Oak Ridge, Tennessee : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Official name

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Settlement type

Country

State

Counties

Established

1942

Incorporated

1959

Government

Type

Council-manager (under home-rule charter)

Mayor

Tom Beehan

City manager

Mark Watson

Geography

Total Area

89.9 sq mi (232.8 km2)

Land Area

85.5 sq mi (221.4 km2)

Water Area

4.4 sq mi (11.4 km2)

Elevation

850 ft (259.1 m)

Demography

Total Population

27387 (2000)

Density (pop.)

123.6/km² (320.1/sq mi)

Other information

Time zone

EST (UTC-5)

- Summer (DST)

EDT (UTC-4)

ZIP codes

37830-37831

Area code

865

FIPS code

47-55120

GNIS feature ID

1296156

Home | Settlement O | Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about 25 mi (40.2 km) west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census. The portion of the city located in Anderson County is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area, while the portion located in Roane County is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area; both of these areas are components of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. Oak Ridge's nicknames are the Atomic City, the Secret City, the Ridge and the City Behind the Fence.

Oak Ridge was established in 1942 as a production site for the Manhattan Project—the massive U.S. government operation that developed the atomic bomb. Scientific development still plays a crucial role in the city's economy and culture in general.