Editing Richland, Washington

{{short description|City in Washington, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Richland, Washington
| official_name            = City of Richland
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| nickname                 = The Windy City, City Of the Bombers, Atomic City<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wa.14thstory.com/kiwanis-club-of-atomic-city-richland-washington.html |title=Kiwanis Club of Atomic City, Richland, Washington |access-date=January 7, 2017 |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127165534/http://wa.14thstory.com/kiwanis-club-of-atomic-city-richland-washington.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| image_skyline            = Downtown Richland.jpg
| image_caption            = View over downtown Richland in 2018
| image_flag               = Flag of Richland, Washington.svg
| image_map                = Benton_County_Washington_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Richland_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Richland, Washington
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Washington|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Benton County, Washington|Benton]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = [[Council–manager government]]
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Theresa Richardson
| leader_title1            = Mayor Pro Tempore
| leader_name1             = Sandra Kent
| established_title        = [[Municipal incorporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date         = April 28, 1910
| established_title1       = Re-incorporated
| established_date1        = December 10, 1958
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web |title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_53.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017010918/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_53.txt |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 110.38
| area_land_km2            = 101.59
| area_water_km2           = 8.79
| area_total_sq_mi         = 42.62
| area_land_sq_mi          = 39.22
| area_water_sq_mi         = 3.39
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total         = 60,560
| population_est           = 63,757
| pop_est_as_of            = 2023
| pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="Census-Estimate2023">{{cite web |date=May 2024 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 20,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2023 Population: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-ANNRNK.xlsx |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 23, 2024 |archive-date=June 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601155731/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-ANNRNK.xlsx |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_metro         = 303,501 (US: [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|164th]])
| population_urban         = 232,954 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|171st]])
| population_blank1_title  = [[Combined Statistical Area|CSA]]
| population_blank1        = 357,146 (US: [[Combined statistical area|103rd]])
| population_blank2_title  = [[Tri-Cities, Washington|Tri-Cities]]
| population_blank2        = 215,024
| population_rank          = US: 667th<br />WA: 22nd
| population_density_sq_mi = 1,345.5
| timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific (PST)]]
| utc_offset               = &minus;8
| timezone_DST             = PDT
| utc_offset_DST           = &minus;7
| elevation_ft             = 404
| coordinates              = {{Wikidatacoord|Q693638|region:US-WA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code              = 99352, 99353,99354
| area_code                = [[Area code 59|509]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 53-58235
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2410937<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2410937 }}</ref>
| website                  = [http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/ Ci.Richland.WA.US]
}}

'''Richland''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|ɪ|tʃ|l|ən|d}}) is a city in [[Benton County, Washington]], United States. It is located in southeastern Washington at the confluence of the [[Yakima River|Yakima]] and the [[Columbia River|Columbia]] Rivers. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 60,560.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QuickFacts Richland City, Washington |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/richlandcitywashington |access-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-date=June 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615184011/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/richlandcitywashington |url-status=live }}</ref> Along with the nearby cities of [[Pasco, Washington|Pasco]] and [[Kennewick, Washington|Kennewick]], Richland forms the [[Tri-Cities, Washington|Tri-Cities]] metropolitan area.

The townsite was established in 1905 and incorporated as Richland in 1910. The U.S. Army acquired the city and surrounding areas in 1943 for the establishment of the [[Hanford site|Hanford nuclear site]], part of the [[Manhattan Project]] during [[World War II]]. Richland was transformed into a bedroom community for Hanford workers and grew to 25,000 residents by the end of the war. The city remained under control of Hanford contractors until it was re-incorporated as a city in 1958.

==History==
{{main|Timeline of the Tri-Cities, Washington}}
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 indigenous [[Wanapum]], [[Yakama]] and [[Walla Walla (tribe)|Walla Walla]] peoples harvested the [[salmon]] runs entering the Yakima River. [[William Clark (explorer)|Captain William Clark]] of the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] visited the mouth of the Yakima River on October 17, 1805.<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |date=January 8, 2008 |title=Richland — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8450 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=October 23, 2024 |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004095214/https://www.historylink.org/file/8450 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Formative years===
In 1904–1905, W.R. Amon and his son Howard purchased {{convert|2300|acre|km2|0}} 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, naming it for Nelson Rich,<ref>{{cite book |last=Meany |first=Edmond S. |title=Origin of Washington geographic names |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981;view=1up;seq=260 |year=1923 |publisher=University of Washington Press |location=Seattle |page=244 |archive-date=March 16, 2021 |access-date=August 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316134242/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981&view=1up&seq=260 |url-status=live }}</ref> a state legislator and land developer. In 1906, the town was registered at the [[Benton County, Washington|Benton County]] Courthouse. It was incorporated on April 28, 1910, as a fourth-class city.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Population growth in Richland accelerated following the opening of a permanent bridge over the Yakima River in 1907 and a highway to Kennewick in 1926. A [[cable ferry]] to Pasco operated across the Columbia River from 1894 to 1931, when it was replaced by a modern bridge.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

===World War II===
[[File:HD.4D.010_(10409287065).jpg|thumb|right|Richland during the early days of the Hanford project]]

Richland was a small farm town until the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] purchased {{convert|1660|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} of land – half the size of [[Rhode Island]] – along the Columbia River during [[World War II]] for the [[Manhattan Project]]. On March 6, 1943, over 300 residents of Richland as well as those of the now vanished towns of [[White Bluffs, Washington|White Bluffs]] and [[Hanford, Washington|Hanford]] just upriver were evicted after a federal court order had condemned their properties for wartime use.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

The army transformed Richland into a [[bedroom community]] for the workers on its Manhattan Project facility at the nearby [[Hanford Engineering Works]] (now the Hanford site). The population increased from 300 in July and August 1943 to 25,000 by the end of [[World War II]] in August 1945. All land and buildings were owned by the government. Housing was assigned to residents, and token rent was collected; families were assigned to houses or duplexes; single people were placed in apartments or barracks. Everything necessary was provided, from free bus service to light bulbs, and trees were planted in people's yards by the government.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} Much of the city was planned by Spokane architect Gustav Albin Pherson and overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers. While there were dormitories and barracks built at the time, prefabricated duplexes and single-family homes are all that survive today.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Because homes were allocated based on family size and need, there were a number of floorplans available. These were each identified by a letter of the alphabet, and so came to be known as alphabet houses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=732 |format=pdf |title=Home Blown: The History of the Homes of Richland |publisher=City of Richland |access-date=November 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718120637/http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=732 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }}</ref>

Richland's link to the Army Engineers is suggested by its street nomenclature; many of the streets are named after famous engineers. The main street ([[George Washington]] Way) is named after the first president, who was a surveyor; Stevens Drive is named after [[John Frank Stevens]], chief engineer of the [[Panama Canal]] and [[Stevens Pass]]; Goethals Drive is named after [[George W. Goethals]], designer of the Panama Canal; and Thayer Drive is named after [[Sylvanus Thayer]], superintendent of [[West Point]] and later founder of the [[Thayer School of Engineering]] at [[Dartmouth College]]. The rule is that if alphabet houses reside on a given street, they are named after an engineer or a type of tree.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Cold War era===
With the end of the war, the Hanford workers' camp, originally located {{convert|15|mi|km|spell=in}} north of Richland at the old Hanford town site, was closed down. Although many of the workers moved away as the war effort wound down, some of them moved to Richland, offsetting the depopulation that might otherwise have occurred.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} Management of the Hanford site and Richland itself was transferred to [[General Electric]].<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

Fears that the [[Soviet Union]]'s intentions were aggressive set off the [[Cold War]] in 1947. The capacity to produce plutonium was increased beginning in 1947. When the Soviet Union developed and tested its first nuclear weapon in 1949, the U.S. nuclear program was reinvigorated. A second post-WWII expansion began in 1950 due to the war in Korea. 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. Others lived at [[Camp Columbia (Hanford)|Camp Columbia]] near [[Horn Rapids Dam|Horn Rapids]] until the camp was closed in 1950. In 2005 several dozen houses built in the northern part of the core city during this boom were added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as the [[Gold Coast Historic District (Richland, Washington)|Gold Coast Historic District]].

===Transition to private property===

In 1954, Harold Orlando Monson was elected the first mayor of Richland and traveled to Washington, D.C., to negotiate increased rights (such as private home ownership) for citizens in military cities across the country.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} The U.S. Congress passed a law the following year to mandate the transfer of Richland and Oak Ridge to local control within five years, spurring a new incorporation attempt.<ref name="HL-Incorporation">{{cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |date=January 8, 2008 |title=Richland votes to incorporate as a first-class city, thus making the transition from being federally owned to being a self-governing city, on July 15, 1958. |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/8452 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=October 23, 2024 |archive-date=November 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241102221631/https://www.historylink.org/file/8452 |url-status=live }}</ref> The federal government relinquished its land holdings in 1957 and sold the city's real estate to residents; the last home was sold on May 16, 1960.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 11, 1960 |title=All A-City Homes Are Sold |page=8 |work=Tri-City Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tri-city-herald-all-a-city-homes-are-sol/157726164/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=October 23, 2024 |archive-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127222515/https://www.newspapers.com/article/tri-city-herald-all-a-city-homes-are-sol/157726164/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the people lived in duplexes; senior tenants were given the option to purchase the building; junior tenants were given the option to purchase lots in a newly platted area of north Richland.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Richland was re-incorporated as a chartered first-class city on December 10, 1958, five months after residents voted in favor of self-governance as a city.<ref name="HL-Incorporation"/><ref>{{cite news |date=December 14, 1958 |title=Cool Air Cuts Crowd For Charter Affair |page=1 |work=Tri-City Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tri-city-herald-cool-air-cuts-crowd-for/157726148/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=October 23, 2024 |archive-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127220018/https://www.newspapers.com/article/tri-city-herald-cool-air-cuts-crowd-for/157726148/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Among the first additions to the new city was an expanded public library, which had been built by General Electric out of a [[Quonset hut]].<ref>{{cite news |date=December 13, 1958 |title=Richland Gets Quonset Hut Library Site |page=3 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/spokane-chronicle-richland-gets-quonset/157726095/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=October 23, 2024 }}</ref> As part of the transition, large areas of undeveloped land became city property. Richland's financial 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.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===After the production boom===
[[File:Richlandcityhall.JPG|thumb|right|The former Richland City Hall, which has now been demolished]]
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.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

[[Richland High School (Washington)|Richland High School]]'s sports teams are called the Bombers, complete with a [[mushroom cloud]] logo. Some of the streets platted after 1958 are named after [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[General officer|generals]] (such as [[George S. Patton|Patton]] Street, [[Douglas MacArthur|MacArthur]] Street, [[General Sherman|Sherman]] Street, and [[General Pershing|Pershing]] Avenue) and after various nuclear themes ([[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] Avenue, [[Curie (unit)|Curie]] Street, [[Proton]] Lane, [[Logarithm|Log]] Lane, and Nuclear Lane). A local museum, the [[Reach Museum]], 
tells the story of the cultural, natural, and scientific history of the [[Hanford Reach]] and [[Columbia River Drainage Basin|Columbia Basin]] area; it replaced the
now closed [[Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology|Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology (CREHST)]] in 2014.
{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

[[Washington State University, Tri-Cities]] was founded in northern Richland in 1989, growing out of a former Joint Graduate Center which had been affiliated with the [[University of Washington]], [[Oregon State University]], and [[Washington State University]]. Richland is also home to [[List of hospitals in Washington (state)|Kadlec Regional Medical Center]]. [[Columbia Basin College]]'s Medical Training Center is near Kadlec Regional Medical Center.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

==Government==
The city of Richland is a full-service city providing police services, fire protection, water utility services, solid waste services, electric utilities, parks and recreational facilities and services, maintenance of city streets and public facilities, and full library services featuring a state-of-the-art library operated by the city. The city pursues community and economic development and offers housing assistance.
[[File:Community center1.jpg|thumb|left|Community Center, Richland]]
[[File:Community Center workout rm.JPG|thumb|upright| Exercise class in a multipurpose room of the Community Center]]

The Richland Community Center is adjacent to [[Howard Amon Park]], on the east side of the Columbia River. The building was designed by ARC Architects of Seattle, Washington. Many of its rooms have views of the park and Columbia River, which make it a venue for weddings and receptions, family reunions, birthday parties, business, and community meetings. The rooms are also used for a variety of general education and personal enrichment classes including courses in computer/technology, health & fitness, dance, arts & crafts, dog training, home & gardening, language lessons, and martial arts. The Community Center also serves as a gathering place for group recreation and gaming: cribbage, pinochle, bridge, pool, dominoes, and a host of other social activities are available to the public at large.

More recently, the Richland Community Center has hosted several important civic events including the Green Living Awards<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=253 |title=Green Living Awards |access-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017102727/http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=253 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Fall Carnival.<ref>{{cite news |last=Herald |first=Tri-City |title=Community Center to Hold Green |url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/09/28/2599482/nd-community-center-to-hold-green.html |newspaper=Tri-City Heral |date=September 28, 2013 |access-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809184806/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/09/28/2599482/nd-community-center-to-hold-green.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of 2016, the city was planning to rebuild its current city hall across Jadwin Avenue into the parking lot of the United States Federal Courthouse. This decision also includes moving the fire station, which is currently across George Washington Way, to the current site of city hall. The current city hall would be sold to eligible businesses.<ref>{{cite news |last=City website |first=Richland |title=Swift Corridor and Future City Hall |url=https://www.ci.richland.wa.us/departments/swift-corridor-and-future-city-hall |date=April 4, 2016 |access-date=June 24, 2016 |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822094604/https://www.ci.richland.wa.us/departments/swift-corridor-and-future-city-hall |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Police services===
The City of Richland Police Department is composed of approximately 58 commissioned police officers and 15 support staff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article32109033.html |title=Richland Police Department honors officers |first1=Sara |last1=Schilling |first2=Tri-City |last2=Herald |access-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218012450/https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article32109033.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==

===Technology===
After the end of [[World War II]], Richland continued to be a center of production and research into [[nuclear power|nuclear energy]] and related technology.

It has been the home of [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]] (PNNL) since 1965. One of the two [[LIGO|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.

====Preferred Freezer Services Warehouse====
Richland is home to the [[2800 Polar Way|largest cold-storage facility on Earth]]—which is also one of the [[List of largest buildings#Largest usable volume|largest buildings on Earth by volume]].

====Major Employers====
* [[Battelle Memorial Institute]], operating PNNL
* [[Bechtel]] National Inc., building a waste vitrification plant
* Washington River Protection Solutions (a partnership of [[Amentum (company)|Amentum]], [[Atkins (company)|Atkins]], and [[Orano]]), controlling operations of the nuclear waste tank farms<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cary |first1=Annette |title=Elite Construction, Pasco, WA, wins Hanford site contract |url=https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article260756417.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 16, 2023 |work=Tri-City Herald |date=April 26, 2022 }}</ref>
* Washington Closure Hanford (a partnership of [[AECOM]], [[Bechtel]], and [[CH2M Hill]]), providing waste management and cleanup efforts, including decontamination and demolition (D&D) of facilities along the Columbia River
* Hanford Mission Integrated Solutions (a partnership of [[Leidos]], Centerra Group, and [[Parsons Corporation|Parsons]]) providing infrastructure and sitewide services<ref name="Herald - HMIS/MSA">{{cite news |last1=Cary |first1=Annette |title=MSA earns $14M in incentive pay for final months at Hanford |url=https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article255562476.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 16, 2023 |work=Tri-City Herald |date=November 5, 2021 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106003127/https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article255562476.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Central Plateau Cleanup Company (a partnership of Amentum, Atkins, and [[Fluor Corporation|Fluor]]), responsible for D&D of facilities on the site's Central Plateau<ref name="Herald - CHPRC/CPCC">{{cite news |last1=Cary |first1=Annette |title=Feds allow more time for $16 billion in new contracts at Hanford to take effect |url=https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article246761466.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 16, 2023 |work=Tri-City Herald |date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226113108/https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article246761466.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[EnergySolutions]], providing services to the U.S. government
* [[Energy Northwest]], generating nuclear power at a nearby reactor facility
* [[Framatome]] creating nuclear fuel
* [[Lockheed Martin]] Services, Inc., providing technology services
* The [[U.S. Department of Energy]], which operates the [[Hanford Site]]

===Agriculture===
Agriculture is important in the Richland area; the [[Tri-Cities, Washington|Tri-Cities]] area of the [[Columbia River Drainage Basin|Columbia Basin]] grows excellent produce.{{tone inline|date=May 2018}} Richland hosts an important food processor, [[Lamb Weston]], which processes [[potato]]es and other foods.

The production of [[wine]] in the lower [[Columbia River Drainage Basin|Columbia Basin]] has become one of the area's main industries. Richland lies at the center of a [[viticulture]] area which produces internationally recognized wines in four major Washington [[American Viticultural Area|appellations]] and serves as a center for wine tours.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The Columbia Valley appellation which surrounds Richland contains over 7,000 [[hectare]]s planted with 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.

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

===Top employers===
According to Richland's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{Cite report |title=City of Richland Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021 |date=August 25, 2022 |url=https://www.ci.richland.wa.us/home/showpublisheddocument/13891/637975352335830000 |access-date=February 16, 2023 |publisher=City of Richland |page=212 |archive-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217022906/https://www.ci.richland.wa.us/home/showpublisheddocument/13891/637975352335830000 |url-status=live }}</ref> the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of employees
|-
|1
| [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory|Battelle / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]]
|4,500
|-
|2
| Kadlec Regional Medical Center
|3,532
|-
|3
| [[Bechtel|Bechtel National]]
|2,943
|-
|4
| Washington River Protection Solutions
|2,129
|-
|5
| Hanford Mission Integration Solutions<ref name="Herald - HMIS/MSA" />
|1,902
|-
|6
| Central Plateau Cleanup Company<ref name="Herald - CHPRC/CPCC" />
|1,682
|-
|7
| [[Richland School District (Washington)|Richland School District]]
|1,500
|-
|8
| [[Energy Northwest]]
|1,100
|-
|9
| [[Lamb Weston]]
|750
|-
|10
| [[Framatome|Framatome / Areva]]
|700
|}

==Education==
The [[Richland School District (Washington)|Richland School District]] serves the cities of Richland and [[West Richland, Washington|West Richland]] with ten elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools.

[[Columbia Basin College]], primarily located in [[Pasco, Washington|Pasco]], has a small branch campus in Richland.

[[Washington State University, Tri-Cities]], established in North Richland in 1989, sits on the western bank of the Columbia River. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It first admitted freshmen and sophomores in the fall of 2007.

==Recreation==

===Golf===
[[File:RichlandWaRattlesnakeYakima.jpg|thumb|upright|A view of [[Rattlesnake Mountain, Benton County, Washington|Rattlesnake Mountain]] from the Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland]]
There are three 18-hole [[golf]] courses and one 9-hole course in the area.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

===Outdoor activities===
Richland has developed a number of parks, several of them fronting the Columbia and Yakima Rivers. The rivers provide boating, water skiing, fishing, kayaking and waterfowl hunting opportunities.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Richland is included in a bike trail system in the Tri-Cities which is named The [[Sacagawea Heritage Trail]]. The trail is a scenic river ride along the Columbia River through the Tri-Cities of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco. It is a 23-mile multipurpose blacktop loop trail on both sides of the river from Sacagawea State Park at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers up to the I-182 bridge at the Columbia Point Marina on the upper end. Three bridges join the trails on both sides, providing several ride options. There are numerous trailheads and access parking spots along the route.

Richland lies within a semi-arid, [[shrub-steppe]] environment, and has many interesting natural areas within or adjacent to the city:
* The Yakima River delta and wetlands lie within Richland and provide a 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]] protects [[Badger Mountain (Richland, Washington)|Badger Mountain]], located on the edge of Richland in the Richland GMA area. It provides views of the Tri-Cities and the Columbia and Yakima rivers. A non-profit group, Friends of Badger Mountain, worked to procure this shrub-steppe area that has the most native vegetation intact, and in 2005 built a trail to the summit. 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 the public since the 1940s, 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 sightseeing and salmon fishing. This free-flowing stretch flows through the [[Hanford Reach National Monument]], which was created by Presidential proclamation in 2000 and 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 and Columbia;{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} in 2006, $22M of the necessary funds were in hand and construction was expected later that year.{{update inline|date=May 2018}}
* The [[Amon Creek]] Natural Preserve in the south part of town protects wetlands around the creek and has several trails.
[[File:Richland from Badger Mountain.jpg|none|thumb|839x839px|Sweeping views of Queensgate, Downtown, and North Richland as seen from Badger Mountain]]

===Sports===
Sports teams in the immediate area include the [[Tri-City Americans]] WHL [[ice hockey]] team (which plays in Kennewick), and the [[Tri-City Dust Devils]] Single-A [[baseball]] team (affiliated with the [[Los Angeles Angels]]) which plays in Pasco.

Washington State University Tri-Cities has several club sports teams, including in rugby (2016 Northwest Cup Champions), volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tricities.wsu.edu/studentlife/campus-recreation/ |title=WSU Tri-Cities &#124; Campus Recreation |access-date=February 9, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211082355/https://tricities.wsu.edu/studentlife/campus-recreation/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|39.11|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|35.72|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|3.39|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref> Elevation at the airport is {{convert|120|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

In the late 1970s, Richland sought to annex {{convert|5|sqmi|sqkm}} of unincorporated land in Franklin County on the east side of the Columbia River, anticipating development following the construction of [[Interstate 182]]. The move was blocked by Pasco, who had planned to annex much of the area themselves.<ref>{{cite news |last=Metcalf |first=Gale |date=August 13, 1980 |title=Pasco, Richland tangle on Franklin annexation |page=1 |work=Tri-City Herald }}</ref> The Richland city government filed an appeal against the Franklin County Boundary Review Board in 1983 following their approval of Pasco's claim; the [[Washington Supreme Court]] affirmed the Franklin County decision.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 26, 1984 |title=Court upholds Pasco in annexation battle with Richland |page=B1 |work=Tri-City Herald |agency=Associated Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite court |litigants=Richland v. Boundary Review Board |vol=100 Wn.2d 864 |reporter= |court=[[Washington Supreme Court]] |date=January 26, 1984 |url=http://courts.mrsc.org/supreme/100wn2d/100wn2d0864.htm |access-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-date=February 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208200251/http://courts.mrsc.org/supreme/100wn2d/100wn2d0864.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Richland Wye===
[[File:Richland Y - looking west from park commemorating Sacajawea toward Badger Mountain through business zone..JPG|thumb|right|Looking west from park commemorating Sacajawea toward Badger Mountain through business zone]]
'''Richland Wye''' ({{coord|46|14|17|N|119|14|2|W|region:US-WA|display=inline}}) is a community within the eastern city limits of Richland. It is also the location of the sole access bridge to [[Bateman Island]] over the Columbia River.

===Climate===
Richland receives about {{convert|7|in|mm}} of precipitation per year, giving it a semi-arid desert climate and resulting in a shrub-steppe environment. Summers are hot with infrequent thunderstorms, while winters are milder than all of Eastern Washington with snow falling only occasionally.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} During the [[2021 Western North America heat wave]], the maximum temperature of {{convert|118|°F}} was recorded in Richland which tied the previous all-time record high temperature in the state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cary |first=Annette |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Hottest day ever near Tri-Cities. It's just one of many records smashed in heat wave |work=Tri-City Herald |url=https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article252669228.html |access-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910044613/https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article252669228.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nearby, the Hanford Site recorded a high of {{convert|120|F|C}}, the new state record.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Records |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/scec/records/wa/all |access-date=April 15, 2023 |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information }}</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Richland, Washington, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1944–present
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = y
|Jan record high F = 71
|Feb record high F = 73
|Mar record high F = 82
|Apr record high F = 92
|May record high F = 105
|Jun record high F = 118
|Jul record high F = 113
|Aug record high F = 113
|Sep record high F = 106
|Oct record high F = 93
|Nov record high F = 78
|Dec record high F = 69

|Jan avg record high F = 57.6
|Feb avg record high F = 60.4
|Mar avg record high F = 70.0
|Apr avg record high F = 79.9
|May avg record high F = 89.3
|Jun avg record high F = 95.2
|Jul avg record high F = 101.5
|Aug avg record high F = 99.9
|Sep avg record high F = 91.5
|Oct avg record high F = 78.6
|Nov avg record high F = 66.0
|Dec avg record high F = 58.2
|year avg record high F = 102.4

|Jan high F = 40.6
|Feb high F = 47.5
|Mar high F = 57.1
|Apr high F = 65.1
|May high F = 73.9
|Jun high F = 80.2
|Jul high F = 89.3
|Aug high F = 88.1
|Sep high F = 78.9
|Oct high F = 64.3
|Nov high F = 49.0
|Dec high F = 39.9
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 34.7
|Feb mean F = 38.8
|Mar mean F = 46.1
|Apr mean F = 53.0
|May mean F = 61.1
|Jun mean F = 67.3
|Jul mean F = 74.7
|Aug mean F = 73.6
|Sep mean F = 65.2
|Oct mean F = 53.0
|Nov mean F = 41.3
|Dec mean F = 34.1
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 28.8
|Feb low F = 30.1
|Mar low F = 35.1
|Apr low F = 41.0
|May low F = 48.3
|Jun low F = 54.4
|Jul low F = 60.0
|Aug low F = 59.0
|Sep low F = 51.4
|Oct low F = 41.7
|Nov low F = 33.6
|Dec low F = 28.4
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 13.0
|Feb avg record low F = 16.8
|Mar avg record low F = 24.3
|Apr avg record low F = 30.7
|May avg record low F = 37.5
|Jun avg record low F = 46.1
|Jul avg record low F = 52.0
|Aug avg record low F = 50.7
|Sep avg record low F = 40.9
|Oct avg record low F = 28.3
|Nov avg record low F = 19.9
|Dec avg record low F = 14.6
|year avg record low F = 7.9

|Jan record low F = -21
|Feb record low F = -22
|Mar record low F = 7
|Apr record low F = 23
|May record low F = 30
|Jun record low F = 38
|Jul record low F = 41
|Aug record low F = 39
|Sep record low F = 31
|Oct record low F = 13
|Nov record low F = -6
|Dec record low F = -10

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.04
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.67
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.64
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.62
|May precipitation inch = 0.63
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.56
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.23
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.13
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.29
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.54
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.87
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.07
|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.8
|Feb precipitation days = 8.7
|Mar precipitation days = 8.1
|Apr precipitation days = 7.1
|May precipitation days = 7.1
|Jun precipitation days = 4.7
|Jul precipitation days = 2.2
|Aug precipitation days = 2.1
|Sep precipitation days = 3.1
|Oct precipitation days = 6.7
|Nov precipitation days = 10.3
|Dec precipitation days = 11.9

|Jan snow inch = 1.9
|Feb snow inch = 1.9
|Mar snow inch = 0.2
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = trace
|Nov snow inch = 0.1
|Dec snow inch = 2.3
|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.5
|Feb snow days = 0.9
|Mar snow days = 0.3
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.4
|Dec snow days = 1.9
|year snow days = 5.0

|source 1 = NOAA (snow/snow days 1981&ndash;2010)<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00457015&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Richland, WA (1991&ndash;2020) |access-date=April 15, 2023}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USC00457015&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Richland, WA (1981&ndash;2010) |access-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415183053/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USC00457015&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |url-status=live }}</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=pdt |publisher=National Weather Service |title=NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pendleton |access-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530020341/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=pdt |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1910 = 350
| 1920 = 279
| 1930 = 208
| 1940 = 247
| 1950 = 21809
| 1960 = 23548
| 1970 = 26290
| 1980 = 33578
| 1990 = 32315
| 2000 = 38708
| 2010 = 48058
| 2020 = 60560
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 63757
| estref = <ref name="Census-Estimate2023"/>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=March 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302111640/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

Based on [[Washington locations by per capita income|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.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]],<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov/ |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 19, 2012 |archive-date=December 27, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> there were 48,058 people, 19,707 households, and 12,974 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1345.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 20,876 housing units at an average density of {{convert|584.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 87.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.8% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 4.7% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2.7% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 7.8% of the population.

There were 19,707 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]], there were 38,708 people, 15,549 households, and 10,682 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1,111.8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 16,458 housing units at an average density of {{convert|472.7|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the city was 89.55% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.37% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.76% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 4.06% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.11% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.85% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.31% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 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 [[Marriage|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 $82,354 (Money CNN). 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.

==Transportation==
Richland is served by [[Richland Airport (Washington)|Richland Airport]], located in the city, as well as the [[Tri-Cities Airport (Washington)|Tri-Cities Airport]], located in nearby Pasco. Both have only domestic flights. Also in Pasco is an [[Amtrak]] station, where the Portland-Chicago ''[[Empire Builder]]'' makes a stop.

[[Ben Franklin Transit]] provides bus transportation within Richland and the Tri-Cities area.

[[Interstate 82]] runs to the west of the city and connects to [[Yakima, Washington]] and [[Interstate 90 in Washington|Interstate 90]], to the north, and [[Hermiston, Oregon]] and [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|Interstate 84]], to the south. [[Interstate 182]] provides the primary east-west connection among the Tri-cities, Richland, [[Kennewick]], and [[Pasco, Washington|Pasco]].

==Notable people==
* [[James (Jim) F. Albaugh]] – Executive Vice President, [[The Boeing Company]]
* [[Stu Barnes]] – NHL former player and coach; an owner of the [[Tri-City Americans]]
* [[Kayla Barron]] – [[NASA]] astronaut<ref>{{cite web |last=Garcia |first=Mark |title=Astronaut Candidate Kayla Barron |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |date=February 7, 2018 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kayla-barron/biography |access-date=December 9, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624110445/https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kayla-barron/biography/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Beefy (artist)|Beefy]] – [[nerdcore]] artist; real name Keith A. Moore
* [[Tyler Brayton]] – [[National Football League]] for the [[Carolina Panthers]]
* [[Travis Buck]] – [[San Diego Padres]] outfielder
* [[Orson Scott Card]] – science fiction writer; born in Richland
* [[Gene Conley]] – Major League Basketball and Baseball player, RHS
* [[Larry Coryell]] – jazz guitarist, RHS class of 1961
* [[Westley Allan Dodd]] – serial killer and child molester
* [[Santino Fontana]] – Broadway and film actor<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Lindsey |title=Tootsie Star Santino Fontana Wins First Tony Award |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195816/tootsie-star-santino-fontana-wins-first-tony-award/ |website=Broadway.com |access-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904225220/https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195816/tootsie-star-santino-fontana-wins-first-tony-award/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Liz Heaston]] – first female to score points in a college football game
* [[Ty Jones]] – former NHL player and first round pick in the 1997 NHL draft
* [[Kurt Kafentzis]] – former NFL defensive back
* [[Mark Kafentzis]] – former NFL defensive back
* [[Olaf Kölzig]] – retired NHL goaltender; owner of the [[Tri-City Americans]]
* [[James Mattis|James N. Mattis]] – [[United States Secretary of Defense]]; General, [[U.S. Marine Corps]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/mattis-could-receive-congressional-gold-medal-under-newhouse-proposal/article_dc376c66-d29f-5640-b10d-23e324cc5473.html |title=Mattis could receive Congressional Gold Medal under Newhouse proposal |last=Culverwell |first=Wendy |newspaper=Yakima Herald-Republic |language=en |date=October 25, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028225115/https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/mattis-could-receive-congressional-gold-medal-under-newhouse-proposal/article_dc376c66-d29f-5640-b10d-23e324cc5473.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Mike McCormack (politician)|Mike McCormack]] – U.S. Representative from the Fourth Congressional District
* [[Jimmy McLarnin]] – Irish boxer<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/10/sports/othersports/jimmy-mclarnin-top-boxer-called-baby-face-dies-at-96.html |title=Jimmy McLarnin, Top Boxer Called Baby Face, Dies at 96 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622005141/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/10/sports/othersports/jimmy-mclarnin-top-boxer-called-baby-face-dies-at-96.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Nate Mendel]] – [[Sunny Day Real Estate]] and [[Foo Fighters]] bassist
* [[Michael Peterson (singer)|Michael Peterson]] – Country western singer
* [[Jason Repko]] – [[Major League Baseball]] outfielder
* [[Kathryn Ruemmler]] – White House Counsel to President [[Barack Obama]]
* [[Leon Rice]] – Basketball coach<ref>{{cite news |last=Morrow |first=Jeff |date=December 16, 2020 |title=Tri-Cities native earns 200th victory. And credits his Richland Bomber roots |url=https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/article247864365.html |work=Tri-City Herald |access-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-date=February 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226113926/https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/article247864365.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Hope Solo]] – [[United States women's national soccer team]] goalkeeper
* [[Sharon Tate]] – actress; Miss Richland, 1959
* [[John Archibald Wheeler]] – [[theoretical physicist]]
* [[Rachel Willis-Sørensen]] – American operatic soprano

==Sister city==
Richland's [[sister city]] is:<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister cities |url=https://www.hccg.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=26&parentpath=0 |website=hccg.gov.tw |date=January 22, 2016 |publisher=Hsinchu City |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108233511/https://www.hccg.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=26&parentpath=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|TWN}} [[Hsinchu]], Taiwan

==See also==
* [[Hanford High School]]
* [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]]
* [[Hanford Site]]
* [[Washington State University, Tri-Cities]]
* [[Ben Franklin Transit]]
* [[Kate Brown (professor)|Kate Brown]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Kate Brown, ''[[Plutopia|Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters]].'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
* Elizabeth Gibson, "Images of America: Richland," Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2002.
* Barbara J. Kubik, ''Richland, Celebrating Its Heritage.'' Richland, WA: City of Richland, Washington, 1994.
* Paul Loeb, ''Nuclear Culture: Living & Working in the World's Largest Atomic Complex.'' Philadelphia, PA: New Society Publishers, 1986.
* Christine F. Noonan, ''Federal City Revisited: Atomic Energy and Community Identify in Richland, Washington.'' PhD dissertation. Ball State University, 2000.
* S.L. Sanger, ''Hanford and the Bomb: An Oral History of World War II.'' Seattle, WA: Living History Press, 1989.

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=y}}
* [http://www.fws.gov/hanfordreach/ Hanford Reach National Monument]
* [http://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/plutopia-nuclear-families-atomic-cities-and-the-great-soviet-and-american-plutonium# Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters]

{{Benton County, Washington}}
{{Washington}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Richland, Washington| ]]
[[Category:Tri-Cities, Washington| ]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Benton County, Washington]]
[[Category:Cities in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Manhattan Project sites]]
[[Category:World War II Heritage Cities]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1905]]
[[Category:Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Yakima River]]