The Town of Oak Ridge

When I first applied for the internship in Oak Ridge, I had never even heard of this Tennessee town. Therefore, the next logical step for any college student was to ask Google. In a matter of moments, I discovered that Oak Ridge was not the typical southern town that I was expecting.

Oak Ridge is located in eastern Tennessee, approximately 15 miles west of Knoxville. The city was secretly established by the federal government in 1942 in order to develop nuclear weapons. Under the instruction of President Roosevelt, 60,000 acres were cleared and three plants were developed: K-25, Y-12, and X-10. The population of the town skyrocketed to 75,000, composed mainly of construction workers to build the facilities and scientists to work at the plants. Ultimately, this secret government town would produce the two atomic bombs (yes, those bombs) that would help end World War II.

By 1949, Oak Ridge was opened to the public and became renowned for its scientific research. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (perhaps the most popular research center in Oak Ridge) was established at the X-10 plant. K-25 is currently in the process of decontamination and Y-12 is still being used for nuclear weapons processing and storage.

Today, the population has dwindled to 27,000 (according to the 2000 census), but is still known for its scientific research.

Stay tuned for additional information and pictures as soon as I arrive in Oak Ridge (T-minus 3 days).

I leave you with this famous country band, who's inspiration came from this very town:

The Oak Ridge Boys!