Oxford, Mississippi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oxford is the county seatGR6 of Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. The population is currently about 14,000. Oxford is the home of the University of Mississippi, also known as "Ole Miss".
Oxford has been named by USA Today as one of the top 6 college towns in the nation and is included in The Best 100 Small Towns in America. Lafayette County consistently leads the state rankings in the lowest unemployment rate per quarter. Both Oxford city and Lafayette County school systems are consistently ranked as "5-star" systems; the highest rating available.
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[edit] Geography
Oxford is located at (34.359837, -89.526242).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.8 km² (10.0 mi²). 25.8 km² (10.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.10% is water.
The land is hilly in places but is generally level. To the southwest is the Mississippi Delta.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 11,756 people, 5,327 households, and 2,109 families residing in the city. The population density was 455.3/km² (1,179.1/mi²). There were 6,137 housing units at an average density of 237.7/km² (615.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.01% White, 20.95% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.68% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 5,327 households out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.4% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the city the population was spread out with 14.9% under the age of 18, 31.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 13.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,526, and the median income for a family was $45,700. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $22,284 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,672. About 11.6% of families and 31.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Health care
Oxford is home to the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy. The Center is the the only facility in the United States that is federally licensed to cultivate marijuana for scientific research. The plants grown at this facility are used for research purposes and a small amount are prescribed to the dozen or so patients in the U.S. who are allowed medicinal marijuana for medical purposes.
[edit] Other facts
- William Faulkner adopted Oxford as his hometown after moving to Oxford at the age of three with his family from nearby New Albany. Oxford is the model for the city "Jefferson" in his fiction, and Lafayette County, Mississippi was used as the model for his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. His former home, Rowan Oak, now owned by The University of Mississippi and recently remodeled, is a favorite tourist attraction in Oxford. Several members of Faulkner's family still live in the Oxford and Lafayette County area.
- John Grisham also has a home in Oxford. He received a J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1981 and practiced law in the Southaven, Mississippi area for ten years before retiring from practicing law. He and his family relocated to Oxford as his writing career took off in the early 1990s.
- Bob Dylan wrote a song called "Oxford Town," which was included on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The song was about the violent events surrounding the admission of James Meredith into the University of Mississippi, violent riots in which two lives were lost. Dylan played a memorable concert at the Tad Smith Coliseum on the Ole Miss campus in November 1990.
- Authors Barry Hannah, Curtis Wilkie and Tom Franklin live in Oxford. Deceased authors Larry Brown and Willie Morris also called Oxford home.
- Oxford has many times been considered the art center of the south with famous artists such as Glennray Tutor, Jere Allen, and Sculptor William Beckwith calling Oxford home. Deceased artist Theora Hamblett lived in Oxford as well.
- Nationally recognized poets Beth Ann Fennelly, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Louis E. Bourgeois, and J. E. Pitts also live in Oxford.
- Actress Joey Lauren Adams, who appeared in such films as Mallrats and Chasing Amy, currently resides in Oxford. Oxford has been host to many films, including Intruder in the Dust (1949), The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992), and parts of The People vs. Larry Flynt (1997).
- The town square, called "The Square," is the geographic and cultural center of the city. Some restaurants on the square include The Longshot, Proud Larry's, Jubilee, Ajax, Boure', The Rib Cage, Pearl Street Pasta, Madre', City Grocery, and Downtown Grill. The Square is filled with many other restaurants, clothing stores, speciality stores, and professional offices.
- The J. E. Neilson Co. located on the southeast corner of the square is the South's oldest documented store. Founded as a trading post in 1839, Neilson's continues to anchor the Oxford square. When the Great Depression hit Oxford and most of the banks in town closed, Neilson's acted as a surrogate bank for university employees, who needed to cash their checks to pay living expenses.
- Square Books, a local independent bookstore, founded in 1979 and independent forever. The store is consistently ranked among the best independent bookstores in the country. The store's owner, Richard Howorth, is currently in his second term as mayor of Oxford. A sister store, Off Square Books, deals in used and remainder books and is the venue for a radio show called Thacker Mountain Radio that is broadcast state-wide on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. The show often draws comparisons to Garrison Keillor's A Prarie Home Companion for its mix of author readings and musical guests. A third store, Square Books Jr., deals exclusively in children's books and educational toys.
- Oxford has had a thriving and diverse music scene for many years, often drawing comparisons to other college towns with large musical scenes, such as Chapel Hill, North Carolina, or Athens, Georgia. Oxford's relatively close proximity to large music cities such as Memphis, New Orleans, and Nashville, make it a regular stop for most of the current musicians and bands who tour on a regular basis. Bands such as The Hilltops, Blue Mountain, The Neckbones, The Cooters, Kudzu Kings, Beanland, and members of Widespread Panic have all called Oxford home. Oxford is also the home of the renegade blues label Fat Possum Records, who released records by blues legends R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, as well as The Black Keys. Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths and current member of Modest Mouse, currently lives in Oxford, as does former Derek and the Dominos member Bobby Whitlock. Luther Dickinson and his brother Cody, who formed The North Mississippi Allstars, grew up just outside Oxford. Their father, Jim Dickinson, works as a session musician and producer for a variety of music acts. Mr. Dickinson has played keyboards on many notable albums in the history of rock, including Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind and The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers.
- Oxford is also home to Taproot Audio Design, which is one of the only CD mastering and duplication facilities located in the state of Mississippi, and is owned by producer/engineer, Jeffrey Reed.
- Honest Tune Music Magazine is based in Oxford.
- Musicians Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello, and Counting Crows have recorded albums at Sweet Tea Recording Studio in Oxford. Dennis Herring, the owner of Sweet Tea, has received a Grammy award for his work with blues great Buddy Guy.
- Oxford has hosted the Oxford Film Festival for the last four years. This festival is quickly becoming a "must-attend" event for regional and national filmmakers, actors, and movie buffs.
- Interior Secretary Jacob Thompson owned a manor called "Home Place" in Oxford which was burned down during the Civil War by Union troops in 1864. A historical marker stands on the spot it once stood. Many other houses in the general area and within the city limits date from before and just after The Civil War era.
- Taylor Grocery, which is South of Oxford, is known world-wide for its fried catfish dinners and its motto: "Eat or We Both Starve." Taylor, Mississippi, where Taylor Grocery is located, has become a thriving arts community in the last ten years.
[edit] Area Churches
- Burns United Methodist Church
- Clear Creek Missionary Church
- Christ Presbyterian Church
- College Hill Presbyterian Church
- First Baptist Church
- First Presbyterian Church
- North Oxford Baptist Church
- Oxford Church of Christ
- Oxford-University Methodist Church
- Peace Lutheran Church
- Second Baptist Church
- St. John's Catholic Church
- St. Peter's Episcopal Church
- Pine Bluff Church of Christ
[edit] External links
- Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce
- City of Oxford Official Website
- Oxford Civic Chorus Oxford Civic Chorus Web Site
- Oxford Tourism Council
- The University of Mississippi
- Yoknapatawpha Arts Council
- Oxford Conference Center
- Oxford travel guide from Wikitravel
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
[edit] Area newspapers
- The Oxford Eagle
- The Local Voice, The Local Newspaper for the Community, by the Community
- The Daily Mississippian, the student newspaper of The University of Mississippi.
- Go Oxford, Community website covering Oxford Mississippi
