Hanford, WA

 

Welcome to Hanford

For the Manhattan Project, the Hanford Engineer Works produced plutonium at a roughly 600-square-mile (965-square-km) site along the Columbia River in Washington state. The Hanford Site was selected because of an abundant supply of cold Columbia river water needed to cool nuclear reactors, ample available hydroelectric power, mild climate, excellent transportation facilities, and distance from major population centers. Workers at the Hanford Site constructed and operated the world’s first nuclear production reactors that produced the plutonium used in the Trinity Test and in the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945.

This history continues to impact the communities surrounding the Hanford Site. Hanford was a major part of the US nuclear weapons production complex during the Cold War. Advanced technology research facilities still exist throughout the Tri-Cities and numerous places can be visited that were shaped by the Manhattan Project and its ongoing legacy.

Explore the Manhattan Project in Hanford

To explore all Manhattan Project sites in Hanford, use the map above. To explore sites by theme, follow the links below.

 

 

Community Partners

Visit these websites to learn more about the Manhattan Project at Hanford.

 

• 

  Hanford History Project

  Learn about Hanford’s History through primary sources and essays through the Hanford History Project.

• 

  The Reach Museum

  Explore the human and geographic history of the Tri-Cities on a visit to the REACH Museum.

• 

  Visit Tri-Cities

  Find out about the many things to do, places to explore, dining and lodging options near the Hanford Site from Visit Tri-Cities.