Oxford, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 From top, left to right:Swayze Field,Square Books, Oxford's downtown Square,The Grove at Ole Miss, The Lyceum at theUniversity of Mississippi,Rowan Oak,Vaught–Hemingway Stadium,The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss | |
 Flag  Logo | |
.svg) Location of Oxford, Mississippi | |
  Oxford, Mississippi Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°22′20″N89°30′29″W / 34.37222°N 89.50806°W /34.37222; -89.50806 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Lafayette |
| Named after | Oxford, England |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Robyn Tannehill (I)[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 26.71 sq mi (69.18 km2) |
| • Land | 26.62 sq mi (68.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.093 sq mi (0.24 km2) |
| Elevation | 449 ft (137 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,416 |
| • Density | 954.9/sq mi (368.68/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 38655 |
| Area code | 662 |
| FIPS code | 28-54840 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404454[3] |
| Website | oxfordms.net |
Oxford is the14th most populous city inMississippi, United States, and thecounty seat ofLafayette County, 75 miles (121 km) southeast ofMemphis. Acollege town, Oxford surrounds theUniversity of Mississippi or "Ole Miss". Founded in 1837, the city is named afterOxford, England.
Purchasing the land from a Chickasaw, pioneers founded Oxford in 1837. In 1841, theMississippi State Legislature selected it as the site of the state's first university, Ole Miss. Oxford is also the hometown ofNobel Prize-winning novelistWilliam Faulkner, and served as the inspiration for his fictionalJefferson in Yoknapatawpha County.Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, who served as a US Supreme Court Justice andSecretary of the Interior, also lived and is buried in Oxford.
At the 2020 US Census, the population was 25,416.[4]
Oxford and Lafayette County were formed from lands ceded by theChickasaw people in theTreaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. The county was organized in 1836, and in 1837 three pioneers—John Martin, John Chisom, and John Craig—purchased land from Hoka, a female Chickasaw landowner, as a site for the town.[5] They named it "Oxford", intending to promote it as a center of learning in theOld Southwest.[6] In 1841, the Mississippi legislature selected Oxford as the site of the state university, which opened in 1848.Union Female College opened there in 1853.
During theAmerican Civil War, Oxford was occupied byUnion Army troops under GeneralsUlysses S. Grant andWilliam T. Sherman in 1862; in 1864 Major GeneralAndrew Jackson Smith burned the buildings in the town square, including the county courthouse. In the postwarReconstruction era, the town recovered slowly, aided by federal judgeRobert Andrews Hill, who secured funds to build a new courthouse in 1872.
During this period many African Americanfreedmen moved from farms into town and established a neighborhood known as "Freedmen Town", where they built houses, businesses, churches and schools, and exercised all the rights of U.S. citizenship.[7] Even after Mississippidisenfranchised most African Americans in the 1890Constitution of Mississippi, they continued to build their lives in the face of discrimination.
During theCivil Rights Movement, Oxford drew national attention in theOle Miss riot of 1962. State officials, including GovernorRoss Barnett, preventedJames Meredith, an African American, from enrolling at theUniversity of Mississippi, even after the federal courts had ruled that he be admitted. Following secret face-saving negotiations with Barnett, PresidentJohn F. Kennedy ordered 127U.S. Marshals, 316 deputizedU.S. Border Patrol agents and 97 federalizedFederal Bureau of Prisons officers to accompany Meredith.[8] Thousands of armed "volunteers" flowed into the Oxford area. Meredith traveled to Oxford under armed guard to register, but riots by segregationists broke out in protest of his admittance.
That night, cars were burned, federal law enforcement were pelted with rocks, bricks and small arms fire, and university property was damaged by 3,000 rioters. Two civilians were killed by gunshot wounds, and the riot spread into adjacent areas of the city of Oxford.[9] Order was finally restored to the campus with the early morning arrival of 3,000 nationalizedMississippi National Guard and federal troops, who camped in the city.[10]
More than 3,000 journalists came to Oxford on September 26, 2008, to cover thefirst presidential debate of 2008, which was held at the University of Mississippi.[11]
Oxford is in central Lafayette County in northern Mississippi, about 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast ofMemphis, Tennessee.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.7 square miles (69.2 km2), of which 26.6 square miles (68.9 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.35%, is water.[12] The campus of theUniversity of Mississippi, west of downtown, is an unincorporated area surrounded by the city.
The city is located in the North Central Hills region of Mississippi. The region is known for its heavily forested hills made up of red clay. The area is higher and greater in relief than areas to the west (such as theMississippi Delta or loess bluffs along the Delta), but lower in elevation than areas in northeast Mississippi. The changes in elevation can be noticed when traveling on the Highway 6 bypass, since the east-west highway tends to transect many of the north-south ridges. Downtown Oxford sits on one of these ridges and the University of Mississippi sits on another one, while the main commercial corridors on either side of the city sit in valleys.
Oxford is located at the confluence of highways from eight directions:Mississippi Highway 6 (now co-signed withUS-278) runs west 25 miles (40 km) toBatesville and east 31 miles (50 km) toPontotoc;Highway 7 runs north 30 miles (48 km) toHolly Springs and south 18 miles (29 km) toWater Valley.Highway 30 goes northeast 33 miles (53 km) toNew Albany; Highway 334 ("Old Highway 6") leads southeast 19 miles (31 km) toToccopola; Taylor Road leads southwest 9 miles (14 km) toTaylor; and Highway 314 ("Old Sardis Road") leads northwest, formerly toSardis but now 11 miles (18 km) to the Clear Creek Recreation Area onSardis Lake.
The streets in the downtown area follow a grid pattern with twonaming conventions. Many of the north-south streets are numbered from west to east, beginning at the old railroad depot, with numbers from four to nineteen. The place of "Twelfth Street", however, is taken by North and South Lamar Boulevard (formerly North Street and South Street). The east-west avenues are named for the U.S. presidents in chronological order from north to south, fromWashington toCleveland; here again, there are gaps: there is no street forJohn Quincy Adams, who shares a last name withJohn Adams; "Polk Avenue" is replaced by University Avenue; and "Arthur Avenue" is lacking.
Oxford has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) and is inhardiness zone 7b.
| Climate data for Oxford, Mississippi (University of Mississippi) 1991–2020, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 84 (29) | 91 (33) | 93 (34) | 98 (37) | 104 (40) | 108 (42) | 107 (42) | 111 (44) | 98 (37) | 89 (32) | 81 (27) | 110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 72.1 (22.3) | 75.2 (24.0) | 82.2 (27.9) | 87.0 (30.6) | 90.8 (32.7) | 94.9 (34.9) | 97.1 (36.2) | 97.7 (36.5) | 94.8 (34.9) | 89.4 (31.9) | 80.1 (26.7) | 72.9 (22.7) | 98.8 (37.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.3 (11.3) | 57.1 (13.9) | 65.8 (18.8) | 74.2 (23.4) | 82.0 (27.8) | 88.6 (31.4) | 91.3 (32.9) | 91.0 (32.8) | 86.2 (30.1) | 76.1 (24.5) | 64.3 (17.9) | 55.0 (12.8) | 73.7 (23.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 41.4 (5.2) | 45.4 (7.4) | 53.5 (11.9) | 61.6 (16.4) | 70.4 (21.3) | 77.7 (25.4) | 80.7 (27.1) | 79.8 (26.6) | 73.9 (23.3) | 62.6 (17.0) | 51.9 (11.1) | 44.2 (6.8) | 61.9 (16.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) | 33.8 (1.0) | 41.2 (5.1) | 48.9 (9.4) | 58.9 (14.9) | 66.8 (19.3) | 70.2 (21.2) | 68.6 (20.3) | 61.6 (16.4) | 49.2 (9.6) | 39.5 (4.2) | 33.3 (0.7) | 50.2 (10.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 12.1 (−11.1) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 31.5 (−0.3) | 42.2 (5.7) | 55.3 (12.9) | 61.1 (16.2) | 59.3 (15.2) | 45.7 (7.6) | 32.2 (0.1) | 22.1 (−5.5) | 17.4 (−8.1) | 9.7 (−12.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −13 (−25) | −10 (−23) | 7 (−14) | 21 (−6) | 31 (−1) | 43 (6) | 50 (10) | 48 (9) | 32 (0) | 20 (−7) | 6 (−14) | −10 (−23) | −13 (−25) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.13 (130) | 5.82 (148) | 5.61 (142) | 6.30 (160) | 5.35 (136) | 5.22 (133) | 4.35 (110) | 3.90 (99) | 3.99 (101) | 4.10 (104) | 4.30 (109) | 6.45 (164) | 60.52 (1,537) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 1.2 (3.0) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 12.0 | 10.8 | 11.7 | 10.3 | 11.0 | 10.2 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 9.8 | 12.2 | 122.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Source:NOAA[13][14] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 492 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,422 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,534 | 7.9% | |
| 1890 | 1,546 | 0.8% | |
| 1900 | 1,820 | 17.7% | |
| 1910 | 2,014 | 10.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,150 | 6.8% | |
| 1930 | 2,890 | 34.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,433 | 18.8% | |
| 1950 | 3,956 | 15.2% | |
| 1960 | 5,283 | 33.5% | |
| 1970 | 8,519 | 61.3% | |
| 1980 | 9,882 | 16.0% | |
| 1990 | 9,984 | 1.0% | |
| 2000 | 11,756 | 17.7% | |
| 2010 | 18,916 | 60.9% | |
| 2020 | 25,416 | 34.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 26,801 | 5.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] 2024 estimate[16] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 16,559 | 65.15% |
| Black or African American | 5,656 | 22.25% |
| Native American | 12 | 0.05% |
| Asian | 1,279 | 5.03% |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.03% |
| Other/mixed | 861 | 3.39% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,042 | 4.1% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 25,416 people, 10,351 households, and 5,089 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[18] of 2010, there were 18,916 people, with 8,648 households residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 72.3%White, 21.8%African American, 0.3%Native American, 3.3%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, and 1.1% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 2.5% of the population. The average household size was 2.09.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,872, and the average household income was $64,643. Theper capita income for the city was $29,195.[19] About 12% of families and 32.3% of the population were below thepoverty line.
In addition to the historic Lafayette County Courthouse, the Square is known for an abundance of locally owned restaurants, specialty boutiques, and professional offices, along with Oxford City Hall.
.jpg)
See alsoNational Register of Historic Places listings in Lafayette County, Mississippi[24] and theLyceum-The Circle Historic District, University of Mississippi.
The city is served by two public school districts,Oxford School District (with the majority of the area) andLafayette County School District (with small outerlying sections).[25] The former operatesOxford High School.
It is also served by three private schools: Oxford University School, Regents School of Oxford[26] and Magnolia Montessori. Oxford is partially the home of the main campus of theUniversity of Mississippi, known as "Ole Miss" (much of the campus is inUniversity, Mississippi, an unincorporated enclave surrounded by the city),[27] and of the Lafayette-Yalobusha Center ofNorthwest Mississippi Community College. The North Mississippi Japanese Supplementary School, aJapanese weekend school, is operated in conjunction with the University of Mississippi, with classes held on campus.[28][29]
The Baptist Memorial Hospital - North Mississippi, located in Oxford provides comprehensive health care services for Oxford and the surrounding area, supported by a growing number of physicians, clinics and support facilities. The North Mississippi Regional Center, a state-licensed Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID), is located in Oxford.
Oxford is home to the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy. The Center is the only facility in the United States that is federally licensed to cultivatemarijuana for scientific research, and to distribute it tomedical marijuana patients.
The city operates public transportation under the name Oxford-University Transit (OUT), with bus routes throughout the city and University of Mississippi campus.[32] Ole Miss students and faculty ride free upon showing University identification.
University-Oxford Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northwest of the central business district of Oxford. The airport is owned by the University of Mississippi.
Aubigny-sur-Nère,Cher, France[33]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Univ of Mississippi (blue text)
Univ of Mississippi
Municipalities and communities ofLafayette County, Mississippi,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
