Welcome to Eastern Washington Windermere

FRANKLIN COUNTY

County Offices
1016 North 4th Avenue
Pasco 509-545-3525
https://co.franklin.wa.us/

Chamber of Commerce
7130 W Grandridge Boulevard
Kennewick 509-736-0510
https://www.tricityregionalchamber.com/

Drawing newcomers to a picturesque rural countryside, welcoming small communities and the growing city of Pasco, Franklin County is situated at the convergence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Serving as the seat of government and hub of commerce, education, and healthcare, Pasco joins Kennewick and Richland in adjacent Benton County to form Washington’s Tri-Cities region. Home to Juniper Dunes Wilderness, the county also contains portions of Hanford Reach National Monument and Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. Major thoroughfares that ensure transportation efficiencies include Interstate 182, U.S. Highways 12 and 395, and Washington State Route 260. Commercial airline service is available close to home at Tri-Cities Airport.

Among the region’s fastest-growing counties, Franklin has increased its population by more than 20 percent in the past decade. This rapid pace of evolution has, in turn, driven the demand for more educational and healthcare services. While traditional ranching and farming activity continue to play a dominant role, the expansion and diversification of other industries have created economic balance and stability. Industries that have been contributing to job growth in recent years include construction, wholesale trade, healthcare and social assistance, accommodation and food services, and real estate. Newcomers will be pleased at the selection of home styles and settings, from farm houses on sweeping acreage to family homes on generous lots and impressive new construction.

Services

Quality educational resources in Franklin County begin with one of the highest concentrations of top-ranked schools in Washington, complemented by options for private or parochial education. Advantages include two STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) schools: Rosalind Franklin STEM Elementary for K-6 and Delta High School, a collaborative venture of the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. All three schools in the Pasco School District have paid site coordinators that provide the full Communities in Schools (CIS) model of integrated student supports including case management for individual students and whole school supports. Pasco is the proud home of Columbia Basin College (CBC), a two-year institution that also offers several baccalaureate degrees. CBC features affordable tuition, more than 100 programs and degrees, and small classes for individual attention. The college is also proud of its commitment to diversity and recognition as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Nearby Richland offers a branch campus for Washington State University, with its flagship campus in Pullman. Located near Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington State University Tri-Cities (WSUTC) began as two-year extension but now offers four-year degrees.

Quality healthcare facilities and comprehensive services are anchored by Kadlec Regional Medical Center, named “Best Hospital in Central Washington” by U.S. World & News Report. Located in the Tri-Cities area in Richland, Kadlec provides a long list of leading services including a growing heart and vascular program, the region’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and an all-digital outpatient imaging center. Lourdes Health in Pasco provides a full continuum of healthcare services, including Lourdes Medical Center for acute-care needs, Lourdes Occupational Health Center for local business and employee needs, and the Lourdes Counseling Center. Nearby in Kennewick, the multi-faceted healthcare system of Trios Health provides state-of-the-art services for residents of the Tri-Cities area and those in surrounding communities. Anchored by the new Trios Southridge Hospital, the system includes Trios Women’s and Children’s Hospital for comprehensive services including one of Eastern Washington’s largest multi-specialty medical groups.

Lifestyle

Newcomers to Franklin County will appreciate the natural beauty of the open countryside and easy access to a world of educational, healthcare, entertainment, and cultural resources. The dedication to preserving natural areas and parkland is evident throughout the region. Pasco is home to the 267-acre Sacajawea Historic State Park and Interpretive Center for boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers where the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped in 1805. Local parks offer acres of lush lawn, sports fields, an outdoor swimming pool, a play area, picnic pavilions, and a boat launch. Adjacent Benton County oversees more than 2,000 acres of recreational and conservation area with miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding along with a horse camp, model airplane facility, boat launch, tent and RV camping, and the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Facility. Two Rivers combines urban park amenities with 19 acres of lush lawn, rural open space, nature trails, and native habitat. Another regional destination is the 400-acre Columbia Park with 4.5 miles of riverfront shoreline.

Franklin County and the Tri-Cities area are filled with opportunities for expression of the arts and cultural enrichment. For sports thrills and performing arts, the Toyota Center in Kennewick seats up to 7,200 for everything from Tri-City American’s hockey games to big-name entertainment and Broadway shows. The arena also serves as a regional skating venue for public skating sessions and lessons, Junior Hockey games, and a figure skating school. Audience-pleasing performances by music and dance groups cover every genre, highlighted by Oregon East Symphony and Chorale, Inland Northwest Musicians, International Folk Dancers of Richland, and Mid-Columbia Regional Ballet. Lovers of the theater will enjoy the Richland Players, Shakespeare plays produced by the Rude Mechanicals company, and the Mid-Columbia Musical theatre for opera and musicals. The 3 Rivers Folklife Society presents regular acoustic music events by local and traveling musicians from concerts to coffee houses, song circles, Contra dances, and the Tumbleweed Music Festival. For the time of your life and the home of your dreams, few places can rival Franklin County.

COMMUNITIES

Connell
Municipal Offices
509-234-2701
https://www.cityofconnell.com/

Chamber of Commerce
509-736-0510
https://www.tricityregionalchamber.com/
The small city of Connell welcomes newcomers to a close-knit community nestled in an open, rural setting. The housing selection in and around the city blends older homes and acreage properties with newer construction. Medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and eye care services are all available locally at Connell Family Clinic, although several outstanding hospitals and regional medical centers are only a few minutes from home for advanced or specialized care. In addition to city parks and recreational programs, Connell is home to Scooteney Park and Campground with a lovely grassy area, shade trees, playground, boat launch, and opportunities to fish and hike. In recent years, city planners have upgraded and expanded utilities and infrastructure to ensure a high quality of life today and position the city for future growth and development. Residents enjoy all the intimacy and pleasures of small-town life just minutes from institutions of higher education and expanded shopping, entertainment, performing arts, and cultural enrichment in Pasco and the Tri-Cities area.

Pasco
Municipal Offices
509-544-3080
https://www.pasco-wa.gov/

Chamber of Commerce
509-547-9755
https://www.pascochamber.org/
As one of the Tri-Cities, Pasco welcomes visitors to a bustling mid-sized city that has more than doubled its population in the past 20 years. The rapid growth in population dovetails with an increasingly higher quality of life that has been recognized for affordable real estate, popularity for relocation, and one of the best cities for higher salaries and a lower cost of living. Newcomers are drawn to the area’s excellent public school system, options for private school education, a local hospital and access to regional medical centers, and the main campus for Columbia Basin College. In addition to the Tri-Cities medley of arts and cultural attractions, the city excels in facilities for outdoor adventure and recreation. Amenities include 15 miles of biking and hiking path with Columbia River views, a 3-mile cross-country course, 20 soccer fields, 24 tennis courts, 15 softball/baseball fields, a minor league baseball stadium, professional golf course, indoor rodeo arena, a multipurpose stadium, and an all-weather running track. The housing selection is attractive and varied, from country manors on generous acreage to a mix of older homes and new construction in urban and suburban neighborhoods.