ABOUT OXFORD MS

Oxford is a city and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract.

The population is about 19,000, due to the city’s recent annexation of five square miles of Lafayette County in all directions. Oxford is the home of the University of Mississippi, founded in 1848, also known as “Ole Miss.”

Oxford has been named by USA Today as one of the top six college towns in the nation. It is included in The Best 100 Small Towns in America. Lafayette County consistently leads the state rankings in the lowest unemployment rate per quarter. Both Oxford city and Lafayette County school systems are consistently ranked as “5-star” systems; the highest rating available.

Oxford is a center for Southern culture and also has been described by USA Today as “a thriving New South arts Mecca.” Nestled among the rolling hills, the aroma of wisteria and the historic town square accent life in the town.

Oxford is best known for the art and literature produced here. Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner resided in the town and used its people and places as the inspiration for his fictional world of Yoknapatawpha County. Rowan Oak, his antebellum mansion, still remains intact and is open for tours.

Oxford continues to serve Faulkner’s legacy well. A strong literary community remains here, with a roster including John Grisham and Willie Morris. Each year the town hosts two internationally recognized literary conferences. The Faulkner Conference draws visitors from around the globe, and the Oxford Conference for the Book attracts some of the most respected writers in the United States.