Kennewick, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in southeastern Washington. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities (the others being Pasco and Richland). Kennewick is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, opposite Pasco, Washington, and just south of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers and northeast of the Walla Walla River. As of the 2004 census estimates, the city had a total population of 60,118, making it the largest city in Benton County. Kennewick's current mayor is James Beaver.Contents |
[edit] History
Kennewick was officially incorporated on February 5, 1904. Previously, the town had been known by many names, the strangest was "Tehe" which was allegedly attributed to the reaction from a native girl's laughter when asked the name of the region.
The name "Kennewick" is believed to be a native word meaning "grassy place." It has also been called "winter paradise," mostly because of the mild winters in the area.
Kennewick Man is the name for the remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River nearby, sometimes thought to have Caucasian features, despite being indigenous and living 9000 years ago. Ownership of the bones has been a matter of great controversy.
[edit] Attractions
Kennewick is the host city of the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, as well as of the 2005 National Indoor Football League champions, the Tri-Cities Fever. They both play their home games in the Toyota Center, which hosts many other regional events as well. It is also famous for its over population of police officers. The idea behind this system is to create a larger pool of arrests that allocate funds to the state with the fines that follow.This also mounts pressure by officials to keep Kennewick's new Benton county jail full of inmates that borrows inmates from other counties to fill the cells when crime is down.The area has not seen much change in certain elements of crime since the new systems inception such as a decline in amphetamine production or robbery. However the region has experienced a record high in DUI citations given which subsequently provides the state with more revenue per time/arrest making it the clear economic choice. Every year during the summer, hydroplane racing takes place at the Water Follies event on the Columbia River. Residents from all of southeastern Washington come to Kennewick to shop in the city's commercial district, the center point of which is Columbia Center Mall. One of Kennewick's many parks is Columbia Park. It is on the shores of the Columbia River. There, you can go fishing in the pond, you can have picnics, feed the ducks, and countless other things. Every year, the Water Follies are held there. As a result the State of Washington sends more police officers to the area. The idea behind this is to gather a lot of people into an environment where they are likely to consume alcohol and drive vehicles.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 63.0 km² (24.3 mi²). 59.4 km² (22.9 mi²) of it is land and 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²) of it (5.67%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 54,693 people, 20,786 households, and 14,176 families residing in the city. The population density was 920.9/km² (2,384.9/mi²). There were 22,043 housing units at an average density of 371.2/km² (961.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.93% White, 1.14% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 2.12% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 9.40% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. 15.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 20,786 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,213, and the median income for a family was $50,011. Males had a median income of $41,589 versus $26,022 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,152. About 9.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Public schools located in the city are part of the Kennewick School District. The Kennewick School District has thirteen elementary schools (Amistad, Canyon View, Cascade, Eastgate, Edison, Hawthorne, Lincoln, Ridge View, Southgate, Sunset View, Vista, Washington, Westgate), four middle schools (Park, Highlands, Desert Hills, Horse Heaven Hills), and three high schools: Kennewick High School (the Lions), Kamiakin High School (the Braves), and Southridge High School (the Suns).
[edit] Famous residents
- Damon Lusk, NASCAR driver
- Ray Mansfield, N.F.L. player, center, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jeremy Bonderman, M.L.B. Pitcher, Detroit Tigers
[edit] Sister cities
Kennewick has the following sister cities [1]:
- Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Ying Ko, Taiwan
- Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taoyuan, Taiwan
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
