The reason why the name "Manhattan Project" was given because the initial offices were in and around New York City, but didn't stay there for long.The search for a good suitable test site began in May of 1941. It was extremely challenging finding a bomb site because it had to be relatively flat and far away from populated cities. Although the Manhattan Project consisted of 30 different research and production centers, the Manhattan Project was was mainly carried out of three secret scientific cities. The cities that these projects were mainly worked on were: Hanford,Washington ; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Oak Ridge previously never existed, it was created specifically for the Manhattan project. From the creation of the town in 1942 to the end in 1945 the population boomed to 80,000! Thousands of people were recruited to work and live in the secret city. Many people didn't have a clue on what they were working on, but as long as they were helping with the war effort, they were happy to participate on what they were told. Women workers were essential to the success of the Manhattan project. Since Oak Ridge was a fully functioning town, there were jobs to be filled. They helped fill in the numerous jobs in Oak Ridge such as teachers, nurses or even working in the complex plants. Security was a very big concern in the city. There were gates everywhere, checkpoints, guards, as well as badges were mandatory for the people. There were also billboards reminding the citizens not to talk about anything they have seen or heard . |