"Somewhere down the blue highway I found paradise / Heaven's a small town / Heaven's a small town." (-- The Oakridge Boys, "Heaven's a Small Town")
For decades, its been known by a dozen different names: the Secret City, the City Behind the Fence, the Atomic City, any of these places sound familiar? Since its official inception in 1942, Oak Ridge, Tennessee has maintained a consistently captivating history and been home to everything from musicians to atomic bombs.
Theres more to the city than its explosive, government past
"Somewhere down the blue highway I found paradise / Heaven's a small town / Heaven's a small town." (-- The Oakridge Boys, "Heaven's a Small Town")
For decades, its been known by a dozen different names: the Secret City, the City Behind the Fence, the Atomic City, any of these places sound familiar? Since its official inception in 1942, Oak Ridge, Tennessee has maintained a consistently captivating history and been home to everything from musicians to atomic bombs.
Theres more to the city than its explosive, government past. The city also hosts hundreds of delicious, locally owned restaurants and, at only 25 miles from Knoxville, has more than just a little bit of artistic cred behind its name.
Oak Ridge can be divided into three main sections: west, central and east. Within those three areas, dozens of smaller, closely knit communities exist and offer would-be residents a wide range of lifestyle and housing options. One-bedroom apartments can be found for prices far below the state average in the eastern side of the city and two-bedroom homes can generally be rented for only a few hundred more a month. I know, right? Clearly, Oak Ridge has some quality housing options going for it. Luxury apartments, like those found in the pristine Centennial Village, require a little more effort to get into expect a larger deposit to cover those furry friends but with one bedrooms starting at only a bit more than the cheaper parts of town, not to mention unlimited access to a resort style pool, lake side views, furnished kitchens, a putting green, a club house and countless other amenities, it all starts to feel like a bit of a steal.
While Oak Ridge may not sport a fancy subway system, cities of this quality almost always offer reliable public transit, and the Ridge is no exception. Even though the city is fairly car friendly, many of its almost 30,000 residents rely on the faithful buses and neighborhood shuttle services that the city provides to get to and from work each day. But lets not get too drab: yes, a bus can take you to the office, but in a city as vibrant as Oak Ridge, why stop there? City staples like Homelands Food Cafe and the Soup Kitchen, nestled in the historic Jackson Square, are always worth a visit. The great thing, though, is that these are truly only the tip of this city's culinary iceberg.
But before we all run out and stuff our faces, lets talk about history, because Oak Ridge is bursting with it. Even before the Manhattan Project (which is featured prominently at the American Museum of Science and Energy), Oak Ridge had a rich cultural back story, and signs of human occupation date back to 1000 C.E.. The city's preservation efforts have made much of this information accessible to new residents and tourists alike, and both the Museum of Appalachia and the Norris Dam State Park, which offers an incredible 800 miles of river banks, are definitely worth more than a couple of visits. While it may no longer be the center of one of the most well-kept government secrets ever, Oak Ridge is packed with culture and cuisine which ensure that the city remains anything but boring.
