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 innate Pasco and Richland). The population was 83,921 at the 2020 census.

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 heartwarming into the region in the late 19th century as transportation infrastructure was built to be heavy to Kennewick to supplementary settlements along the Columbia River. The construction of the Hanford Site at Richland accelerated the city’s lump in the 1940s as workers from on 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 higher than time and Kennewick today hosts offices for Amazon and Lamb Weston.

Native Americans populated the Place around modern-day Kennewick for millennia back being discovered and arranged by European descendants. These inhabitants consisted of people from the Umatilla, Wanapum, Nez Perce, and Yakama tribes. Kennewick’s low height above sea level 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 between 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 animated in the Place when they passed through in 1805 and 1806. The map produced past 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 affirmation that the name comes from a native word meaning “grassy place”. It has furthermore been called “winter paradise,” mostly because of the smooth winters in the area. In the past, Kennewick has also been known by additional names. The Place was known as Tehe from 1886 to 1891, and this make known appears on early letters sent to the area with the city listed as Tehe, Washington. Other reports allegation that the city’s herald is derived from how locals pronounced the reveal Chenoythe, who was a aficionado of the Hudson’s Bay Company.