Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford Town Hall
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°07′00″N 71°51′55″W / 42.116667, -71.86528
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester
Settled	1687
Incorporated	1713
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
- Town    Manager	Joseph M. Zeneski
Area
- Total	27.5 sq mi (71.3 km²)
- Land	26.6 sq mi (69.0 km²)
- Water	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
Elevation	508 ft (155 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	13,352
- Density	501.5/sq mi (193.6/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01537, 01540
Area code(s)	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-51825
GNIS feature ID	0618379
Website: http://www.town.oxford.ma.us/

Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,352 at the 2000 census.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford (CDP), Massachusetts.

History

Oxford was first settled in 1686 and was officially incorporated in 1713. It was also the birthplace of Clara Barton, the first president and founder of the American Red Cross. Oxford was originally settled by Huguenots in two waves, the original settlement having been abandoned after four residents (John Johnson and his three children, Peter, Andrew and Mary) were killed in a violent confrontation with local Native Americans. This event, the Johnson Massacre, is commemorated near the center of town. The remains of the Huguenots' Fort (built in 1686) still exist off of Huguenot Road.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.5 square miles (71.3 km²), of which, 26.6 square miles (69.0 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.20% water. The town sits in a valley, and much its area lies in the flood plain of the French River, which runs through the town. A substantial parcel north and west of Oxford Center is held, for flood control purposes, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The land, known as Hodges Village Dam, also serves as a nature preserve.

It also serves to cut off east-west travel on former roads through the site. There are no state routes running east-west in Oxford; only north-south Route 12, locally called Main Street; less than a mile of Route 56, connecting North Oxford with points north; and Interstate 395, linking Oxford to Worcester and eastern Connecticut with three local exits: Depot Road in North Oxford; Sutton Avenue, the main east-west street in Oxford Center; and Cudworth Road, on the Webster town line.

The town used to include much of what is now Webster, on its southern border, but Oxford and neighboring Dudley both gave portions of their land to allow the creation of that town. Other towns bordering Oxford are Charlton on the west, Leicester and Auburn on the north, Millbury and Sutton on the east, and Douglas on the southeast.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 13,352 people, 5,058 households, and 3,596 families residing in the town. The population density was 501.5 people per square mile (193.6/km²). There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 196.4/sq mi (75.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.62% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 1.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,058 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,233, and the median income for a family was $58,973. Males had a median income of $41,727 versus $30,828 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,828. 7.8% of the population and 5.5% of families were below the poverty line. 12.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

Education

Oxford has a public school system with two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.

Elementary schools include Clara Barton School, which serves the north side of town (including the village of North Oxford) and Alfred M. Chaffee School in the south, which serves grades K-4. All public school students in Oxford attend Oxford Middle School for grades 5-8. Oxford High School serves grades 9-12.

Points of interest

• Oxford High School
• Clara Barton Birthplace Museum
• Hodges Village Dam
• Oxford Public Library

Notable residents

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

• Clara Barton, American teacher, nurse, humanitarian best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross during the Civil War
• Elliot P. Joslin, Doctor, pioneer in diabetes research
• Ebenezer Learned, General in the American Revolution

References

1. ^ "Historical Oxford, settled by the French Huguenots", p.2 Oxford Historical Commission, 1984
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Oxford official website

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