Oxford is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Oxford had a population of 3,492. The village is located within Oxford Township. Located about north of Detroit, it is a northern suburb of the Metro Detroit region.

History

thumb|left|Washington Street, 1922

During the early 19th century the northeast Oakland County area was largely avoided by the early settlers 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 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.

On November 30, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at Oxford High School. Four people were killed, and seven others were injured, including an injured teacher. School attendance was very low that day, as rumors had spread earlier that week of a shooting being about to occur. Most of the students escaped into a nearby Meijer. The suspect, a 15-year-old sophomore student, reportedly fired between 15 and 20 bullets in a chemistry room and did not resist arrest.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (1.37%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Oxford had a population of 3,492. The median age was 40.2 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.0 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,447 households in Oxford, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.0% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 3,436 people, 1,335 households, and 889 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,468 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.1% White, 1.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population.

There were 1,335 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09.

The median age in the village was 38.5 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 10.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • Ralph Gilles, an automotive designer currently serving as Head of Design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
  • Josh Norris, NHL player was born in Oxford and currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League

References

  • Village of Oxford