Hanford

Before it became synonymous with nuclear history, Hanford was a modest agricultural community in Benton County, Washington. In 1943, the federal government depopulated both Hanford and the nearby town of White Bluffs to make way for the Hanford Site, a large-scale nuclear production facility. Residents were displaced and the town was absorbed into what is now designated the "100F" sector of that sprawling complex.

Today Hanford exists only as a name on maps and in historical records. The land falls within the controlled boundaries of the Hanford Site, a heavily managed federal property, so independent public access is extremely limited. Visitors interested in the history of the town and the site are best served by organized tours or interpretive programs through the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which provides the most realistic way to engage with this landscape.