A city and county in Washington State, located in the southeastern part of the state along the Columbia River. It is part of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area and has historical significance in nuclear research.
From Spanish 'Pasco,' likely derived from Quechua 'p'asqu' meaning 'crown' or 'summit.' The name was transferred from Peru, where there is a city called Pasco, when Spanish explorers and settlers named locations in the American West.
Pasco played a crucial but secretive role in World War II as part of the Manhattan Project - workers lived there while building the nearby Hanford nuclear facility. Despite its small size, this quiet farming town was integral to developing the atomic bomb, showing how global history can pivot on unexpected places.
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