spokane - about 2 hours away.
• Seattle - about 3½ hours away.
• Portland - slightly closer than Seattle.