Oxford, Connecticut
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| Oxford, Connecticut | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| NECTA | Bridgeport-Stamford |
| Region | Central Naugatuck Valley |
| Incorporated | 1798 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Selectman-town meeting |
| - First selectman | August A. Palmer III |
| Area | |
| - City | 86.5 km² (33.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 11,709 |
| - Density | 137/km² (356/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 06478 |
| Website: http://www.oxford-ct.gov/ | |
Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk urbanized area, which is a bedroom community of the New York metropolitan area.
Oxford used to be a very rural town with a moderate farming population. However, in the past few years, there has been a large influx of upper-class suburban families that moved into the area. Most of these families, according to local newspapers and statistics at Oxford Town Hall, have moved from extremely affluent towns in lower Fairfield County. They have discovered Oxford's "reasonable" housing market (which according to national standards is still very pricey) and natural beauty in comparison to their former towns, thus build $600,000+ homes in Oxford. This has fueled Oxford's decision to build a new high school of their own. Before, the town was too small, had little economic development and taxpayers would burden the cost of the $59 million high school.
According to www.zillow.com, Oxford is now more expensive than the neighboring towns of Southbury, Middlebury, Seymour, Naugatuck and Beacon Falls. Home prices are 22% higher than Southbury's and 13% higher than Middlebury's. Due to this, many longtime Oxford residents are selling their homes and moving to cheaper towns with lower taxes.
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[edit] Recreation
Many parks serve Oxford's citizens. Among them are Southford Falls State Park in the northern section of town, Jackson Cove Beach in the southern section (Oxford residents only), and Kirks Pond in the center of town.
Among the more recent additions to Oxford is Oxford Greens, an upscale public golf course with over 400 homes for "Active Adults" over the age of 55. Homes on the property average around $500,000. The Golf Club at Oxford Greens offer residents of Oxford and Naugatuck the opportunity to purchase an Oxford Greens Resident Card for only $55 a week.
The nearest shopping malls to Oxford are the Danbury Fair Mall (25 minutes), Brass Mill Center in Waterbury (20 minutes), Trumbull Mall (20 minutes) and Post Mall in Milford (30 minutes).
[edit] Education
Oxford has two elementary schools: Oxford Center School and Quaker Farms School; and one middle school: Great Oak Middle School.
The town is currently building a new, $47 million high school. About half of Oxford's high school-aged population attend private schools in Oxford area. This exceptionally high number is a result of parents' dissatisfaction with the town not having its own high school. A majority of the half are split between Seymour High School in Seymour and Masuk High School in Monroe. A small number of students from Oxford, if accepted, attend Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury or The Sound School in New Haven. Students currently in their freshman year of high school at Seymour High School and Masuk High School will return to Oxford High School for the rest of their high school years, becoming the first graduating class of Oxford High School.
[edit] Transportation
The town is bisected by Route 67 that begins in Woodbridge and ends in New Milford. With the influx of new citizens, Route 67 is now among the most congested state roads in Connecticut, often compared to Route 7 that runs from Norwalk to Danbury or Route 63 in Amity. Route 188, which runs through the Quaker Farms section of Oxford, is very scenic as it passes by Schreiber's Farm and the pristine clapboard homes near Christ Church. Other major roads in town are Route 34 along the Housatonic River and Route 42 in the eastern section of town.
Many business-people arrive in Connecticut through Waterbury-Oxford (KOXC) Airport, one of the largest corporate airports in Connecticut with many privately owned jets. The airport is next to the town of Middlebury, CT.
A number of area residents make the daily commute to New York City via Metro North Railroad, southwestern Connecticut's local commuter rail service. Nearby stations are along the Waterbury line in Naugatuck, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby; or along the New Haven line in Milford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Westport.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.5 km² (33.4 mi²). 85.2 km² (32.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.50%) is water.
[edit] Geographic Area
The towns which border Oxford are Beacon Falls, Middlebury, Monroe, Naugatuck, Newtown, Seymour and Southbury.
[edit] On the National Register of Historic Places
- Quaker Farms Historic District — 467-511 Quaker Farms Road (added September 9, 1991)
- Wooster Sawmill and Gristmill Site (added September 17, 2001)
[edit] Local Media
Being centrally located in southwestern Connecticut, Oxford has the choice of three local newspapers: Connecticut Post of Bridgeport, Republican-American of Waterbury and The New Haven Register. Oxford residents also receive 'Voices', a free publication; it offers community news to over 20 towns in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties. Hometown Publications has recently started a new newspaper for its residents called the 'Oxford Observer.'
The local cable station is Tele-Media of Western Connecticut located in Seymour. Local media broadcasting stations are WTNH-New Haven, WVIT-Hartford, WFSB-Hartford, WABC-New York, WNBC-New York and WNYW-New York. Tele-Media groups Oxford and Seymour as part of the greater Danbury area.
[edit] Anthrax
In 2001, the sleepy town made international headlines when 94 year-old Ottilie Lundgren mysteriously died of anthrax. At the time, there was a spread of anthrax attacks in New York and Washington, and this case baffled law enforcement. To this day, no one is sure how anthrax made it to the quaint, suburban neighborhood in Oxford. By now most have forgotten this occurrence, but at the time, Oxford was world-famous.[1]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 9,821 people, 3,503 households, and 3,798 families residing in the town. The population density was 115.3/km² (298.6/mi²). There were 3,420 housing units at an average density of 40.1/km² (104.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.51% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.
There were 3,343 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $89,463. Males had a median income of $76,458 versus $52,231 for females. The per capita income for the town was $62,250. About 1.6% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ Bioterrorism-related anthrax surveillance, Connecticut, September-December, 2001 - Bioterrorism-Related Anthrax - Emerging Infectious Diseases http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GVK/is_10_8/ai_93532601
[edit] External links
- Town of Oxford
- Oxford Historical Society
- Municipal Historican's Information page
- Municipal Historican's Preservation advocacy page
- Genological and cemetery information for Oxford
- Derby Historical Society Web site The society was "Founded April 18, 1946, to serve the Naugatuck Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, & Shelton."
- Oxford Public Library
- Oxford Public Schools
- Pomperaug Health District serves Oxford, Southbury and Woodbury.
- Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau
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