Oxford, Connecticut

Oxford, Connecticut
—  Town  —
Seal
Coordinates: 41°25′48″N 73°08′05″W / 41.43°N 73.13472°W / 41.43; -73.13472Coordinates: 41°25′48″N 73°08′05″W / 41.43°N 73.13472°W / 41.43; -73.13472
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Bridgeport-Stamford
Region	Central Naugatuck Valley
Incorporated	1798
Government
- Type	Selectman-town meeting
- First selectman	Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers
Area
- Total	33.4 sq mi (86.5 km2)
- Land	32.9 sq mi (85.2 km2)
- Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Elevation	705 ft (215 m)
Population (2010)
- Total	12,272
- Density	373/sq mi (137/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06478
Area code(s)	203
FIPS code	09-58300
GNIS feature ID	0213486
Website	www.oxford-ct.gov

Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,272 at the 2010 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central Naugatuck Valley Planning Area.^[1]

A University of Connecticut development study spanning 1985-2006 showed Oxford had the largest increase of development by percentage, growing 62% during that time.^[2][3]

Recreation

Among the parks serving Oxford residents are Southford Falls State Park in the northern section of town, Jackson Cove Beach, and Kirks Pond in the center of town. The 10.4-mile Larkin Bridle Trail, created in the 1940s from the path of a former train track, is one of the earliest examples of the "rails-to-trails" movement.^[4]

The Golf Club at Oxford Greens, a public golf course with over 400 homes for "Active Adults" over the age of 55, is located in town.^[5]

The nearest shopping malls to Oxford are the Brass Mill Center in Waterbury, Westfield Shoppingtown in Trumbull, Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, and the Danbury Fair Mall.

Education

Oxford has two elementary schools: Quaker Farms School (kindergarten through second grade) and Oxford Center School (third through fifth grade); one middle school: Great Oak Middle School (sixth through eighth grade); and Oxford High School. In 2008, 90 percent of fourth grade students met state standards in math (as compared to 85 percent statewide); 82 percent in reading (statewide: 74 percent); 95 percent in writing (statewide: 85 percent). A total of 92 percent of eighth graders in town met state math standards (statewide: 85 percent), 94 percent in reading (statewide: 81 percent); and 94 percent in writing (statewide: 84 percent).^[4]

In 2007, the town opened its first high school and natatorium.^[6] Before the school was constructed, students were split between Seymour High School in Seymour and Masuk High School in Monroe. Oxford High School had 570 students in 2009 and offered instruction in three foreign languages and six advanced-placement classes.^[4] Oxford High is a member of the South West Conference for athletics, competing with Bethel, Brookfield, Joel Barlow (Easton/Redding), Masuk (Monroe), New Fairfield, Newtown, Pomperaug (Southbury/Middlebury), and Weston, among others.

Transportation

Waterbury-Oxford Airport

The town is bisected by Route 67 that begins in Woodbridge and ends in New Milford. Route 188 runs through the Quaker Farms section of town. Other major roads in town are Route 34 along the Housatonic River (and which crosses the Housatonic into Monroe via the Stevenson Dam Bridge) and Route 42 in the eastern section of town.

Waterbury-Oxford Airport, with the second largest runway in Connecticut^[7] is located in Oxford and Middlebury, CT. The airport, which is owned and operated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation has become one of the largest & fastest growing corporate aviation centers in the Northeast.^[8] There are 252 aircraft based at the airport with 80 of those aircraft being large corporate business jets.^[7][8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.4 square miles (87 km²), of which, 32.9 square miles (85 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.50%) is water.

The towns bordering Oxford are Beacon Falls, Middlebury, Monroe, Naugatuck, Newtown, Seymour and Southbury.

Historic places

• Quaker Farms Historic District — 467-511 Quaker Farms Road (added September 9, 1991)
• Wooster Sawmill and Gristmill Site (added September 17, 2001)

Local media

Being centrally located in southwestern Connecticut, Oxford residents have the choice of three local newspapers: Connecticut Post of Bridgeport, Republican-American of Waterbury and The New Haven Register. Oxford residents also receive 'Voices', a free publication; it offers community news to over 20 towns in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties. Hometown Publications has recently started a new newspaper for its residents called the 'Oxford Gazette.'

The local cable station is Comcast of Western Connecticut located in Seymour. Local media broadcasting stations are WTNH-New Haven, WVIT-Hartford, WFSB-Hartford, WABC-New York, WNBC-New York and WNYW-New York.

History

In the 18th century, farmers herded livestock through Oxford from as far away as Litchfield on the way to the port of New Haven. In the 19th century, the town lost population as farmers moved to work in better-paying factories.^[4]

In 2001, Oxford made international headlines when 94 year-old Ottilie Lundgren mysteriously died of anthrax. At the time, there was a spread of anthrax attacks in New York and Washington, and this case baffled law enforcement. No additional cases in the area suggested Lundgren's death was the result of accidental cross-contamination of the mail.^[9]

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 12,272 people, 3,503 households, and 1,683 nuclear families residing in the town. The population density was 373 people per square mile (115.3/km²). There were 3,420 housing units at an average density of 104.0 per square mile (40.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.51% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.

There were 4,256 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.21. The median home value was $405,900.^[10]

In the town, the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $103,107.^[11]

Notable people

• Barbara Hershey, actress, owns a home in town.^[12]
• Kurt Kepshire, former pitcher for the Saint Louis Cardinals lives with his family in town.
• Ottilie Lundgren, wife of the late Justice Carl Lundgren, was the fourth victim of the 2001 anthrax attacks while at her home in Oxford.^[13]

References

1. ^ http://www.oxford-ct.gov/Section/Business_Development/Town_Profile/index.html?PHPSESSID=5cf07d9d317d048268d28da02d1590a7
2. ^ "New Data Track Evolution of a Landscape". The New York Times. March 22, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/nyregion/connecticut/22landct.html?scp=1&sq=oxford,%20ct&st=cse. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
3. ^ http://clear.uconn.edu/projects/landscape/your/town.asp?townname=108&Go=Go
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Hughes, C.J., "How Green Is Their Valley", "Living In/" feature, November 1, 2009, Real Estate section, page 7, The New York Times, retrieved December 3, 2009
5. ^ http://www.oxfordgreens.com/
6. ^ http://oxfordpublicschools.org/
7. ^ ^{a b} ConnDOT: Waterbury-Oxford Airport
8. ^ ^{a b} http://www.oxcstudies.com/documents/draft_noise_study/Executive%20Summary%20(Draft%20Noise%20Study%20-%20May%202008).pdf
9. ^ Bioterrorism-related anthrax surveillance, Connecticut, September–December, 2001 - Bioterrorism-Related Anthrax - Emerging Infectious Diseases http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GVK/is_10_8/ai_93532601
10. ^ http://www.courant.com/business/hc-connecticut-2010-census-search-database%2C0%2C7474953.htmlpage?appSession=16089320391512
11. ^ http://www.courant.com/business/hc-connecticut-2010-census-search-database%2C0%2C7474953.htmlpage?appSession=20689319106722
12. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2fQRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EfADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6630,7564992&dq=barbara+hershey&hl=enlm
13. ^ Buettner, Russ (August 2, 2008). "For Some Close to the Anthrax Scare, Unwelcome Memories". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/washington/02families.html. 

External links

Connecticut portal

• Town of Oxford
• Oxford Historical Society
• Municipal Historian's Information page
• Municipal Historian's Preservation advocacy page
• Genealogical and cemetery information for Oxford
• Derby Historical Society Web site The society was "Founded April 18, 1946, to serve the Naugatuck Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, & Shelton."
• Oxford Public Library
• Oxford Public Schools
• Quaker Farms School
• Oxford Center School
• Great Oak Middle School
• Oxford High School
• Pomperaug Health District serves Oxford, Southbury and Woodbury.
• Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau