Oxford is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Chenango County, New York, United States. The town contains a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

also named

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. Oxford is an interior town in the south-central part of the county, southwest of the city of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. At the 2010 census the town population was 3,901. The name derives from that of the native town of an early landowner from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

History

The town is within the former realm of the Oneida and

Tuscarora people The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'') are an indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands in Canada and the United States. They are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian Native Americans in the United States, Native Amer ...

. A tract of land in the town was purchased by Benjamin Hovey, from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The first settlers in Oxford arrived in the spring of 1789. Elijah Blackman, his son Jabez Blackman, and eleven-year-old adopted daughter Polly Knapp built a primitive log cabin on an island in the

Chenango River The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...

. The little island on which the Blackman family had squatted had previously been bought by Benjamin Hovey, who when he came on later to take possession, gave them in consideration of the improvements made, a piece of land, a mile and a half up the river. Blackman resided there until his death, which occurred about the year 1825.The town of Oxford was established in 1793 from territory divided from the town of Bainbridge and the town of Union (now in Broome County). Oxford lost some of its territory when the town of Guilford was created in 1813, and the town of

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

was formed in 1843. The former Chenango Canal (1837) passed through the town. Railroad service began in 1870. The Loomis Family Farm was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2014.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.58%, is water. The

, a tributary of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

, flows southward through the town.

New York State Route 12 New York State Route 12 (NY 12) is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in New York, U.S. Route 11 (U ...

is a northeast–southwest highway through the town. New York State Route 220 intersects NY-12 in Oxford village.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,992 people, 1,440 households, and 1,035 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,800 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.85%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.08% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population. There were 1,440 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,024, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $28,169 versus $21,380 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,149. About 9.4% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Oxford

*Brackett Lake – A small lake in the southeastern part of the town. *Cheshireville – A former community in the southern part of the town. *Coventry Station – A location southwest of Oxford village and northwest of South Oxford. *Ingraham Corners – A location northwest of Oxford village at the northern town line. *Northrups Corners – A location south of Oxford village. *

– A village in the northern part of the town; located on Route NY-12 and NY220 by the Chenango River. *Oxford Station – A location southeast of Oxford village, located on County Road 35. *Puckerville Corners – A location near the eastern town line. *South Oxford – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

southwest of Oxford village, located on County Road 32 (East River Road). The Sannick Family Farm was listed on the

in 2007. *Walker Corners – A location east of South Oxford hamlet.

Notable people

* Frances R. Brown, college president * Theodore Burr, inventor, engineer *

Charles Benjamin Dudley Charles Benjamin Dudley (July 14, 1842 – December 21, 1909) was an American chemist who was an early proponent of standardisation in industry. Dudley was born in Oxford, New York, and owing to family circumstances, had to wait until 1867 ...

, chemist, proponent of industrial standardization and president of

ASTM International ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...

from 1902 to 1908 * Maria Hyde Hibbard, born in Oxford; educator and temperance movement leader * Clarence H. McNeil, U.S. Army major general, born and raised in Oxford *

Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia ( ; born April 2, 1947) is an American academic, social critic and Feminism, feminist. Paglia was a professor at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia), University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1984 until ...

, author and academic * Thomas Ryan, born in Oxford, congressman from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Uri Tracy Uri Tracy (February 8, 1764 – July 21, 1838) was a United States representative from NYCongDel, New York. Biography He was born in Norwich, Connecticut on February 8, 1764, to Daniel Tracy and Mary Johnson, he graduated from Yale College in 178 ...

, missionary, founder of Oxford Academy, assemblyman and congressman

References

External links

Town of Oxford official website

Oxford commercial website

{{authority control Towns in Chenango County, New York Towns in New York (state)