So, you were looking for little known facts about Oxford Michigan? Then here you go. Oxford is 41 miles northwest of Detroit, Michigan, and emanates a small-town feeling. The village center consists of shops, restaurants, and taverns stretching for 2 blocks. Local happenings such as athletic events, downtown fairs, scarecrow competitions, school plays, and concerts 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.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3540 people, 1402 households, and 918 families residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 97.2% White, .6% African American, .3% Native American, .5% Asian, .3% from other races, and 1.1% from 2 or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.
Now for the history. During the early 1800s 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, which was 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 1 acre out of 100 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.
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 5 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 promoted as "The Gravel Capital of the World."
The village of Oxford is home to the school district of Oxford Area Community Schools. The district has 8 schools which include: 1 high school, 1 middle school, 5 elementary schools, 1 special education school. 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. In 2009, Oxford Area Community Schools won as "Best Schools In Michigan." So there you have it, a brief history of Oxford Michigan, from 1800 to 2009.
references: census bureau, oakland historical museum, wikipedia.
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