Tri-Cities, Washington

Tri-Cities, Washington

The Tri-Cities is a mid-sized metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, consisting of three neighboring cities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The cities are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the semi-arid region of Southeastern Washington. A fourth neighboring city, West Richland, is generally included as part of the Tri-City area and region. Each city either borders another or one of the area's rivers, making the Tri-Cities seem as one uninterrupted mid-sized community.

The population of the metropolitan area was 253,340 at the 2010 Census, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Washington State, after Seattle-Tacoma, Spokane, and Portland metropolitan area.

The Tri-Cities Airport located in Pasco provides the region with commercial and private air service. Pasco is the seat of Franklin County, while the other cities are located in Benton County.

In 2010, Kiplinger rated the Tri-Cities among the Top 10 best places to raise a family, and CNN/Money ranked the Tri-Cities one of the top 10 best bets for gains in housing value, due to its relatively stable economic conditions since the early 2000s.