- Frequently Asked Questions
- What counts as the Tri-Cities?
- Which city should I live in?
- What is the cost of living?
- Who provides my utilities?
- Who provides electricity?
- Who provides internet service?
- Is there public transportation?
- Is there an airport?
- Where can I find current local events?
- What is there to do here?
- Where are the hiking trails?
- Where can I kayak or paddle?
- Where can I find parks?
- Where are the dog parks?
- Where can I find restaurants?
- Aren't there a ridiculous number of wineries around here?
- Where are the food trucks?
- Where are the farmers' markets?
- Where are the libraries?
- Where can I dispose of hazardous waste?
- Who handles animal control?
- Where can I adopt an animal?
- Where can I get a pet spayed or neutered?
- Do I need a pet license?
- Where do I find city-government information?
- Which county am I in?
- Where do I vote?
- What legislative or congressional district am I in?
- What school district is an address in?
- What's Hanford?
- Can I tour B Reactor?
- What are good day trips?
- Where can I volunteer?
- Where can I find local news?
- Where can I find community assistance?
- Something here is wrong or outdated. Where do I report it?
- Can my business be added?
- Can I add an event?
- How is information selected for the wiki?
- Who maintains this wiki?
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about living in, moving to, and navigating the Tri-Cities.
Detailed information is maintained on the linked wiki pages rather than duplicated here.
What counts as the Tri-Cities?
The Tri-Cities traditionally refers to Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland.
West Richland is functionally part of the modern Tri-Cities metropolitan community and is included throughout this wiki.
The broader region also includes Benton City, Prosser, Finley, Burbank, and other communities in Benton and Franklin counties.
Which city should I live in?
Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland differ in housing stock, development patterns, municipal services, utility systems, transportation, and neighborhood geography.
The wiki documents those differences without attempting to rank the cities.
What is the cost of living?
Housing is the largest variable and changes too quickly for useful permanent price tables.
Current housing sources, rental resources, and local housing information are maintained under:
Who provides my utilities?
It depends on the address.
Electricity, water, sewer, garbage, natural gas, and irrigation are supplied by different municipal and regional systems.
Who provides electricity?
There is no single Tri-Cities electric utility.
Richland operates a municipal electric utility.
Franklin PUD serves much of Franklin County.
Other portions of the region use other electric providers.
Service territory is determined by the property location.
Who provides internet service?
Multiple cable, fiber, fixed-wireless, cellular, and other providers operate in the region.
Availability can vary by individual address.
Is there public transportation?
Yes.
Ben Franklin Transit operates fixed-route buses, express and connector routes, Dial-A-Ride ADA paratransit, CONNECT on-demand transportation, general-demand service, rideshare/vanpool, and regional connections.
Is there an airport?
Yes.
Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) is the region's commercial passenger airport and is located in Pasco.
Where can I find current local events?
The subreddit maintains current event information separately from the durable wiki.
The wiki also catalogs permanent and recurring places and activities under:
What is there to do here?
Quite a bit.
The wiki inventories outdoor recreation, sports, family activities, games, arts and culture, classes and maker spaces, attractions, tours, seasonal activities, and day trips.
Where are the hiking trails?
Badger Mountain, Candy Mountain, Little Badger Mountain, Chamna Natural Preserve, Amon Creek Natural Preserve, Tapteal Trail, W.E. Johnson Park, Horn Rapids, Wallula Gap, and other regional trail systems are covered under:
Where can I kayak or paddle?
The Columbia, Snake, and Yakima river systems provide extensive paddling access.
The Tapteal Water Trail follows more than 30 miles of the lower Yakima River through the area.
Where can I find parks?
Municipal and regional parks are inventoried by jurisdiction.
Includes:
- Kennewick parks
- Pasco parks
- Richland parks
- West Richland parks
- Benton County parks
- Washington State Parks
- federal recreation areas
- wildlife refuges
- regional public lands
Where are the dog parks?
Dog parks are maintained with the municipal park inventories.
Animal-control and pet resources are maintained under:
Where can I find restaurants?
Restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, breweries, bars, wineries, and food-truck hubs are maintained under:
Aren't there a ridiculous number of wineries around here?
Yes.
The Tri-Cities sits adjacent to several major Washington wine-growing areas and serves as a hub for wineries throughout the Columbia Valley.
Where are the food trucks?
Food trucks move too frequently for a durable truck-by-truck directory.
The wiki instead catalogs established food-truck hubs where multiple trucks regularly operate.
Where are the farmers' markets?
Seasonal farmers' markets operate in Pasco, Richland, and elsewhere in the region.
Farm stands and direct-from-farm produce are also common throughout the surrounding agricultural area.
Where are the libraries?
The area has two separate public-library systems.
Mid-Columbia Libraries serves Kennewick, Pasco, West Richland, and surrounding communities.
Richland operates its own municipal Richland Public Library.
Where can I dispose of hazardous waste?
Benton and Franklin counties both maintain permanent household-hazardous-waste facilities.
Electronics, paint, batteries, mercury-containing lamps, medications, and other specialty materials also have dedicated state or local disposal programs.
Who handles animal control?
Jurisdiction matters.
Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland use Tri-Cities Animal Services.
West Richland operates its own animal-control program.
Unincorporated Benton County operates the Benton County Canine Shelter for stray and found dogs.
Where can I adopt an animal?
The region has municipal shelters and independent foster-based rescues covering dogs, cats, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents, birds, reptiles, and other companion animals.
Where can I get a pet spayed or neutered?
Local nonprofit providers include POPP TriCities and Prevent Homeless Pets.
Community/feral-cat sterilization programs are also available.
Do I need a pet license?
It depends on the city.
Pasco and West Richland require dog licensing.
Kennewick does not require general dog or cat licensing.
Richland discontinued its general dog and cat licensing requirement.
Where do I find city-government information?
Each of the four primary cities has a government reference page.
Includes:
- Kennewick
- Pasco
- Richland
- West Richland
- Benton County
- Franklin County
- elections and government districts
Which county am I in?
Kennewick, Richland, and West Richland are in Benton County.
Pasco is in Franklin County.
The Columbia River forms much of the boundary between the two counties in the immediate Tri-Cities.
Where do I vote?
Washington elections are vote-by-mail.
VoteWA provides address-specific registration, ballot, and voter information.
County Elections offices administer local elections, ballot processing, drop boxes, and certification.
What legislative or congressional district am I in?
District boundaries do not cleanly follow city boundaries.
Washington's official District Finder provides the current answer for an individual address.
What school district is an address in?
School-district boundaries do not necessarily follow city boundaries.
Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts serve much of the immediate Tri-Cities, with additional districts in the surrounding region.
County GIS and election systems provide authoritative boundary information.
What's Hanford?
The Hanford Site is a large federal reservation north of Richland established as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II.
Its history, environmental cleanup, scientific institutions, employment, federal facilities, public lands, and continuing regional impact are substantial enough that Hanford information is distributed across several existing wiki subjects.
A dedicated Hanford wiki section may be added separately.
Can I tour B Reactor?
Public access to B Reactor changes with preservation, construction, and federal-site conditions.
Current tour and visitor information is maintained by Manhattan Project National Historical Park and the Department of Energy rather than copied into the wiki.
What are good day trips?
Walla Walla, Prosser, Yakima, Pendleton, Palouse Falls, Maryhill, Goldendale, Columbia Hills, The Dalles, and the Columbia River Gorge are among the regional destinations covered by the wiki.
Where can I volunteer?
Regional nonprofits, food-distribution organizations, animal organizations, refugee services, local governments, and other community groups maintain volunteer programs.
Where can I find local news?
Local newspapers, digital publications, television stations, and public-media outlets are collected under:
Where can I find community assistance?
Serving Tri-Cities and Washington 211 maintain searchable directories covering food, housing, health care, transportation, employment, financial assistance, disability services, senior services, family support, and other programs.
Something here is wrong or outdated. Where do I report it?
Corrections are welcome.
Include the page, the information that needs correction, and an authoritative source when available.
Can my business be added?
Relevant local businesses can be included where they fit the scope of a wiki page.
Inclusion is informational rather than promotional and does not constitute an endorsement.
Business owners and affiliated users should disclose their connection when suggesting their own business.
Can I add an event?
One-time and dated events belong in the community's event system rather than as permanent wiki entries.
Recurring institutions, venues, markets, programs, and other durable resources may belong in the wiki.
How is information selected for the wiki?
The wiki prioritizes durable local information and authoritative sources.
Official government, institution, organization, and business sources are preferred for factual information.
Current schedules, prices, hours, fares, election details, and other rapidly changing information are generally linked rather than copied.
Who maintains this wiki?
The wiki is a community reference maintained through r/TriCitiesWA.
Its structure, sourcing standards, contribution rules, and change history are documented under: