Hanford was a small agricultural community in Benton County, Washington

Benton County, Washington

Benton County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Washington. The Columbia River makes up the north, south, and east boundaries of the county. In 2010, its population was 175,177. The county seat is Prosser, and its largest city is Kennewick...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was evacuated in 1943 along with the town of White Bluffs

White Bluffs, Washington

White Bluffs was an agricultural town in Benton County, Washington, United States. It was evacuated in 1943 along with the town of Hanford to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site....

 in order to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site

Hanford Site

The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...

. The town was located in what is now the "100F" sector of the site.

The original town, named for the judge and irrigation company president Cornelius Hanford, was settled in 1907 on land bought by the local power and water utility. In 1913, the town had a spur railroad link to the transcontinental Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, also known as 'the electric railroad.' By 1925 the town was booming thanks to high agricultural demand, and it boasted a hotel, bank, and its own elementary and high schools.

The town was condemned

Eminent domain

Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

 by the Federal government

Federal government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 to make way for the Hanford site. Residents were given a thirty day eviction notice on March 9, 1943. Most buildings were destroyed, with the notable exception of the high school. It was used during WWII as the construction management office. The school still stands today, marred by its use during the years for SWAT

SWAT

A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...

practice, and can be seen from the Hanford tour bus operated by the U.S. government.

External links

• Hanford, WA town site at East Benton County Historical Society
• Hanford Site Environmental Report, 1997