Oxford, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Oxford is a village in Oakland County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 3,436 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Oxford Charter Township
. The village occupies one square mile and is both politically and geographically a part of the township. The village calls itself sister city to Oxford
, England
. Oxford is located roughly 30 miles (48.3 km) from Flint
and 40 miles (64.4 km) from Detroit.
s, and tavern
s stretching for two blocks. Local happenings such as athletic events, downtown fair
s, scarecrow
competitions, school plays
, and concert
s garner a large turnout throughout the year and are reported in the weekly newspaper
of record since 1898, The Oxford Leader.
The area's public high school
, Oxford High School
, was newly expanded in 2003-2004 and now holds the title of the largest single-floor high school in the state of Michigan.
was born in Oxford and currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres
of the National Hockey League
.
Eric Ghiaciuc
, a football player for the New England Patriots
, was born in Oxford on May 28, 1981. Other Oxford High graduates to have played in the NFL are Mike Lantry
(University of Michigan / Dallas Cowboys), Chris Gambol (University of Iowa / Indianapolis Colts) and Dave Rayner
(Michigan State University / Indianapolis Colts). 1964 Oxford grad Jim Bates (University of Tennessee) has been a long time NFL defensive coach (Packers, Broncos, Dolphins and Bucs) as well as being Miami's head coach for 8 games in 2004.
Oxford was once home to Brace Beemer
, radio's Lone Ranger, and the water tower has a novelty architecture
homage
in the form of a mask.
of 2000, there were 3,540 people, 1,402 households, and 918 families residing in the village. The population density
was 2,873.5 per square mile (1,111.2/km²). There were 1,476 housing units at an average density of 1,198.1 per square mile (463.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.23% White, 0.59% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.31% from other races
, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.66% of the population.
There were 1,402 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $53,885, and the median income for a family was $72,875. Males had a median income of $50,179 versus $29,938 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $24,811. About 3.0% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
area was largely avoided by the early settler
s because it was believed to be nothing but impenetrable swamp
land. The area was, at that time, nicknamed "The Barren Plains of Oxford." It was called this primarily because of a report made in 1812 by the U.S. Surveyor General
that described the area as a poor, barren, sandy land, on which scarcely any vegetation
could grow with the exception of some very small scrubby oaks. It was concluded in the surveyors' report that there was one acre
out of one hundred that appeared to be eligible for cultivation
. Any hope for crop production was thought to be preposterous. At this point, the area was deemed worthless, and discouragement of any hope for development by forthcoming settlers was inevitable.
Purchase of public land in what is now called Oxford was in 1823 by a man named Elbridge G. Deming. Soon after, the first person to settle in Oxford was a wolf trapper named Avery Brown. He made use of the land and gave some credibility to its value. It wasn't long after that the first area post office
was officially established in what was then known as Demingsburgh on May 2, 1834. Five years later, the name was officially changed to Oxford on January 15, 1839. Elbridge D. Deming was the first postmaster
for Oxford, as the post office was located in his log home
near the intersection of M-24 and Metamora Road. At that time, the mail was brought from Rochester
once a week by a man named Mr. Hubbard who walked the distance to ensure, what was at that time, considered as prompt delivery of the mail. A few years later the delivery time was drastically cut by another man named Mr. Rose. The route was given to him as he would use his horse and cart instead of walking like his predecessor, thus expediting the delivery time tenfold.
"Gravel
, an abundant natural resource found throughout northeast Oakland County, played a major role in change and development of the Oxford area. Beginning in 1912 with establishment of a gravel mine by W.O. Smith, eventually five individual gravel mining companies were operating in Oxford by the mid 1920s. American Aggregates Corporation, became the most successful of the mining firms, when it acquired mining rights to vast tracts of land in 1982. Oxford became known and was until recent years was promoted as The Gravel Capital of the World. There is a mass of gravel pits throughout Oxford."
The primary mascot for Oxford Schools is the Wildcat. Both the high school and the middle school have sports teams which are referred to as Oxford Wildcats. The Oxford Wildcat logo is visible around the town, prominently on one of the three water towers.
In 2009 and in 2010, Oxford Community Schools was featured as one of the "Best Schools In Michigan". Two of the elementary schools Leonard Elementary and Lakeville Elementary both won Michigan Blue Ribbon Awards. In the 2010-2011 year, Oxford High School moved from the Flint Metro League
to the Oakland Activities Association
.
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 3,436 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Oxford Charter Township
Oxford Charter Township, Michigan
Oxford Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,526 at the 2010 census. The village of Oxford is located within the township and is geographically and politically a part of the township....
. The village occupies one square mile and is both politically and geographically a part of the township. The village calls itself sister city to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Oxford is located roughly 30 miles (48.3 km) from Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
and 40 miles (64.4 km) from Detroit.
Culture of Oxford
The village center consists of shops, restaurantRestaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s, and tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s stretching for two blocks. Local happenings such as athletic events, downtown fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s, scarecrow
Scarecrow
A scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
competitions, school plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s garner a large turnout throughout the year and are reported in the weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
of record since 1898, The Oxford Leader.
The area's public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Oxford High School
Oxford High School
Oxford High School is a private girls' school based at Belbroughton Road, Oxford, England, made up of around nine hundred pupils aged three to eighteen.-History:...
, was newly expanded in 2003-2004 and now holds the title of the largest single-floor high school in the state of Michigan.
Notable residents
Professional hockey player Nathan GerbeNathan Gerbe
Nathan David Gerbe is an American ice hockey player currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League...
was born in Oxford and currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Eric Ghiaciuc
Eric Ghiaciuc
Eric M. Ghiaciuc [GUY-check] is an American football offensive lineman of Romanian descent who is currently a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, a football player for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, was born in Oxford on May 28, 1981. Other Oxford High graduates to have played in the NFL are Mike Lantry
Mike Lantry
Mike Lantry is a former All-American football player. He was a left-footed place-kicker who played for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan from 1972 through 1974. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1973 and set Michigan records for the longest field goal, most field goals,...
(University of Michigan / Dallas Cowboys), Chris Gambol (University of Iowa / Indianapolis Colts) and Dave Rayner
Dave Rayner
David Michael "Dave" Rayner is an American football placekicker who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
(Michigan State University / Indianapolis Colts). 1964 Oxford grad Jim Bates (University of Tennessee) has been a long time NFL defensive coach (Packers, Broncos, Dolphins and Bucs) as well as being Miami's head coach for 8 games in 2004.
Oxford was once home to Brace Beemer
Brace Beemer
Brace Beemer was an American radio actor and announcer at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan.Born in Mount Carmel, Illinois, Beemer was six foot, three inches tall and was an expert horse rider. He served as the deep-voiced announcer for The Lone Ranger soon after its first broadcast in 1933...
, radio's Lone Ranger, and the water tower has a novelty architecture
Novelty architecture
Novelty architecture is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes as a novelty, such as advertising, notoriety as a landmark, or simple eccentricity of the owner or architect. Many examples of novelty architecture take the form of buildings that...
homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
in the form of a mask.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,540 people, 1,402 households, and 918 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,873.5 per square mile (1,111.2/km²). There were 1,476 housing units at an average density of 1,198.1 per square mile (463.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.23% White, 0.59% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.66% of the population.
There were 1,402 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $53,885, and the median income for a family was $72,875. Males had a median income of $50,179 versus $29,938 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $24,811. About 3.0% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
During the early 19th century the northeast Oakland CountyOakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
area was largely avoided by the early settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s because it was believed to be nothing but impenetrable swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
land. The area was, at that time, nicknamed "The Barren Plains of Oxford." It was called this primarily because of a report made in 1812 by the U.S. Surveyor General
Surveyor General
The Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....
that described the area as a poor, barren, sandy land, on which scarcely any vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
could grow with the exception of some very small scrubby oaks. It was concluded in the surveyors' report that there was one acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
out of one hundred that appeared to be eligible for cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
. Any hope for crop production was thought to be preposterous. At this point, the area was deemed worthless, and discouragement of any hope for development by forthcoming settlers was inevitable.
Purchase of public land in what is now called Oxford was in 1823 by a man named Elbridge G. Deming. Soon after, the first person to settle in Oxford was a wolf trapper named Avery Brown. He made use of the land and gave some credibility to its value. It wasn't long after that the first area post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was officially established in what was then known as Demingsburgh on May 2, 1834. Five years later, the name was officially changed to Oxford on January 15, 1839. Elbridge D. Deming was the first postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
for Oxford, as the post office was located in his log home
Log home
A log home is structurally identical to a log cabin...
near the intersection of M-24 and Metamora Road. At that time, the mail was brought from Rochester
Rochester, Michigan
Rochester is an affluent city in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan on the northern outskirts of metro Detroit. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census...
once a week by a man named Mr. Hubbard who walked the distance to ensure, what was at that time, considered as prompt delivery of the mail. A few years later the delivery time was drastically cut by another man named Mr. Rose. The route was given to him as he would use his horse and cart instead of walking like his predecessor, thus expediting the delivery time tenfold.
Industry
The following paragraph seems to have been copied and pasted directly from "A Brief History of Oxford Township" by Mildred Schmidt, who was a local historian."Gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
, an abundant natural resource found throughout northeast Oakland County, played a major role in change and development of the Oxford area. Beginning in 1912 with establishment of a gravel mine by W.O. Smith, eventually five individual gravel mining companies were operating in Oxford by the mid 1920s. American Aggregates Corporation, became the most successful of the mining firms, when it acquired mining rights to vast tracts of land in 1982. Oxford became known and was until recent years was promoted as The Gravel Capital of the World. There is a mass of gravel pits throughout Oxford."
Schools
The village of Oxford is home to the school district of Oxford Community Schools. The district has eight schools which include:- One high school (Oxford High SchoolOxford High School (Michigan)Oxford High School is a coed public secondary institution located in Oxford, Michigan within the Oxford Community Schools district. The school draws from an area of The Village of Oxford and Oxford Township, as well as portions of Oakland Township, Dryden Township, and Metamora Township...
) - One middle school (Oxford Middle School)
- Five elementary schools (Clear Lake, Daniel Axford, Lakeville, Leonard, and Oxford Elementary). All five elementary schools earned an A on their EducationYes! Report cards for the 2010-2011 school year.
- One special education school (Crossroads for Youth)
The primary mascot for Oxford Schools is the Wildcat. Both the high school and the middle school have sports teams which are referred to as Oxford Wildcats. The Oxford Wildcat logo is visible around the town, prominently on one of the three water towers.
In 2009 and in 2010, Oxford Community Schools was featured as one of the "Best Schools In Michigan". Two of the elementary schools Leonard Elementary and Lakeville Elementary both won Michigan Blue Ribbon Awards. In the 2010-2011 year, Oxford High School moved from the Flint Metro League
Flint Metro League
Flint Metro League is a high school sports league in the Flint area of Michigan. It is currently composed of ten high schools.-History:In 1968, six Flint area schools formed a new league to play against schools of similar size and to cut down on travel for some schools...
to the Oakland Activities Association
Oakland Activities Association
Oakland Activities Association is a Southeast Michigan high school athletics conference. It is made up of 29 schools located throughout Oakland County....
.