Richland, Washington

Initially a small, sleepy farming town, the 1940s brought a literal boom to the town of Richland by locating a portion of the nuclear Manhattan Project within its limits. Nearly overnight, the town grew from around 250 people to a booming 11,000, almost all of whom were employed by the Hanford Project. Nearly 135 years prior, Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition journeyed to the mouth of the Yakima River by canoe to find a productive tribal community, plentiful salmon runs, and healthy agricultural promise. Today, there is much to explore in Richland. Sunny weather, two rivers, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activity make it a family-friendly city full of growth and discovery.