Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
From top, left to right: Swayze Field, Square Books, Oxford's downtown Square, The Grove at Ole Miss, The Lyceum at the University of Mississippi, Rowan Oak, Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss | |
Location of Oxford, Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 34°22′20″N 89°30′29″W / 34.37222°N 89.50806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Lafayette |
| Named after | Oxford, England |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Robyn Tannehill (I) |
| Area | |
• Total | 26.71 sq mi (69.18 km2) |
| • Land | 26.62 sq mi (68.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.24 km2) |
| Elevation | 449 ft (137 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,416 |
| • Density | 954.88/sq mi (368.68/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 38655 |
| Area code | 662 |
| FIPS code | 28-54840 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404454 |
| Website | oxfordms.net |
Oxford is the 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Memphis. A college town, Oxford surrounds the University of Mississippi or "Ole Miss". Founded in 1837, the city is named after Oxford, England.
Purchasing the land from a Chickasaw, pioneers founded Oxford in 1837. In 1841, the Mississippi State Legislature selected it as the site of the state's first university, Ole Miss. Oxford is also the hometown of Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner, and served as the inspiration for his fictional Jefferson in Yoknapatawpha County. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, who served as a US Supreme Court Justice and Secretary of the Interior, also lived and is buried in Oxford.
At the 2020 US Census, the population was 25,416.