Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded in 1810 to serve as the home of Miami University. The city lies in southwestern Ohio roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Indiana, Ohio border, approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Cincinnati and 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Dayton.
At a Glance
- County: Butler County
- State: Ohio
History of Oxford
Oxford lies within the Congress Lands West of Miami River. In 1803, the United States Congress granted one township to the Ohio General Assembly in the region to build a college. The Ohio Legislature selected a township off Four Mile Creek, the College Township, and chartered Miami University in 1809.
Oxford was laid out by James Heaton on March 29, 1810, by an order of the Ohio General Assembly on February 6, 1810. It was established in Range 1 East, Town 5 North of the Congress Lands in the southeast quarter of Section 22, the southwest corner of Section 23, the northwest corner of Section 26, and the northeast corner of Section 27. It was named for Oxford, England, home to the University of Oxford. The original village, consisting of 128 lots, was incorporated on February 23, 1830.
Freedom Summer, a civil rights campaign, started with orientations at Western College for Women in June 1964. This event is commemorated near the Kumler Chapel on the Western campus, now a part of Miami University. Oxford was elevated to city status in 1971 and became a qualified Tree City USA as recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation in 1996.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Oxford, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.