Oak Ridge — Many people who work in Oak Ridge don't live there, and now, city leaders are working to attract
Now, leaders are working to attract more people to Secret City.
There are new homes under construction, and Naomi Asher with United Way says what Oak Ridge is building has a lot of promise.
"I love living here," Asher said. "I think it's great ... we want to encourage people to be a part of their work home as well as their family home."
But for many, those two homes are usually a drive away.
"When we were looking for a house, it took awhile, because there's not a lot of new developments," Asher said.
A Chamber of Commerce survey in 2016 looked at the zip codes of more than 7,000 employees from the eight major employers in Oak Ridge.
It found 44 percent of those workers live in Knox County, and just 22 percent live in Oak Ridge.
"Nevertheless, you've got a lot of people that have elected to live elsewhere," Chamber of Commerce President Parker Hardy said. "The question is, why?"
Hardy said of the 7,000 surveyed, about 1,000 answered that question.
"The number one issue in deciding where to live, was there a relatively new home?" Hardy said.
Eighty-six percent said available housing at the right price was a factor, 85 percent said they considered the quality of homes, and 82 percent said crime rates was a factor in their decision.
"There's a collaborative effort among a lot of people to say how do create the inventory the customer wants to buy?" Hardy said.
He said new homes at The Preserve off Oak Ridge Turnpike will attract those buyers.
Crews will build 2,600 new homes in the next 10 to 15 years.
There's also plenty of new retail at Main Street Oak Ridge.
"You're looking at about $100 million development in the middle of our town," Hardy said.
He said if you have any ideas about growth in Oak Ridge, they want to hear them at the Chamber of Commerce. Give them a call at 865-483-1321.