Oxford

Oxford, Alabama
—  City  —
Seal
Nickname(s): Crossroads To The Future
Location in Alabama
Coordinates: 33°35′49.578″N 85°50′19.972″W / 33.597105°N 85.83888111°W / 33.597105; -85.83888111
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Calhoun, Talladega
Government
- Mayor	Leon Smith
Area
- Total	18.3 sq mi (47.4 km2)
- Land	18.2 sq mi (47.2 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	656 ft (200 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	14,592
- Density	800.1/sq mi (308.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	Central (UTC-5)
ZIP code	36203
Area code(s)	256
FIPS code	01-57576
GNIS feature ID	0160330
Website	www.oxfordalabama.org

Oxford is a city in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 14,592 at the 2000 census. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Oxford is located at 33°35′49.578″N 80°50′19.972″W / 33.597105°N 80.83888111°W / 33.597105; -80.83888111 (33.597105, -85.838881).^[1]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.3 square miles (47.4 km²), of which, 18.2 square miles (47.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.38%) is water.

Oxford lies among the foothills at the southern end of the Blue Ridge mountains. Nearby Mount Cheaha is Alabama's highest point and offers expansive views of the surrounding wilderness and the city below. Much of the city's southern border is shared with the Talladega National Forest.

Major bodies of water include Oxford Lake, Lake Hillabee, Snows Creek and Choccolocco Creek, which bisects the city.

View from Pulpit Rock, Mount Cheaha. Oxford lies just in front of Coldwater Mountain in the distance.

History

Oxford, which was originally known as Lickskillet, was the first city in Calhoun County to be incorporated. It was founded in the early 1850s. The name was later changed to Oxford because cattle herders would ford their oxen at one of the shallowest points of Choccolocco Creek.

Since 1970 Oxford has annexed large amounts of land to the south, including the communities of Coldwater and Bynum. In 1970 it was all in Calhoun County but today it includes areas in Talladega County.^[2]

Government

Oxford features a Mayor-Council form of government. Mayor Leon Smith is currently serving his seventh term, having been elected to the post in 1984. The five-member Council includes Phil Gardner (Place 1), June Land Reaves (Place 2), Mitch Key (Place 3), Chris Spurlin (Place 4), and Steven Waits (Place 5). Spurlin serves as the Council President. The mayor and council members are elected to four-year terms (coinciding with presidential election years). [1]

Education

Oxford's public schools are administered by the Oxford City School System. There are currently four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The privately operated Trinity Christian Academy is located in Southwestern Oxford. A new Freshman Academy is in the building process and is scheduled for opening January 2009.^{[dated info]} The official Board of Education website is Oxford City Schools.

Oxford High School boasts an enrollment exceeding 1,000 students and is classified as a Class 6A school in athletic competition by the Alabama High School Athletic Association. 6A is the largest classification in the state. Each fall the Yellow Jacket (Oxford High School mascot) football team spends Friday nights competing in front of large crowds at Lamar Field (Oxford High School Football Stadium).

Economy

The city's growth in recent years can be attributed mainly to the presence of Interstate 20 and it's central location between Atlanta and Birmingham. The only shopping mall between Birmingham and Douglasville, Georgia is located in Oxford. It is known as the Quintard Mall. Several other shopping centers dot the landscape of Oxford with the most recent being the Oxford Exchange which was constructed near exit 188 on Interstate 20.

Demographics

Oxford at Dusk

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 14,592 people, 5,734 households, and 4,231 families residing in the city. The population density was 800.1 people per square mile (308.9/km²). There were 6,280 housing units at an average density of 340.5/sq mi (131.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.46% White, 9.88% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,734 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% are married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,397, and the median income for a family was $47,891. Males had a median income of $34,838 versus $21,897 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,923. About 6.8% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

• Quintard Mall
• Oxford Exchange
• Oxford Lake Park

Media

• Truth Radio WTBJ-FM 91.3 (Christian Radio)
• WVOK-FM 97.9 (Adult Contemporary)
• WVOK-AM 1580 (Oldies)
• WTDR-FM 92.7 (Country)
• The Anniston Star (25,000 circulation daily newspaper)
• Oxford Independent (weekly, free newspaper)

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ old borders based on Andriot, John L. Township Atlas of the United States (McLean, Virginia: Andriot Associates, 1979) p. 17
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Oxford News
• City of Oxford official web site
• Oxford City Schools

• Oxford, Alabama is at coordinates 33°35′50″N 85°50′20″W / 33.597105°N 85.838881°W / 33.597105; -85.838881 (Oxford, Alabama)Coordinates: 33°35′50″N 85°50′20″W / 33.597105°N 85.838881°W / 33.597105; -85.838881 (Oxford, Alabama)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Calhoun County, Alabama County seat: Anniston Cities Anniston | Glencoe‡ | Jacksonville | Oxford‡ | Piedmont‡ | Southside‡ | Weaver Towns Hobson City | Ohatchee CDPs Alexandria | Bynum | Saks | West End-Cobb Town Unincorporated communities Choccolocco | Eastaboga Ghost town Minden Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Talladega County, Alabama County seat: Talladega Cities Childersburg | Lincoln | Oxford‡ | Sylacauga | Talladega Towns Bon Air | Oak Grove | Talladega Springs | Vincent‡ | Waldo CDPs Mignon | Munford Unincorporated communities Alpine | Gantts Quarry | Hopeful Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties