Editing Oak Ridge, Tennessee (section)

==Economy==

[[File:Oak-ridge-y12-tn1.jpg|upright=1.25|thumb|One of the entrances to Y-12]]

The federal government projects at Oak Ridge are reduced in size and scope, but are still the city's principal economic activity and one of the largest employers in the [[Knoxville metropolitan area]]. The DOE — including the Office of Science, the Office of Environmental Management, and [[National Nuclear Security Administration|NNSA]] — owns the federal sites and maintains a major office in the city. Several federal prime contractors fulfill different roles on the Oak Ridge Reservation, including [[Consolidated Nuclear Security]], UCOR (an [[Amentum (company)|Amentum]]-led company), and [[UT–Battelle]].

The DOE [[Office of Scientific and Technical Information]] disseminates government research and development information and operates the [[science.gov]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.science.gov|title=Science.gov: USA.gov for Science - Government Science Portal|website=science.gov}}</ref> website. The [[Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education]], operated by [[Oak Ridge Associated Universities]], conducts research and education programs for the DOE, [[Department of Homeland Security]], and other federal agencies. The [[Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division]] (ATDD), one of several field divisions of the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] [[Air Resources Laboratory]], is also located in the city. ATDD began under AEC sponsorship in 1948 as a [[National Weather Service|Weather Bureau]] research office providing meteorological information and expertise for the AEC. Currently its main function is to perform [[Air pollution|air quality]]-related research directed toward issues of national and global importance.

The nuclear industry continues to grow in Oak Ridge following the demolition of the K-25 site. To date, more than 1,700 acres of the Oak Ridge Reservation have been transferred to the community that now house other nuclear companies, including Triso-X ([[nuclear fuel]] production), [[Kairos Power]] ([[small modular reactor]] project) and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. In September 2024, Oak Ridge was selected by [[Orano|Orano USA]] as the future site of a new multibillion dollar uranium enrichment facility.

[[Boeing]] operated a manufacturing plant in the city beginning in the early 1980s which closed in 2007. [[IPIX]], Remotec (now a subsidiary of [[Northrop Grumman]]), ZYP Coatings, and several other technology-based companies have been founded in Oak Ridge, including [[Greg LeMond]]'s [[carbon fiber]]-manufacturing business, LeMond Composites. Several [[radioactive waste]] processing companies, including [[EnergySolutions]], have operations in Oak Ridge.

The infrastructure that was new in the 1940s is aging. The once-isolated city is now incorporated into the Knoxville metropolitan area. Oak Ridge is now challenged to blend into the suburban orbit of Knoxville as its heritage as a "super secret" government installation subsides. Changing economic forces have led to continuing changes in the commercial sector. For example, the [[Oak Ridge City Center]], a shopping center built in the 1950s and converted to an indoor [[shopping mall]] in the 1980s, sat largely empty in the years leading to its eventual partial demolition <ref>{{cite web|url=http://oakridgetoday.com/2016/07/26/mall-demolition-begins-2/|title=Mall demolition begins - Oak Ridge Today|date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> and redevelopment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wate.com/news/oak-ridge-celebrates-grand-opening-of-new-shopping-center/866251991|title=Oak Ridge celebrates grand opening of new shopping center|date=November 21, 2017}}</ref>

In 2003, the city of Oak Ridge extended its borders west beyond the [[Clinch River]] boundary for the annexation of the master planned community, the Preserve at Oak Ridge, paving the way for economic growth into the 21st century.<ref name="preserce">{{cite web |title=DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, CONDITIONS, AND RESTRICTIONS FOR RARITY RIDGE |url=https://thepreserveatoakridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Governing-Documents-2003-08-22.pdf |access-date=June 12, 2021 |website=The Preserve at Oak Ridge |publisher=City of Oak Ridge}}</ref> In January 2020, the city council of Oak Ridge approved the "Wilson Street Corridor" project plan, intended to develop and construct a downtown area in the city situated along Wilson Street. The plan consists of a [[mixed-use development]] of retail, residential usage, and restaurants with a primary focus of multi-story residential space.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pounds |first=Ben |date=January 17, 2020 |title='Vision' for Downtown Oak Ridge approved |url=https://www.oakridger.com/news/20200117/vision-for-downtown-oak-ridge-approved |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701142407/https://www.oakridger.com/news/20200117/vision-for-downtown-oak-ridge-approved |archive-date=July 1, 2020 |access-date=June 29, 2020 |work=OakRidger}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee |date=January 10, 2020 |title=A Development-Oriented Vision for Downtown Oak Ridge |url=http://www.oakridgetn.gov/images/uploads/Documents/Departments/CommDev/Wilson%20Street/Oak%20Ridge%20Downtown%20Brochure_sm.pdf |access-date=June 29, 2020 |website=oakridgetn.gov}}</ref>