Our History
Port of Benton was established in 1958 as a special purpose district under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 53. We were chartered to “promote industrial development and transportation, including general aviation, in Benton County.”
The Port was created following the transfer of ownership of Richland from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the citizens. Previously, Richland was the property of the federal government as part of a World War II secret mission called the Manhattan Project.
The property that was originally designated as the Port’s District was 290 acres known as Camp Hanford. The land was transferred from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Port in 1959. Today, that property is known as the Technology and Business Campus in Richland.
Port of Benton was designated as a Nuclear Port in 1965 by the U.S. Coast Guard and is one of only a handful of ports in the nation authorized to handle radioactive materials.
A Look Back on 50 Years at the Port
Port of Benton Established
Technology & Business Campus Established
Prosser Airport Obtained
Richland Airport Acquired
Prosser Wine & Food Park Created
Port of Benton Designated a Nuclear Port
Richland Industrial Park Multipurpose Building Finished
Barge Unloading Facility Completed
Benton City Industrial Park Created
Port Business Incubator Building Opened
Prosser Incubator Building Opened
Second Incubator Building Opened in Prosser
Hanford 3000 Area Transferred to Port
Hanford 1100 Area Surplus Land Allocated to Port
Vintner’s Village Site Purchased
Port Honored as Port of the Year
Crow Butte Park Transferred to Port

Innovation Partnership Zone Designated
Port Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary
