KENNEWICK, Wash-- With rising gas prices and the slow housing market our national economy may be on a downward spiral, but  Tri-Cities developers say our local economy is booming.

The Tri-Cities is the fastest growing region in Washington and fifth in the nation for job growth. City economic developers say this is helping them bring in new businesses. Part of the rapid development is in Kennewick's Southridge area and near Columbia Center Mall.

Developers say that the success of new restaurants like P.F. Changs and Famous Dave's are helping them bring in even more restaurants. They are trying to get chains like Chilis, Macaroni Grill, and T.G.I. Friday's to come to Kennewick by doing presentations to spark interests.
 
"It's convincing them that our work force is good, that they are educated, that housing is cheap, the weather is good, and there's low crime rates," said Ken Nelson, Economic Development Director for the City of Kennewick.

City developers say they want to put Tri-Cities on the map and brand the three cities as Tri-Cities rather than Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, but they say it needs to be community driven.

Companies like Amazon.com and Tri-City Labs are expanding in the Tri-Cities and with a growth in jobs new restaurants and stores will follow.