Your Guide to Buying a Home in Oak Ridge, TN

Buying a Home in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

(Historic Jackson Square
The original townsite of Oak Ridge built during the Manhattan Project. Now features unique shopping, dining and historic displays.)

Oak Ridge is located in Anderson County

Nestled between the Great Smoky and Cumberland mountains, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is a progressive, sophisticated city with an unparalleled commitment to excellence.

Diverse cultural and recreational opportunities make Oak Ridge a great place to live. What's more, the city's incredible offerings are available at one of the lowest costs of living in America. Housing costs are 89 percent of the national average, while Money magazine lists East Tennessee as having the nation's lowest overall tax burden. Health care, transportation and utilities rank among the best in the country and are available at affordable prices.

Housing
From $50,000 to $500,000, there's a house to fit every budget in Oak Ridge. A variety of homes are available in the popular middle-market range of $80,000 to $130,000, and true golfing enthusiasts will feel at home in one of Oak Ridge's excellent golf-course communities. For maintenance-free living, Oak Ridge has a wide selection of condominiums, apartments and rental homes available. Well-built World War II-era homes dot the hillsides of Oak Ridge. Available at modest prices, these homes are great for customizing to suit any family's needs. New housing developments are constantly being built, and a wide range of properties are available for those interested in building a custom home. Most people find new house construction in Oak Ridge to be both innovative and affordable.

Recreation
For the sports enthusiast, Oak Ridge offers a variety of indoor and outdoor activities including golf, rowing, swimming, tennis, soccer and racquetball, to name a few.

More than 30,000 people visit the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge each year to explore the 260-acre outdoor laboratory with its 800 species of plants in their natural habitat.

Sixteen parks are strategically located throughout the city to be within one-half mile of each residential area. On more than 1,000 acres of land, the parks feature shaded picnic areas, playgrounds and walking trails.

The Clinch River, which borders Oak Ridge to the east, offers clear, naturally flowing water for boating enthusiasts, not to mention an excellent supply of trout and bass.

The calm waters of Melton Hill Lake make it a top course for world-class rowing events. The Oak Ridge Rowing Association promotes the sport in the area, and teams from around the world have used the course for Olympic training.

Oak Ridge is less than an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most-visited national park, with hundreds of miles of hiking trails and trout streams. Just 30 miles north of Oak Ridge is the less crowded Big South Fork National Recreation Area. And 60 miles south of Oak Ridge is the Ocoee River with its world-class white-water rafting and kayaking course, which was used during the 1996 Olympic Games.

Education
Oak Ridge schools have been praised for excellence since the system began in 1943. With 5,000 students, the system includes four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, all certified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Students are assured individual attention from the system's professional staff of almost 400. The student-to-teacher ratio in kindergarten through fourth grade is 13 to 1.

Roane State, a two-year community college, opened a $14 million, 120,000-square-foot facility in 1999 to serve the more than 2,000 students who attend classes at its Oak Ridge campus. The new center features a large multimedia library; a 500-seat theater; state-of-the-art computer, art and music labs; and several general-purpose classrooms. The second-largest community college in Tennessee, Roane State enrolls approximately 4,200 students in its college credit programs and provides education/training services for more than 3,000 people through its Office of Continuing Education. The college has earned the highest cumulative rating of any community college in the state.

Located just 10 minutes from Oak Ridge, Pellissippi State is a two-year community college that offers a full range of technical subjects for career-minded students and assists area companies with specialized training for new employees. Transfer options to four-year schools, such as the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, are available.

A short drive from Oak Ridge, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) is the state's largest university and a world-class research facility. The school enhances opportunities for students and assists area industries through collaborative research projects and faculty and staff exchange programs.

Oak Ridge is a place where dreams come true, and that includes the dream of home ownership. Well-built homes on beautiful, tree-lined streets make great starter homes for any budget. Mid-range houses in planned subdivisions with sidewalks, community pools and limited access provide the perfect family atmosphere. And executive residences are prevalent in a variety of elegant designs, many on or very near one of Oak Ridge's three top-notch golf courses.

If it's space you dream of, Oak Ridge offers room to grow on large lots and mini-farms for flower and gardening enthusiasts and animal lovers alike. Available properties and new developments are ideal for custom-built homes, and the gently rolling terrain in the city affords views of the Great Smoky Mountains and Melton Hill Lake