Oxford, Nova Scotia

Oxford
Town
Seal
Nickname:  Wild Blueberry Capital of Canada
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	Cumberland County
Founded	1791
Incorporated	April 19, 1904
Electoral Districts      Federal	Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley
Provincial	Cumberland South
Government
• Mayor	Lloyd Jenkins
• Governing Body	Oxford Town Council
• MLA	Murray Scott (PC)
• MP	Scott Armstrong (C)
Area
• Total	10.76 km2 (4.15 sq mi)
Elevation	5−18 m (16−59 ft)
Population  (2006)
• Total	1,178
• Density	109.5/km2 (284/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code	B0M
Area code	902
Telephone Exchange	447, 552
Median Earnings*	$37,734
Website	http://www.town.oxford.ns.ca/
Median household income, 2005 ($) (all households)

This giant blueberry makes a distinctive entry feature for the community.

Oxford is a town in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada 32 km (20 mi) east of Amherst. The town is directly serviced by Routes 104, 204, 301, and 321.

History

Oxford was founded in 1791 by settler richard thompson . The name "Oxford" is derived from the shallow river that was used to enter Oxford. Early settlers often found it easy to use Oxen to cross, or "ford", the river, and thus the town's name was born.

Oxford is the Canadian wild blueberry capital and houses several blueberry attractions, such as The Wild Blueberry and Maple Center, a blueberry museum, and a giant blueberry sculpture. The part of Cumberland County south of Oxford hosts numerous lowbush blueberry fields. Oxford Frozen Foods is the largest employer in the town and is owned by John Bragg of Collingwood who also owns Bragg Communications, a telecommunications company in the Maritime Provinces.(WBMC is closed)

Geography

Oxford is located at the junctions of three rivers (Philip, Little and Black). A lot of the town lies in a floodplain and floods are common during the springtime. Other than the rivers there is also Salt Lake located between Black River Road and the Trans Canada Highway. Connecting the lake to River Philip are meadows and swampy areas. Because of its location in a flood plain the centre of town has little to no slope and only a few hills are located further away from the rivers.

Infastructure

Transportation

Oxford is directly serviced by one freeway, three provincial collector roads, and at least one interprovincial bus line.

The Trans Canada Highway (Highway 104) has its Exit 6 in the southern part of Oxford. Provincial routes 204, 301, and 321 all travel through town via Pugwash Road, Brichwood Road, Water Street, Upper/Lower Main Street and Little River Road.

The town is also serviced via a stop by Acadian Bus Lines.

External links

• Official Oxford website
• Central Nova Tourist Association - official website
• Oxford, Nova Scotia on Google maps