Oak Ridge, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
       Images, from top down, left to right:Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Commemorative Walk monument,Y-12 National Security Complex,Melton Hill Lake,American Museum of Science and Energy, International Friendship Bell,The Chapel on the Hill | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Nicknames: | |
| Motto: "The Vision Lives On" | |
 Location of Oak Ridge in Anderson and Roane Counties, Tennessee. | |
| Coordinates:36°0′37″N84°16′11″W / 36.01028°N 84.26972°W /36.01028; -84.26972 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Counties | Anderson,Roane |
| Established | 1942 |
| Incorporated | 1959 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager (under home-rule charter) |
| • Mayor | Warren Gooch (D[2])[a] |
| • City Manager | Randall Hemann |
| • City Council | List of Councilmembers
|
| Area | |
• Total | 89.95 sq mi (232.98 km2) |
| • Land | 85.25 sq mi (220.80 km2) |
| • Water | 4.70 sq mi (12.18 km2) |
| • Rank | 134th US |
| Elevation | 850 ft (260 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 31,402 |
| • Density | 368.3/sq mi (142.22/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 37830-37831 |
| Area code | 865 |
| FIPS code | 47-55120[8] |
| Website | www |
Oak Ridge is a city inAnderson andRoane counties in theeastern part of theU.S. state ofTennessee, about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtownKnoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 31,402 at the 2020 census.[9] It is part of theKnoxville Metropolitan Area. Oak Ridge's nicknames includethe Atomic City,[10]the Secret City,[11] andthe City Behind a Fence.[1]
In 1942,[12] the U.S. government forcibly purchased nearly 60,000 acres (240 km2) of farmland in theClinch River valley for the development of aplanned city supporting 75,000 residents. It was constructed with assistance from architectural and engineering firmSkidmore, Owings & Merrill, from 1942 to 1943.[13] Oak Ridge was established in 1942 as a production site for theManhattan Project—the massive American, British, and Canadian operation that developed theatomic bomb.Oak Ridge National Laboratory,Y-12 National Security Complex, and several private nuclear and scientific facilities are still in Oak Ridge, and scientific and technological development plays a crucial role in its economy and culture.[14] In 2016, the elementtennessine was named for Tennessee, in recognition of the role Oak Ridge and other institutions in the state played in its discovery.[15]
The earliest substantial occupation of the Oak Ridge area occurred during theWoodland period (c. 1000 BC – 1000), although artifacts dating to thePaleo-Indian period have been found throughout theClinch River valley.[16] Two Woodland mound sites—theCrawford Farm Mounds and theFreels Farm Mounds—were uncovered in the 1930s as part of the Norris Basin salvage excavations. Both sites were just southeast of the former Scarboro community.[17] The Bull Bluff site, which was occupied during the Woodland andMississippian (c. 1000–1600) periods, was uncovered in the 1960s in anticipation of the construction ofMelton Hill Dam.[18] Bull Bluff is a cliff immediately southeast of Haw Ridge, opposite Melton Hill Park.
The Oak Ridge area was largely uninhabited when Euro-American explorers and settlers arrived in the late 18th century, although theCherokee claimed the land as part of theirhunting grounds. The European-American settlers who founded these communities arrived in the late 1790s after theAmerican Revolutionary War and after the Cherokee signed theTreaty of Holston, ceding what is now Anderson County to the United States.[citation needed]
During the early 19th century, several rural farming communities developed in the Oak Ridge area, namelyEdgemoor andElza in the northeast,East Fork andWheat in the southwest,Robertsville in the west, andBethel andScarboro in the southeast.
A popular legend holds thatJohn Hendrix (1865-1915), a largely unknown local man, predicted the creation of the city of Oak Ridge around 40 years before construction on the project began. Hendrix lacked any formal education and was a simple logger for much of his life. Following the death of his youngest daughter, Ethel, to diphtheria, and the subsequent departure of his wife and three remaining children, Hendrix began hearing voices in his head. These voices urged him to stay in the woods and pray for guidance for 40 days and 40 nights, which Hendrix proceeded to do. As the story is told, following these 40 days spent in rugged isolation, Hendrix began seeing visions of the future, and he sought to spread his prophetic message to any who would listen.[19] According to published accounts,[20] one vision that he described repeatedly was a description of the city and production facilities built 28 years after his death, during World War II.
The version recalled by neighbors and relatives reported:
In the woods, as I lay on the ground and looked up into the sky, there came to me a voice as loud and as sharp as thunder. The voice told me to sleep with my head on the ground for 40 nights and I would be shown visions of what the future holds for this land.... And I tell you, Bear Creek Valley someday will be filled with great buildings and factories, and they will help toward winning the greatest war that ever will be. And there will be a city on Black Oak Ridge and the center of authority will be on a spot middle-way between Sevier Tadlock's farm and Joe Pyatt's Place. A railroad spur will branch off the mainL&N line, run down toward Robertsville and then branch off and turn toward Scarborough. Big engines will dig big ditches, and thousands of people will be running to and fro. They will be building things, and there will be great noise and confusion and the earth will shake. I've seen it. It's coming.[20]
Hendrix, in light of his tales of prophetic visions, was considered insane by most and at one point was institutionalized. His grave lies in an area of Oak Ridge now known as the Hendrix Creek Subdivision. There are ongoing concerns over the preservation of his gravestone, as the man who owns the lot adjacent to the grave wishes to build a home there, while members of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association are fighting to have a monument placed on the site of his grave.[19]
In 1942, the federal government chose the area as a site for developing materials for theManhattan Project. Major GeneralLeslie Groves, military head of the Manhattan Project, liked the area for several reasons. Its relatively low population made acquisition affordable, yet the area was accessible by highway and rail, and utilities such as water and electricity were readily available with the recent completion ofNorris Dam. The project location was established within a 17-mile-long (27 km) valley. This feature was linear and partitioned by several ridges, providing natural protection against the spread of disasters at the four major industrial plants—so the plants would not blow up "like firecrackers on a string".[21]
In October 1942, theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers began acquiring approximately 59,000 acres (24,000 ha)[22] in the Oak Ridge area for the Manhattan Project. Due to the project's urgency and secrecy, the Corps' "declaration of taking" was swift and final. Many residents came home to find eviction notices on their doors. Others found out when their children came home from school with a message from the principal:Senator McKellar wants me to tell you to go home and tell your parents you are going to have to find another place to live." There was no further explanation. All the students were told was, "The government is going to take your property for the war effort."[23] Several families who had moved to the Oak Ridge area after displacement by theTennessee Valley Authority were displaced again by the Manhattan Project campaign.[22] The average price per acre paid was $46.86.[22]
By March 1943 the Corps had removed the area's earlier communities and established fences and checkpoints. Anderson County lost one-seventh of its land and $391,000 in annual property tax revenue. The manner in which the government acquired Oak Ridge created a tense, uneasy relationship between the Oak Ridge complex and the surrounding towns.[24] Although the area's original residents were allowed to be buried in existing cemeteries, every coffin was reportedly opened for inspection.[25] The Corps'Manhattan Engineer District (MED) managed the acquisition and clearing for what was to be first known as theClinton Engineer Works. TheY-12, K-25, andS-50 plants were each built in Oak Ridge to separate thefissileisotopeuranium-235 from naturaluranium, which consists almost entirely of the isotopeuranium-238. TheX-10 site, now the site ofOak Ridge National Laboratory, was established as a pilot plant for production ofplutonium using the Graphite Reactor, used to develop full-scale plutonium production at theHanford Site.
During construction of theelectromagnets required for the uranium separation process at the Y-12 site, a shortage of copper forced the MED to borrow 14,700 tons ofsilver bullion from theUnited States Treasury as a copper substitute in wire for the electromagnet coils.[26]
When Tennessee GovernorPrentice Cooper was officially handed the July 1943 presidential proclamation by a junior officer (a lieutenant)—making Oak Ridge a military district not subject to state control—he tore it up and refused to see the Manhattan Project engineer, Lieutenant ColonelJames C. Marshall. The new district engineer, Lieutenant ColonelKenneth Nichols, had to placate him.[27][28] Cooper came to see the project (except for the production facilities under construction) on November 3, 1943, and he appreciated the bourbon-laced punch served (although Anderson County was "dry").[29]
House and dormitory accommodations to support construction workers contracted to build theClinton Engineer Works (CEW) in Oak Ridge were basic, consisting of trailers, barracks, and many "hutments"—pre-fabricated five-person huts heated by a central coal-powered furnace. Construction camps were segregated between black workers and white workers. Two of the largest were Gamble Valley, with up to 4,000 trailer spaces, and Happy Valley, whose population grew from about 5,000 to about 15,000. In addition to trailers and hutments, the camp towns included various recreational buildings (e.g., theaters and bowling alleys), cafeterias, andcommissaries.[30] Medical care was provided by Army doctors and hospitals, with civilians paying $2.50 per month ($5 for families) to the medical insurance fund.[31]
The location and low population helped keep the town a secret, though the settlement grew from 3,000 to 3,750 in 1942 to about 75,000 by 1945.[32][33] Because of the large number of workers recruited to the area for the Manhattan Project, the Army planned a town for project workers at the eastern end of the valley. The time required for the project's completion caused the Army to opt for a relatively permanent establishment rather than an enormous camp. The name "Oak Ridge" was chosen for the settlement in 1943 from suggestions submitted by project employees. The name evoked the settlement's location along Black Oak Ridge, and officials thought the rural-sounding name "held outside curiosity to a minimum".[34] The name was formally adopted in 1949.
The architectural and engineering firmSkidmore, Owings & Merrill was contracted to provide the layout for the town and house designs.[35]John O. Merrill moved to Tennessee to take charge of designing Oak Ridge's secret buildings.[36] He directed the creation of a town,[37] which soon had 300 miles (480 km) of roads, 55 miles (89 km) of railroad track, ten schools, seven theaters, 17 restaurants and cafeterias, and 13 supermarkets. A library with 9,400 books, asymphony orchestra, sporting facilities, church services for 17 denominations, and aFuller Brush Company salesman served the new city and its 75,000 residents.[32] No airport was built, for security reasons.[25]Prefabricatedmodular homes, apartments, and dormitories, many made fromcemesto (bonded cement andasbestos) panels, were quickly erected. Streets were laid out in the manner of a "planned community".
The original streets included several main east-to-west roads, namely the Oak Ridge Turnpike, Tennessee Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Hillside Road, Robertsville Road, and Outer Drive. North-to-south oriented streets connecting these main roads were designated "avenues", and streets branching off from the avenues were designated "roads", "places", "lanes", or "circles". "Roads" connected two streets, while "lanes" and "places" weredead ends.[38] The names of the main avenues generally progressed alphabetically from east to west (e.g., Alabama Avenue in the east, Vermont Avenue in the west), and the names of the smaller streets began with the same letter as the main avenue from which they started (e.g., streets connected to Florida Avenue began with "F").
The dramatic population increase and the secret nature of the project meant chronic shortages of housing and supplies during the war years. The town was administered byTurner Construction Company through a subsidiary named the Roane-Anderson Company.[25] But most residents knew their "landlord" as "MSI" (Management Services, Inc.). All workers wore badges. The town was surrounded by guard towers and a fence with seven gates.
Oak Ridge was developed by the federal government as asegregated community at the insistence of theSouthern bloc of Democrats in Congress, which authorized its funding. Because Black workers generally held lower-ranked jobs, their assigned dwellings were predominantly government-built "hutments" (one-room shacks) very close to the Y-12 plant, in the one residential area designated as colored. Nichols, the MED District Engineer, was told by the main construction contractor for the K-25 plant that the black construction labor force had a large turnover rate, so Nichols gave permission to set up a separate black women's camp. When Groves visited the plant withK. T. Keller of Chrysler, Keller saw twelve Black women sweeping the 30-foot wide alley between the production units, and said, "Nichols, don't you know there is a machine made to sweep a concrete floor like this?" Nichols replied, "Sure I do, but these gals can do more than one of those machines". The men had an opportunity to "fracas" on Saturday night, and labor turnover had reduced.[39]
During the war, plans were made for a colored neighborhood of houses equal in quality to those for whites, but it was not implemented because of limited resources. After the war, all hutments were dismantled, and a colored neighborhood of permanent houses was developed in the Gamble Valley area, which during wartime had been occupied by a white trailer community.
Oak Ridge elementary education before 1954 was segregated; it was legally part of the Anderson County system but built and operated primarily with federal funds.[40] Black children could attend only the Scarboro Elementary School.Oak Ridge High School was closed to black students, who had to be bused to Knoxville for education. Starting in 1950, Scarboro High School was established at Scarboro Elementary School to offer classes for African-American students.[citation needed] In 1955, 85 young Black students from the Scarboro community were the first to enter all-white classes inOak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High School (now Robertsville Middle School).[41] In 2023, on the 68th anniversary, a Scarboro 85 Monument was erected in Oak Ridge.[42]
Robertsville Junior High School, serving Oak Ridge's western half, was desegregated at the same time as the high school. Elementary schools in other parts of the city and Jefferson Junior High School, serving the city's eastern half, were desegregated slowly as African-American families moved into housing outside Gamble Valley. In 1967 Scarboro Elementary School was closed, and African-American students from Gamble Valley were bused to other schools around the city.[citation needed]
The nearby high school in Clinton was desegregated in 1956. On October 5, 1958, the school was severely damaged after a series ofdynamite explosions. An estimated 75 to 100 sticks of dynamite had been placed in three locations in the building. No one was injured, but the school closed while it was rebuilt. Oak Ridge provided space at a recently vacated elementary school building (the original Linden Elementary School) for the education of high school students from Clinton for two years whileClinton High School was rebuilt.
After theBrown decision, public accommodations in Oak Ridge were integrated over several years. In 1955, the spring-fed Oak Ridge Municipal Outdoor Swimming Pool, which had been completed in 1945, became integrated.[43] In the early 1960s, Oak Ridge briefly experienced protest picketing against racial segregation in public accommodations, notably outside a local cafeteria and a laundromat.[44]
Two years afterWorld War II ended, Oak Ridge was shifted to civilian control, under the authority of theU.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The Roane Anderson Company administered community functions, including arranging housing and operating buses, under a government contract.[45] In 1959 the town was incorporated. The community adopted a city manager and City Council form of government rather than direct federal control.
TheS-50 liquid thermal diffusion plant was demolished soon after the war. The K-25 building, where uranium was enriched by thegaseous diffusion process until 1985 as theOak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP), was demolished in 2013–15 underSuperfund as well as the other nearby production and support facilities in the years after. Much of the land associated with the former ORGDP has been transferred or leased for private and federal industrial reuse or dedicated as aNational Historic Park.
Two of the four major plants created for the wartime bomb production remain in use today:
In 1983, the DOE declassified a report showing that significant amounts ofmercury had been released from the Oak Ridge Reservation into the East Fork Poplar Creek between 1950 and 1977. Circa 1989, a federal court ordered the DOE to bring the Oak Ridge Reservation into compliance with federal and state environmental regulations, such asRCRA.[46] In addition, the Oak Ridge Reservation was put on theEnvironmental Protection Agency'sNational Priorities List as aSuperfund site.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest multipurpose lab in the DOE'sNational Laboratory system. It is home to theSpallation Neutron Source, a $1.4 billion project completed in 2006, and "Titan", one of the world's most powerful scientific supercomputers, which has peak performance of more than one quadrillion operations per second. In 2018,IBM and ORNL unveiledSummit, the "world's fastest supercomputer", claimed to be more than twice as powerful as the previous world leader, with a peak performance of 200,000 trillion calculations per second.[citation needed]
TheY-12 National Security Complex is a component of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. The DOE's Environmental Management office is conducting an extensive program ofdecontamination anddecommissioning, environmental cleanup, and waste management to remove or stabilize the hazardous residue remaining from decades of government production and research activities.
Oak Ridge's scientific heritage is curated in theAmerican Museum of Science and Energy. Its role in the Manhattan Project is preserved in theManhattan Project National Historical Park (along with sites inHanford, Washington, andLos Alamos, New Mexico), run cooperatively by theNational Park Service and the Department of Energy. A bus tour and several virtual tours are available for the public.[47]
Immediately northeast of Oak Ridge, the southwestward-flowingClinch River bends sharply to the southeast for roughly 6 miles (10 km) towardSolway, where it turns again to the southwest. After flowing for approximately 17 miles (27 km), the river bends sharply to the northwest at Copper Ridge, and continues in this direction for nearly 7 miles (11 km). At the K-25 plant, the Clinch turns southwest again and flows for another 11 miles (18 km) to its mouth along theTennessee River atKingston. This series of bends creates a half-rectangle formation—surrounded by water on the northeast, east, and southwest—in which Oak Ridge is situated.
The Oak Ridge area is striated by fiveridges that run roughly parallel to one another in a northeast-to-southwest direction. In order from west to east, they are Blackoak Ridge (which connects the Elza and K-25 bends of the Clinch and thus "walls off" the half-rectangle), East Fork Ridge, Pine Ridge, Chestnut Ridge, and Haw Ridge. The five ridges are divided by four valleys: East Fork Valley (between Blackoak Ridge and East Fork Ridge), Gamble Valley (between East Fork Ridge and Pine Ridge), Bear Creek Valley (between Pine Ridge and Chestnut Ridge), and Bethel Valley (between Chestnut and Haw). These ridges and valleys are part of theRidge-and-Valley Appalachians physiographic province. The city's main section is in the northeast, where East Fork and Pine Ridge give way to low, scattered hills. Many of the city's residences are along Blackoak Ridge's relatively steep northeastern slope.
The completion ofMelton Hill Dam (along the Clinch near Copper Ridge) in 1963 created Melton Hill Lake, which borders the city on the northeast and east. The lakefront on the east side of the city is a popular recreation area, with bicycling trails and picnic areas lining the shore. The lake is well known as a venue forrowing competitions.Watts Bar Lake, an impoundment of theTennessee River that covers the lower 23 miles (37 km) of the Clinch, borders Oak Ridge to the south and southwest.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 90.0 square miles (233.0 km2), of which 85.3 square miles (220.8 km2) is land and 4.7 square miles (12.2 km2), or 5.25%, is water.[48] The highest point is Melton Hill (35°54′35″N84°18′19″W / 35.90962°N 84.30525°W /35.90962; -84.30525) on the DOE reservation, at 1,356 feet (413 m).
Like much of the rest of the state, Oak Ridge has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa in theKöppen climate classification); it is part of USDAhardiness zone 7a.[49] The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from 37.9 °F (3.3 °C) in January to 77.5 °F (25.3 °C) in July, while on average there are 4.3 days where the temperature stays at or below freezing and 39 days with a high at or above 90 °F (32 °C) per year.[50][51] The all-time record low is −17 °F (−27 °C), set on January 21, 1985, while the all-time record high is 105 °F (41 °C), set on June 30, 2012, and July 28, 1952.[50] Temperatures reaching either 0 °F (−18 °C) or 100 °F (38 °C) are uncommon, having last occurred on February 5, 1996 (the date of the all-time record low for February), and July 1, 2012.[50]
Precipitation averages 59.70 inches (1,516 mm) annually and reaches a low in late summer. The rainiest calendar day on record is August 10, 1960, when 7.45 inches (189 mm) of rain fell; monthly precipitation has ranged from trace amounts in October 1963 to 19.27 inches (489 mm) in July 1967.[50]
| Climate data for Oak Ridge (Atmospheric Turbulence & Diffusion Division), Tennessee (1991–2020 normals,[b] extremes 1947–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) | 82 (28) | 86 (30) | 92 (33) | 96 (36) | 105 (41) | 105 (41) | 103 (39) | 102 (39) | 98 (37) | 85 (29) | 78 (26) | 105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 67.3 (19.6) | 71.2 (21.8) | 79.4 (26.3) | 86.0 (30.0) | 89.6 (32.0) | 93.8 (34.3) | 96.0 (35.6) | 94.8 (34.9) | 92.5 (33.6) | 84.6 (29.2) | 75.3 (24.1) | 67.4 (19.7) | 96.8 (36.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 46.6 (8.1) | 51.4 (10.8) | 60.7 (15.9) | 70.4 (21.3) | 77.7 (25.4) | 84.0 (28.9) | 87.0 (30.6) | 86.6 (30.3) | 81.0 (27.2) | 71.0 (21.7) | 58.9 (14.9) | 49.3 (9.6) | 68.7 (20.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 37.9 (3.3) | 41.7 (5.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 58.6 (14.8) | 66.9 (19.4) | 74.1 (23.4) | 77.5 (25.3) | 76.8 (24.9) | 70.8 (21.6) | 59.7 (15.4) | 48.1 (8.9) | 40.9 (4.9) | 58.6 (14.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 32.1 (0.1) | 38.7 (3.7) | 46.8 (8.2) | 56.1 (13.4) | 64.1 (17.8) | 68.1 (20.1) | 67.0 (19.4) | 60.6 (15.9) | 48.4 (9.1) | 37.3 (2.9) | 32.4 (0.2) | 48.4 (9.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 11.3 (−11.5) | 16.2 (−8.8) | 22.4 (−5.3) | 31.5 (−0.3) | 41.0 (5.0) | 53.7 (12.1) | 60.4 (15.8) | 59.3 (15.2) | 47.4 (8.6) | 33.2 (0.7) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 17.7 (−7.9) | 8.7 (−12.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −17 (−27) | −13 (−25) | 1 (−17) | 20 (−7) | 30 (−1) | 39 (4) | 49 (9) | 50 (10) | 33 (1) | 21 (−6) | 0 (−18) | −7 (−22) | −17 (−27) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.50 (140) | 5.93 (151) | 5.55 (141) | 5.58 (142) | 4.50 (114) | 4.76 (121) | 5.90 (150) | 3.72 (94) | 4.13 (105) | 3.29 (84) | 5.00 (127) | 5.84 (148) | 59.70 (1,516) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.8 (4.6) | 1.4 (3.6) | 0.6 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.6 (1.5) | 4.4 (11) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.9 | 11.7 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 10.0 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 12.2 | 131.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
| Source:NOAA[50][51] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 27,169 | — | |
| 1970 | 28,319 | 4.2% | |
| 1980 | 27,662 | −2.3% | |
| 1990 | 27,310 | −1.3% | |
| 2000 | 27,387 | 0.3% | |
| 2010 | 29,330 | 7.1% | |
| 2020 | 31,402 | 7.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 33,397 | 6.4% | |
| Sources:[52][53][7] | |||
As of the2020 census, Oak Ridge had a population of 31,402, 13,363 households, and 8,241 families.[54] The population density was 368.4 per square mile (142.2/km2).[55][56]92.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 7.4% lived in rural areas.[57]
There were 13,363 households in Oak Ridge, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.3% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[54]
There were 14,678 housing units at an average density of 172.2 per square mile (66.5/km2); 9.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.[55][54]
21.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.0 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.4 males.[54]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 24,679 | 78.6% |
| Black or African American | 2,353 | 7.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 136 | 0.4% |
| Asian | 822 | 2.6% |
| Native Hawaiian andOther Pacific Islander | 47 | 0.1% |
| Some other race | 842 | 2.7% |
| Two or more races | 2,523 | 8.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 1,933 | 6.2% |
The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 23.8% of the population.[59]
The 2016-2020 5-yearAmerican Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $55,869 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,567). The median family income was $67,282 (+/- $4,238).[60] Males had a median income of $41,848 (+/- $4,832) versus $29,292 (+/- $3,190) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $34,291 (+/- $1,809).[61] Approximately, 12.2% of families and 15.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.2% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those ages 65 or over.[62][63]
As of the2010 United States census,[8] there was a population of 29,330, with 12,772 households and 7,921 families residing in the city. The population density was 344.0 inhabitants per square mile (132.8/km2). There were 14,494 housing units at an average density of 161.2 per square mile (62.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8%White (81.8%non-Hispanic), 8.1%African American, 0.4%Native American orAlaska Native, 2.5%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 2.0% fromother races, and 3.0% fromtwo or more races.Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.6% of the population.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,716, and the median income for a family was $69,333. Full-time, year-round male workers had a median income of $54,316 versus $36,140 for females in the same employment situation. Theper capita income for the city was $30,430. About 10.7% of families and 16.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
As part of theBible Belt,[64] Oak Ridge is predominantly Christian. There are several Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, and Orthodox churches around the city.[65] TheUnited Church, The Chapel on the Hill in Oak Ridge was founded in 1943 as a multi-denominational chapel shared by Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish congregations. It is currently affiliated withProgressive Christianity.[citation needed] Oak Ridge's Unitarian Universalist Church, along with members of several faith and advocacy groups, held the city's first pride festival in 2025.[64]
The federal government projects at Oak Ridge are reduced in size and scope, but are still the city's principal economic activity and one of the largest employers in theKnoxville metropolitan area. The DOE—including the Office of Science, the Office of Environmental Management, andNNSA—owns the federal sites and maintains a major office in the city. Several federal prime contractors fulfill different roles on the Oak Ridge Reservation, includingConsolidated Nuclear Security, UCOR (anAmentum-led company), andUT–Battelle.
The DOEOffice of Scientific and Technical Information disseminates government research and development information and operates thescience.gov[66] website. TheOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, operated byOak Ridge Associated Universities, conducts research and education programs for the DOE,Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. TheAtmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD), one of several field divisions of theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationAir Resources Laboratory, is also in the city. ATDD began under AEC sponsorship in 1948 as aWeather Bureau research office providing meteorological information and expertise for the AEC. Its main function now is to performair quality-related research directed toward issues of national and global importance.
The nuclear industry has continued to grow in Oak Ridge since the K-25 site was demolished. To date, more than 1,700 acres of the Oak Ridge Reservation have been transferred to the community that now house other nuclear companies, including Triso-X (nuclear fuel production),Kairos Power (small modular reactor project) and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. In September 2024, Oak Ridge was selected byOrano USA as the future site of a new multi-billion-dollar uranium enrichment facility.
Boeing operated a manufacturing plant in the city beginning in the early 1980s. It closed in 2007.IPIX, Remotec (now a subsidiary ofNorthrop Grumman), ZYP Coatings, ORTEC (now a subsidiary ofAMETEK), Nuclear Lead, Vol Case & Container, American Magnetics, RbM Services, Vacuum Technology, and several other technology-based companies were founded in Oak Ridge, includingGreg LeMond'scarbon fiber-manufacturing business, LeMond Composites.[67][68][69] Severalradioactive waste processing companies, includingEnergySolutions, have operations in Oak Ridge.
The infrastructure that was new in the 1940s is aging. The once isolated city is now incorporated into the Knoxville metropolitan area. Oak Ridge is now challenged to blend into Knoxville's suburban orbit as its heritage as a "super secret" government installation subsides. Changing economic forces have led to continuing changes in the commercial sector. For example, theOak Ridge City Center, a shopping center built in the 1950s and converted to an indoorshopping mall in the 1980s, sat largely empty in the years leading to its eventual partial demolition[70] and redevelopment.[71]
In 2003, the city of Oak Ridge extended its borders west beyond theClinch River boundary for the annexation of the master planned community, the Preserve at Oak Ridge, paving the way for economic growth into the 21st century.[72] In 2020, the Oak Ridge City Council approved the "Wilson Street Corridor" project plan, intended to develop and construct a downtown area along Wilson Street. The plan consists of amixed-use development of retail, residential usage, and restaurants with a primary focus of multi-story residential space.[73][74]
Points of interest include:
Oak Ridge has a rowing venue on the Melton Hill Lake that hosts U.S. Rowing events such as the US Rowing Youth Summer National Championship.[75] Oak Ridge has hosted cycling events for USA Cycling, including the USA Cycling Individual Time Trial National Championships.[76]
AMinor League Baseball team called theOak Ridge Pioneers played at the city'sRidgeview Park for one season in 1954.[77] TheOak Ridge Bombers played briefly in 1948 before relocating.[78]
Oak Ridge uses thecouncil-manager government system, which was established in 1959 when the city was incorporated. It is governed by a seven-member city council composed of the mayor and six council members.[79]
Oak Ridge is represented in theTennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District in Anderson County, and the 32nd district in Roane County, by RepresentativesJohn Ragan andKent Calfee respectively, both of whom areRepublican.[80][81] In theTennessee Senate, Oak Ridge is represented in the5th district in Anderson County and the12th district in Roane County, by Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee and SenatorRandy McNally, and SenatorKen Yager respectively, both of whom are Republican.[82][83] Oak Ridge is represented in theUnited States House of Representatives by RepublicanChuck Fleischmann of the3rd congressional district.[84]
Oak Ridge generally tiltsRepublican in statewide elections but can be competitive. The portion of the city in Roane County is more Republican and the portion in Anderson County is the most competitive.[85][86][87]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 51.01%8,239 | 47.30%7,641 | 1.69%273 |
| 2020 | 48.90%7,480 | 48.57%7,429 | 2.52%386 |
| 2016 | 49.60%6,521 | 43.19%5,679 | 7.21%948 |
The city operates a preschool, four elementary schools enrolling kindergarten through grade 4, two middle schools enrolling grades 5 through 8, and one high school enrolling grades 9 through 12. The Oak Ridge school district was ranked number one in the state of Tennessee, andOak Ridge High School was ranked the number three high school in the state of Tennessee, in the Niche 2017 Best School Districts.[88] Independent schools in the city include theMontessori School of Oak Ridge, St. Mary's School, and several preschools. The Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning offers a diverse array of educational opportunities for adults.[89]
Roane State Community College has its largestbranch campus in Oak Ridge. Other higher education organizations present in the community but not offering classes locally include theOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education,Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and theUniversity of Tennessee Forestry Stations andArboretum.
Oak Ridge is served by adaily newspaper,The Oak Ridger, and was for many years the home of AM radio stationWATO.[citation needed]
Notable persons who were born or lived in Oak Ridge:
The Oak Ridge Boys took their name from their frequent performances at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during their earliest incarnation underWally Fowler.
Oak Ridge has twosister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:[115]
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