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Nuclear Weapons of the Atomic AgeLaboratory. It was a rural area, with a very low population, which made it affordable. Plus, it was easily accessible by highway and rail, and hydroelectric power was available from the recently completed Norris Dam. Because this was an era of segregation, Southern Democratic Congressmen only authorized the facility%u2019s funding after it was designated to be an officially segregated community.The Chicago architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill was hired to design a completely new town for the property, which was informally called the Secret City. When Tennessee%u2019s Governor Prentice Cooper visited the construction site on November 3, 1943, he was said to have appreciated the bourbon-laced punch that was served. Oak Ridge eventually had 300 miles of roads, 55 miles of railroad track, 10 schools, 7 theaters, 17 restaurants and cafeterias, and 13 supermarkets. There was also a 9,400-book library, a symphony orchestra, sports facilities, church services for 17 denominations, even a Fuller Brush Co. salesman%u2014all for the benefit of 75,000 residents. For security reasons, there was no airport nearby. Oak Ridge had four primary production facilities, each located some distance from the others to provide containment in case of an accident. The Y-12 area had an electromagnetic plant to separate uranium isotopes, while the K-25 facility dealt with separation by gaseous diffusion, and the S-50 plant was for separation by thermal diffusion. Most importantly, the X-10 Graphite Reactor was the first reactor ever designed for continuous operation. It, and a chemical extraction facility, were used to produce plutonium for bombs.Over the years, Oak Ridge was involved in a wide range of programs, including many non-military projects such as producing medical isotopes. Today, it continues to manufacture plutonium, and maintains the nation%u2019s nuclear stockpile. As a consequence of the pollution generated over the years, in 1989 the Environmental Protection Agency designated the area a nuclear-contaminated Superfund Site. Richland, WashingtonThe B Reactor at Hanford Engineer Works near Richland, Washington was the first large-scale nuclear reactor ever built. Its purpose was to convert natural uranium metal into plutonium239 for use in nuclear weapons. Designed and built by the Dupont Co., it was based on Enrico Fermi%u2019s CP-1 reactor at the University of Chicago, as well as the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge.Hanford covered roughly 600 square miles along the Columbia River. The site was selected for its abundant supply of cold water%u2014necessary for cooling nuclear reactors. There was also ample hydroelectric power available, a mild climate, excellent transportation, and it was situated at some distance from major population centers. By 1963, Hanford had nine operating nuclear reactors, five reprocessing plants, and more than Workers building the graphite core for the B Reactor at Hanford Engineer Works in Richland, Washington. The pile was 36 feet by 28 feet and 36 feet high, and was the first large-scale plutonium-production reactor in the world.