February 27-March 1, 2026. Spent a few days visiting various locations within the formerly “secret city” of Oak Ridge, TN. There’s still a large section unavailable to the public and gated off.
The entire town is the National Park Site since Oak Ridge was built for the purpose of having a “secret city” where people would come to work to “help end the war.” The other two locations that make up Manhattan Project NHPS are Hanford, WA and Los Alamos, NM.
Thousands of workers and their families moved to Oak Ridge beginning in 1942. None of them knew they were enriching uranium or that they were helping to build the world’s first atomic bombs – or that the uranium they helped enrich would bring death to over 140,000 people in Hiroshima, most of whom were civilians. Individuals had specific jobs and did not know what their neighbors did; everyone was kept looking at their own tree so they could not see the whole forest.
The city came with housing, schools, shopping and entertainment centers, etc. Access to the city was controlled and the residents of neighboring towns did not know Oak Ridge existed. Today’s Oak Ridge is a thriving (not secret) town with a few museums, and many of the original houses/shops/recreation areas are still in use.
