News Release

Manhattan Project National Historical Park communities designated as World War II heritage sites

News Release Date: December 8, 2022

Contact: Wendy Berhman, 720-765-8046

Denver, Colo. – The National Park Service announced the designation of 18 new communities across the United States, including the Manhattan Project’s three main centers of operation, as American World War II Heritage Cities. These new additions follow the inaugural designation of Wilmington, North Carolina in September 2020. The American World War II Heritage City Program honors the contributions of local towns, cities, counties and their citizens who stepped into the workforce to support America's war effort during World War II. Only one American World War II Heritage City can be designated in each state or territory.  

The Manhattan Project’s main communities span across the United States in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington in the Tri-Cities region. Manhattan Project National Historical Park has a unit in each of these locations and works closely with the communities to commemorate the top-secret project that ushered in the nuclear age with the development of the world’s first atomic bombs. 

The 18 newly designated communities are:

• East Hartford, Connecticut
• Pensacola and Escambia counties, Florida
• Savannah and Chatham counties, Georgia
• Evansville, Indiana
• Wichita, Kansas
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• Springfield, Massachusetts
• Pascagoula, Mississippi
• Lewistown, Montana
• Paterson, New Jersey
• Los Alamos County, New Mexico
• Montgomery County (City of Dayton), Ohio
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Oak Ridge, Tennessee
• South Texas Bend area and Corpus Christi, Texas
• Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland), Washington
• Manitowoc, Wisconsin
• Casper and Natrona counties, Wyoming 

World War II permeated every aspect of American life and resulted in a large migration of people within the United States. Individuals and families relocated to industrial centers for good-paying war jobs and out of a sense of patriotic duty. Many industrial centers became “boom towns," growing at phenomenal rates. Workers from around the nation had to intermingle with each other and overcome differences in order to meet war demands, forever changing the cultural landscape of the United States. 

Contributions by a city to the World War II home front war effort include defense manufacturing, such as ships, aircraft, uniforms, and equipment; production of food and consumer items for Armed Forces and home consumption; volunteer participation; and civil defense preparedness.  

The World War II Heritage Cities program was established by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 to recognize the historic importance of the United States domestic involvement in World War II and ensure the continued preservation of defining period in American history. 
 

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For information about Manhattan Project National Historical Park visit www.nps.gov/mapr. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.   
 
Managed in partnership by the Department of Energy and the National Park Service, Manhattan Project National Historical Park preserves and interprets the nationally significant historic sites, stories, and legacies associated with the top-secret race to develop an atomic weapon during World War II and provides access to these sites consistent with the mission of the Department of Energy.