The Origin Story of The Tri-Cities: Richland, Pasco and Kennewick

The Tri-Cities—Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick—owe their names to a mix of railway engineering, Native American terminology, and local development. These three communities, clustered near the confluence of the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima rivers, were later collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities in the mid-20th century—especially after the 1940s Manhattan Project at the Hanford Site transformed the region. The individual names highlight the area's history of Indigenous presence, railroad expansion, and agricultural promotion.

Pasco (Incorporated 1891) 

Pasco replaced the earlier nearby town of Ainsworth.  Named by Northern Pacific Railway construction engineer from Spokane by the name of Virgil G. Bogue. Bogue was a mining engineer who previously worked in the Peruvian Andes. While working on the Inland Northwest train stations, Bogue observed that most were named after Native American peoples. The conductors, who had difficulty pronouncing and remembering the names. So he wanted to come up with an easier name. Bogue chose to name it after the small mining town where he worked: Cerro de Pasco, Peru. The dry shrub-steppe of Eastern Washington reportedly reminded him of the high, arid Andes.

Kennewick (Incorporated 1904) 

Kennewick was informally known as "Te He" (1886–1891) and "Cottonwood Landing". The name most commonly comes from the Wanapum Tribe, and the dialect they speak is Sahaptin. Kennewick was formerly called Kin-ne-wack, which translates to "grass place," "winter paradise," or "winter haven" due to its mild winters.

Richland (Incorporated 1910) 

Named after Nelson Rich, a 19th-century Oregon state legislator and land developer. Rich was responsible for the irrigation and canal systems. Nelson Rich’s Pump and Ditch systems relied on steam-powered pumps that would bring water up from the Yakima River to the Columbia Plateau. He eventually sold his land, known as the Rich Ranch. This is the site where W.R. Amon and his son, Howard, developed the townsite in 1905. They proposed honoring Nelson Rich to evoke the idea of rich, fertile farmland.