About Oak Ridge

Demographics:

The population of Oak Ridge according to the 2000 Census is 27,387. The estimated population for the 2004 Census is 27,398.
The population of Anderson County according to the 2000 Census is 71,330. The estimated population for 2004 is 72,970.
Oak Ridge is located within a day’s drive of 70% of the nation’s population.
Oak Ridge and Anderson County are located in the Eastern Time Zone.
Oak Ridge is located 979’ above sea level.

Weather:

Economy:

For 2005, the Civilian Labor Force is 35,010.
The unemployment rate is 5.1 with 1,800 unemployed.
Total employment is 33,210.
Per Capita Income for 2004 was $28,588.
Retail sales in 2004 were $896,158,387.
The cost of living in Oak Ridge is one of the lowest in the country. Housing costs are 89% of the national average, while Money magazine lists East Tennessee as having one of the nation’s lowest overall tax burdens.
Health care, transportation, and utilities rank among the best in the country and are available at affordable prices.

Tax Structure:

Sales Tax: 0% for the city; 2.75% for the county
School Tax: 0% for the city; $1.72 for the county
State Sales Tax: 7% (6% for food and food ingredients for human consumption)
Property tax rate per $100 value is $2.55 for the city of Oak Ridge.
Property tax rate per $100 value is $2.68 for Anderson County.
Ratio of Assessment:
- Residential – 25% city and county
- Industrial – 40% city and county
- Personal (equipment) – 30% city and county

Transportation:

Oak Ridge is connected to Interstates 40 and 75 via Pellissippi Parkway, a four-lane divided highway.
Railroad service is provided by CSX, Norfolk/Southern
State Highways 95, 62, 61, and 58 run through Oak Ridge.
Air Service via McGhee Tyson Airport/Knoxville, 32 miles away offering 115 daily flights, many direct to major US cities.

Education:

1 Preschool, 4 Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools, 1 expanded High School
Private schools include St. Mary’s Catholic School and the American Montessori Society
Oak Ridge is the only Tennessee school system to receive Expansion Management magazine’s Gold Medal designation as one of the nation’s top performing systems. Oak Ridge has received this designation for eight years in a row.
Oak Ridge was named one of the top 100 U.S. school systems, second in the South, in the September 2000 issue of The Wall Street Journal’s Offspring magazine.
Oak Ridge High School was listed by Newsweek magazine in May 2005 as a top-ranked high school based on number of graduating seniors taking advanced placement courses.
Oak Ridge is one of just two school systems in East Tennessee to achieve all “A” status in 2004 under No Child Left Behind, the federal legislation that regulates local school accreditation.
The University of Tennessee’s main campus at Knoxville had 26,064 students in 400 academic programs for the 1999-2000 school year.
Roane State Community College serves Roane, Anderson, Campbell, Fentress, and Morgan counties. The Oak Ridge branch opened in 1999.
Pellissippi State Technical Community College serves more than 8,000 students. It is a fully-accredited public two-year college.

Health Care:

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is a 301-bed regional medical facility serving Anderson County and four adjacent counties. Its medical staff of more than 175 physicians represents 30 medical and surgical specialties.
Methodist Medical Center recently embarked on a $40 million renovation and expansion project.
Mental health services in the area include Ridgeview, a private, not-for-profit community mental health center, fully accredited by the Joint Commission of Health Care Organizations and licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Health, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.

Senior Services:

The Senior Center is operated by the City of Oak Ridge and is open 60 hours a week. It provides a variety of programs and services including opportunities for recreation, education, computer use, health screenings, and other informational sessions. A Senior Nutrition Lunch program, physical fitness classes, and transportation assistance are also available.

Claims to Fame:

Oak Ridge was built under a cloak of secrecy in 1942 by the U.S. Government as one of the sites chosen for the Manhattan project.
Four Manhattan project facilities were built in Oak Ridge to develop the fuel for the atomic bomb. One of these facilities, the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion plant, was at the time the largest building under one roof in the world.
Oak Ridge was not on any map until the gates to the city officially opened in 1949.

General information on Tennessee, the 16th state:

Admission to Statehood: June 1, 1796
Area: 42146 sq. miles
- Land 41,220 sq. miles
- Water 926 sq. miles
Bird: Mockingbird
Capital: Nashville
Flag: The three stars on the flag represent the three different land forms in Tennessee. Mountains in the east, highlands in the middle and lowlands in the west. On the flag these regions are bound together in an unbroken circle. The field is crimson with a blue background for the stars. The final blue strip relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when it is limp.
Flower: Iris
Governor: Phil Bredesen (D)
Nickname: Volunteer State
Songs:
- The Tennessee Waltz
- Tennessee, My Homeland
- Tennessee
- When It's Iris Time in Tennessee
- My Tennessee
- Rocky Top
Tree: Tulip Poplar