Last updated: March 10, 2022
Place
Geography of Oak Ridge
US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Quick Facts
Location:
Oak Ridge, TN
Why was a rural area of East Tennessee chosen for one of the largest wartime undertakings in history? What did Oak Ridge offer that was so important to the Manhattan Project’s success?
The federal government did not select East Tennessee to host a top-secret wartime program randomly. When General Leslie Groves approved Oak Ridge as the site for one of the largest wartime scientific programs in history on September 19, 1942, several factors had already determined that the secret city was the ideal location for the massive uranium-enrichment effort.
Surrounded by rivers and railways, Oak Ridge had massive hydroelectric resources from the nearby Tennessee Valley Authority dams and efficient means of transporting goods and services via an existing railroad. Manhattan Project personnel only needed to lay a short railroad spur to move goods to and from the site.
In addition, with the United States just coming out of the Great Depression, there was an abundance of laborers looking for work and willing to travel from nearby communities and states. Also, Manhattan Project administrators bought the land at rock bottom prices when they displaced the rural farm communities. At approximately $40 per acre, this was a low price considering 59,000 acres were ultimately purchased to create the massive uranium-enrichment facilities and the surrounding community infrastructure.
Lastly, Oak Ridge’s topography featured long rolling ridges with steep, narrow valleys. These individual valleys provided an ideal location to build the uranium-enrichment facilities, including K-25 and Y-12. With each facility resting in its own steep, narrow valley, Manhattan Project administrators could be assured that if an accident or enemy attack occurred at one facility, it would not affect the operations of another nearby. The main community of Oak Ridge was laid in a longer, more centralized valley, with the uranium-enrichment facilities hidden from view.
Continue Your Journey
As you tour Oak Ridge today, take a moment to notice the locations of K-25, Y-12, and ORNL with respect to the community itself. What do you notice about the layout of the Secret City? Do you think General Groves and his team were correct in selecting this area for top-secret atomic weapons development?