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Oak Ridge, North Carolina
Official seal of Oak Ridge, North Carolina
Seal
Location in Guilford County and the state of North Carolina
Location in Guilford County and the state of North Carolina
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Guilford
Founded 1852
Incorporated 1897, 1998
Named for Its location on an Oak-grown ridge
Area
 • Total 16.89 sq mi (43.75 km2)
 • Land 16.75 sq mi (43.38 km2)
 • Water 0.14 sq mi (0.37 km2)
Elevation
929 ft (283 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 7,474
 • Density 446.24/sq mi (172.29/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
27310, 27284
Area code(s) 336
FIPS code 37-48480
GNIS feature ID 2407022

Oak Ridge is a town in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. As of the census of 2020, the town had a population of 7,474. Oak Ridge is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the center of Greensboro, North Carolina's third-most populous city. Oak Ridge is a part of the Piedmont Triad urban area.

History

The town is home to Oak Ridge Military Academy, a private, co-educational, college-preparatory military boarding school. Founded in 1852, it is the third-oldest military school in the nation still in operation, and it is the official military school of North Carolina, as designated by the state legislature.

Until the late 1990s, the Oak Ridge area was mostly rural farmland with numerous tobacco farms. However, since its incorporation as a town in 1998, Oak Ridge has seen rapid growth in its population. Many of the area's farms have been sold to developers and turned into upper-class housing developments, and several shopping centers have been built along the NC 68 corridor, especially at its intersection with Oak Ridge Road (NC 150), near the military academy.

Each Easter weekend from 1945 to 2013, the community hosted a popular horse show.

The Jesse Benbow House II, Guilford Mill, and Oak Ridge Military Academy Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Oak Ridge is located in northwestern Guilford County. It is bordered to the north by Stokesdale, to the east by Summerfield, and to the west by Kernersville. North Carolina Highway 150 (named "Oak Ridge Road") leads east to Summerfield, and west to Kernersville. North Carolina Highway 68 is the main north–south highway through town, and leads north to US 158 in Stokesdale, and south to Interstates 73 and 40 on the west side of Greensboro; downtown Greensboro is 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Oak Ridge. Piedmont Triad International Airport is 5 miles (8 km) south of the center of Oak Ridge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40.2 km2), of which 15.4 square miles (39.8 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), or 0.92%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 161
1980 900
2000 3,988
2010 6,185 55.1%
2020 7,474 20.8%
2022 (est.) 7,749 25.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Oak Ridge racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 5,878 78.65%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 349 4.67%
Native American 16 0.21%
Asian 528 7.06%
Other/Mixed 320 4.28%
Hispanic or Latino 383 5.12%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,474 people, 2,275 households, and 1,969 families residing in the town.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Oak Ridge (Carolina del Norte) para niños

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