Visiting Richland in Washington State [16/18]

After my solo journey through Washington State came to an end, I arrived at my aunt house in Richland. My mom was there the whole time and It was finally time to see them all. I have never visited my aunt and cousins here, though this was my fourth time visiting the United States. The USA is a wast country so getting to all places is hard, especially when there are more urgent places to see. What did fascinate me about Richland is how neat and well organized the city is. It's certainly a small city when compared to other places, but when combined with Kennewick and Pasco it forms the so called Tri-City area. I tried to venture out as much as I could and in this post I want to combine some of my favorite sights from Richland.

After traveling for a long time through the States I started to miss my dog Beni, so as luck would have it there where four dogs waiting for me at my aunt's. All very lovable, but different in their personalities. I had a lot of fun with them. There was the ever so charming Boni (he's in the next image on the right), then the quirky Bella (next image on the left, behind the door). On the other hand there is the oldest and strict Chuncho (two images down) and the shy Mia (three images down).

Richland, originally, was a small farm town until the U.S. Army purchased 640 sq mi (1,660 km2) of land along the Columbia River during World War II, evicting the 300 residents of Richland as well as those of the now vanished towns of White Bluffs and Hanford just upriver. The army turned it into a bedroom community for the workers on its Manhattan Project facility at the nearby Hanford Engineering Works (now the Hanford site). The population increased from 300 in July and August 1943 to 25,000 by the end of World War II in August 1945. All land and buildings were owned by the government.

These sunset images were taken on Badger mountain, a local hiking area. It took my cousin and I almost an hour to get to the top, and just as we reached it, incredible colors of the setting sun gave light to the whole Richland area. I loved this place. We stayed until dusk, so I managed to capture both sunny views, as well as dark moody sights of the area. I couldn't even believe there is a nuclear power plant here.

In the next image, down below, you can see one of many shopping areas in Richland. I was always amazed how long stores are open, and how at any time of day you can find these places full of people. Both young and old. From up above it seamed so peaceful and calm, but I knew down below there was a lot of hustle and bustle.

The images up above and down below were some of my favorites of the night. There is a lot of new development around Badger mountain, with beautiful houses rising out of the ground. I love the sight of the artificial light lighting the houses in the night, as only a few lights gave away that some of them where inhabited. The street below leads to many other houses as well as lone yards waiting for new families to arrive there.

With the shutdown of the last production reactor in 1987, the area transitioned to environmental cleanup and technology. Now, many Richland residents are employed at the Hanford site in its environmental cleanup mission. A few days later I drove around the city in search for photo opportunities. Another hill was close by and my cousins and I drove up there. Again, amazing sights of the area.

We eventually drove up to the furthest mountain. As you drive up the houses become more luxurious and beautiful. It seems like the richest people of Richland live here...

A final glance at the Richland area. I spend two weeks here, but there were a few road trips and excursions to other places as well. Next up is a visit with my mom to Coeur d’Alene  in Idaho, a wonderful lakeside town in the mountains.

End of Part Sixteen

To be continued...

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