Oak Ridge Scary stuff (Chattanooga, Jackson: to live in, stats, office)

[jmarkey]

I don't know how relevant I am, but I'll throw a comment in.

I lived next door to Oak Ridge in Clinton, but hardly a day went by that I wasn't in OR for something. Doing errands around town, I had nothing but good experiences with people I dealt with, whether they were fellow errand runners or service people.

I think the place where I got the most exposure to citizens of OR was walking at Melton Lake. One of my favorite things to do was grab one of the dogs and go for a walk down there after dinner. There was usually a pretty good cross section of Oak Ridgers - moms with toddlers and strollers, senior citizens, people around my age (50s - notice how I don't group that age with senior citizens ). I can only think of a couple of times the people I talked to were from somewhere other than Oak Ridge.

When I was done with my walk, dog and I would sit on a bench overlooking the lake. Most nights, someone would stop and visit for a while. I thought the people living around there were pretty friendly.

[ddcortland]

Does Anyone Know Of Labs That Test For Radioactive Material In Well Water??

[JMT]

Originally Posted by inave

If you don't mind my asking, Godsdove, why do you "love it" in OR? I really am trying to change my attitude about it since it seems we'll be here longer than I had hoped.

JMT, if I remember, you grew up in OR. What DON'T you like about it?

Any other comments welcomed.

Actually I didn't grow up in Oak Ridge. I grew up in Florida, the Philippines, China, France. But I did live in Oak Ridge a few years ago. I think the city is ok, the people are very nice, and of course I love the setting: mountains, lake, rolling hills. There are some good restaurants in Oak Ridge, and the schools are top notch. There are really only two things I don't like about Oak Ridge:

1) I never felt like it was a real city. I mean, there's no downtown, no historical neighborhoods. It has the same feel as Farragut although Oak Ridge is nicer, in my opinion.

2) All the toxic scare. I know that some people think I'm overreacting, and maybe I am. But I just can't get that out of my mind.

I did get a feeling from some of the people there that they felt sooo superior to everyone else in East Tennessee. That got on my nerves, too, but it didn't bother me as much as the above 2 things.

[bbkaren]

Yup yup, muuuuuch smarter up there. It's all them pHd's. The nukes makes 'em smarter.

lol j/k we found the place nice too but as mentioned, no real "town" feel.

Great mexican restaurant though! ooops, I digress...

[ThatTNGuy]

Originally Posted by JMT

1) I never felt like it was a real city. I mean, there's no downtown, no historical neighborhoods. It has the same feel as Farragut although Oak Ridge is nicer, in my opinion.

It's funny that opinions can differ so much, but I felt the opposite was true when we were looking at houses in both Farragut and Oak Ridge. Maybe it has something to do with where I grew up, but I had a strange feeling while driving through Oak Ridge that I just wouldn't enjoy myself there. I can't even put a finger on the reasoning behind this feeling, but it was a big part of my family's decision to buy in Farragut.

[Musiclover777]

hiknapster, if you are so afraid of Oak Ridge, why do you stay?

I've worked in the DOE Nuclear complex for over 15 years and my dad for 35 years before that. There are more safety precautions than in any other industry; I've NEVER had any qualms about working in nuclear facilities.

I've also worked in the chemical weapons industry. If you want to have something to worry about, look up Pine Bluff, Arkansas. You want to talk about scared on 9-11?? Our employee orientation, they told us -- "Oh, don't worry. Every possible emergency scenario we've already taken precautions against. . .well, except a plane falling out of the sky. We really can't do anything about that." And that was June 2001. 9-11, I got to the gate and the guard told me we didn't have restricted airspace -- I turned around and went home!!

Hey, I respect your opinion, but if living near Oak Ridge is an issue to you, move somewhere else.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by JMT

1) I never felt like it was a real city. I mean, there's no downtown, no historical neighborhoods. It has the same feel as Farragut although Oak Ridge is nicer, in my opinion.

JMT, I thought OR had a small downtown across the street (the Turnpike (?)) from what used to be the old (open-space) mall.

OR didn't exist until 1942 and was incorporated in 1959.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Brian

JMT, I thought OR had a small downtown across the street (the Turnpike (?)) from what used to be the old (open-space) mall.

OR didn't exist until 1942 and was incorporated in 1959.

Yes, I'm familiar with the history of Oak Ridge. I used to live there. I know WHY it doesn't have a downtown. When the mall was built, people referred to it as the "downtown mall," a project I believe was far too ambitious for a no-growth area like Oak Ridge.

I believe the little downtown area you're referring to is Jackson Square, where Big Ed's Pizza and the playhouse are located?

[Whataride]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Yup yup, muuuuuch smarter up there. It's all them pHd's. The nukes makes 'em smarter.

lol j/k we found the place nice too but as mentioned, no real "town" feel.

Great mexican restaurant though! ooops, I digress...

There will be no snippits of information!!! Make with the name of the Mexican place...

[bbkaren]

lol I can't remember now darnit. We figured it out on another thread about oak ridge...hmmm. I'll do a search later and find it!