Oxford is a town in Cumberland County,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. It is east of Amherst. The town is directly serviced by Routes

104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...

, 204,

301 __NOTOC__ Year 301 ( CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less frequently, year 1054 ...

, and 321. Despite its small size and demographic, Oxford is the world's largest processor and distributor of individually quick frozen (IQF) wild blueberries.

History

Oxford was founded in 1792 by settler Richard Thompson. The name "Oxford" is derived from the shallow river that was used to enter the town. Early settlers used oxen to cross, or "ford", the river, and thus derived the town's name.

Geography

Oxford is located at the junctions of three rivers, the largest of which is River Philip. Much of the town lies in a floodplain and floods are common during the springtime. Salt Lake is located between the Black River Road and the Trans Canada Highway. A series of swamps and meadows connect this lake to the River Philip.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Oxford had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Industry

Oxford is considered the wild blueberry capital of Canada as it is centred in a large blueberry growing region. Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd., a wild blueberry processor, is the largest employer in the town, processing up to three million pounds of berries a day during peak season. The plant and over 12,000 acres of blueberry land are owned by local businessman, John Bragg, who added in 2014 another 15,700 acres in the Acadian region of northern

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. Historically, the town was home to a vibrant manufacturing industry with a woollen mill and foundry being key employers.

Transportation

Centrally located in Cumberland County, Oxford is well connected to the provincial and national road network. The Trans Canada Highway ( Highway 104) passed near just south of the town and provincial routes 204,

, and 321 all travel through town via Pugwash Road, Birchwood Road, Water Street, Upper/Lower Main Street and Little River Road. In terms of public transport, the town is serviced by

Maritime Bus Maritime Bus is a Canadian coach operator based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and populatio ...

, which stops at the Irving gas station not far off the highway. Historically, the town had freight and passenger rail service via CN's Oxford Subdivision, known locally as the 'Short Line', which ran from Oxford Junction to Stellarton. Passenger service was discontinued in 1960 and the line was abandoned in the 1990s. The abandoned rail line has been reborn as a part of the Trans Canada Trail system. This section of the trail extends 127-km (78-mi) from Oxford to

Pictou Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Gla ...

. It winds through farms, fields and forests for all season recreational use.

Footnotes

External links

Official Oxford website
{{Authority control Communities in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia Towns in Nova Scotia Populated places established in 1791 General Service Areas in Nova Scotia