Oxford, Maryland
Location of Oxford, Maryland
Coordinates: 38°41′12″N 76°10′15″W / 38.68667, -76.17083
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Talbot
Area
- Total	0.7 sq mi (1.9 km²)
- Land	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	771
- Density	1,532.4/sq mi (591.7/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	21654
Area code(s)	410
FIPS code	24-59450
GNIS feature ID	0590961

Oxford is a town in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 771 at the 2000 census.

History

Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. While Oxford officially marks the year 1683 as its founding because in that year it was first named by the Maryland General Assembly as a seaport, the town began between 1666 and 1668 when 30 acres were laid out as a town called Oxford by William Stephens, Jr.. By 1669 one of the first houses was built for Innkeeper Francis Armstrong (see Talbot County Land Records, A 1, f. 10/11).^[1] Oxford first appears on a map completed in 1670, and published in 1671.^[2] In 1694, Oxford and a new town called Anne Arundel (now Annapolis) were selected the only ports of entry for the entire Maryland province. Until the American Revolution, Oxford enjoyed prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations.

Early inhabitants included Robert Morris, Sr., agent for a Liverpool shipping firm who greatly influenced the town's growth; his son, Robert Morris, Jr., known as "the financier of the Revolution;" Jeremiah Banning, sea captain, war hero, and statesman; The Reverend Thomas Bacon, Anglican clergyman who wrote the first compilation of the laws of Maryland; Matthew Tilghman, known as the "patriarch of Maryland" and "father of statehood"; and Colonel Tench Tilghman, aide-de-camp to George Washington and the man who carried the message of General Cornwallis's surrender to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

The American Revolution marked the end of Oxford's glory. Gone were the British ships with their variety of imported goods, and tobacco was replaced by wheat as a cash crop. Businesses went bankrupt, cattle grazed in the streets, and the population dwindled.

After the Civil War, Oxford emerged from its "long slumber" to nearly 100 years of a new prosperity signaled by completion of the railroad in 1871 and improved methods of canning and packing which opened national markets for oysters from the Chesapeake Bay's bountiful beds. Business was booming, houses were going up everywhere, and tourists and boaters were arriving in droves. But it was not to last. In the early part of the 20th century, the oyster beds played out, the packing houses closed, other businesses went bankrupt, and the railway and steamships eventually disappeared. Oxford became a sleepy little town inhabited mainly by watermen who still worked the waters of the Tred Avon River.

Oxford today is still a waterman's town, but is enjoying a new resurgence based on tourism and leisure activities. Its quiet charm, fresh air, summer breezes, and clean water provide a haven from the hustle and bustle of city life for boaters, weekend visitors, and summer residents.

(Text adapted from the Oxford, Maryland brochure, with additions from the original records by the Maryland State Archives.)

Geography

Oxford is located at 38°41'12" North, 76°10'15" West (38.686776, -76.170842)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²), of which, 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (30.56%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 771 people, 396 households, and 241 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,532.4 people per square mile (595.4/km²). There were 523 housing units at an average density of 1,039.5/sq mi (403.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.87% White, 6.36% Black or African American, 0.13% Asian and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 396 households out of which 14.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.45.

In the town the population was spread out with 13.2% under the age of 18, 1.7% from 18 to 24, 17.3% from 25 to 44, 37.2% from 45 to 64, and 30.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,054, and the median income for a family was $71,071. Males had a median income of $52,708 versus $33,929 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,917. About 2.5% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• Oxford, Maryland is at coordinates 38°41′12″N 76°10′15″W / 38.686776, -76.170842 (Oxford, Maryland)Coordinates: 38°41′12″N 76°10′15″W / 38.686776, -76.170842 (Oxford, Maryland)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Talbot County, Maryland
County seat: Easton
Towns	Easton | Oxford | Queen Anne | Saint Michaels | Trappe
CDPs	Cordova | Tilghman Island
Communities	Bozman | Claiborne | McDaniels | Neavitt | Newcomb | Royal Oak | Sherwood | Wittman