Richland

Richland is the northernmost of the three municipalities along the bank of the Columbia River known as the Tri-Cities (the others are Pasco and Kennewick). Founded in the 1880s, Richland was a pleasant farming village until 1942, when the federal government built a nuclear reactor on the nearby Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The Hanford site was instrumental in the building of the Tri-Cities and still plays a major role in the area's economy. In recent years this has also become a major wine producing area. You can find more than 60 wineries within a 50-mi radius, many with tasting rooms.