Kennewick () is a city in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers and across from the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities (the others swine Pasco and Richland). The population was 73,917 at the 2010 census. The Census Bureau estimates the city’s population at 84,347 as of July 1, 2019.

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 distressing into the region in the late 19th century as transportation infrastructure was built to be neighboring to Kennewick to supplementary settlements along the Columbia River. The construction of the Hanford Site at Richland accelerated the city’s addition in the 1940s as workers from with suggestion to the country came to participate in the Manhattan Project. While Hanford and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory continue to be major sources of employment, the city’s economy has diversified greater than time and now hosts offices for Amazon and Lamb Weston.

Native Americans populated the Place around modern-day Kennewick for millennia before being discovered and settled by European descendants. These inhabitants consisted of people from the Umatilla, Wanapum, Nez Perce, and Yakama tribes. Kennewick’s low height helped to teetotal winter temperatures. On summit of this, the riverside location made salmon and other river fish easily accessible. By the 19th century, people lived in and amongst two major camps in the area. These were located close present-day Sacajawea State Park in Pasco and Columbia Point in Richland. Lewis and Clark noted that there were many people blooming in the Place when they passed through in 1805 and 1806. The map produced as soon as their journey marks two significant villages in the area – Wollawollah and Selloatpallah. These had approximate populations of 2,600 and 3,000 respectively.

There are conflicting stories on how Kennewick gained its name, but these narratives attribute it to the Native Americans successful in the area. Some reports allegation that the herald comes from a original word meaning “grassy place”. It has moreover been called “winter paradise,” mostly because of the smooth winters in the area. In the past, Kennewick has after that been known by other names. The area was known as Tehe from 1886 to 1891, and this publish appears upon early letters sent to the area with the city listed as Tehe, Washington. Other reports affirmation that the city’s publish is derived from how locals pronounced the publicize Chenoythe, who was a believer of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

The Umatilla and Yakama tribes ceded the land Kennewick sits upon at the Walla Walla Council in 1855. Ranchers began operational with cattle and horses in the Place as prematurely as the 1860s, but in general unity was slow due to the arid climate. Ainsworth became the first non-Native pact in the area—where U.S. Route 12 now crosses the Snake River in the middle of Pasco and Burbank. Some Ainsworth residents would commute to what is now Kennewick via little boats for work. All that remains of Ainsworth is a marker placed by the Washington State Department of Transportation near the site.