The town of Oxford, with a population of about 4,000, is a community of multiple personalities. One lies in its origins as a small New England village located on the nothern shores of Lake Thompson and along the banks of the Little Androscoggin River. This is the village that you drive through today if you travel on Route 121. Oxford village is the location of many 100+ year old white clapboard houses, the post office and municipal offices (housed in the old Oxford High School building), as well as the brickwork remains of Robinson’s Mill.
Another part of its personality is the commercial strip that lies along either side of Route 26 as it approaches the twin towns of Norway and South Paris. Here you can find several businesses selling mobile and modular housing, the Oxford Plains Speedway, Wal-Mart, a small shopping center, many locally-owned retailing businesses, car dealers, a major grocery store, and the Oxford regional airport. Soon to come to Oxford, just off Route 26 near its southern border with the town of Poland, will be a full blown gambling casino and hotel.
The third part of this town’s personality is found in its wonderful lakes and ponds and the camps and homes that have enjoyed these waters for many years. Oxford calls the northern and eastern shoreline of Thompson Lake as its own. This eight mile long lake has an “excellent” water quality rating from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and offers both a rocky and sandy shorefrontage and great fishing, swimming and boating opportunities. Hogan and Whitney Ponds are considerably smaller, but still offer great recreational swimming and boating and, smaller still, are Mirror and Green Ponds, best suited for a kayak or canoe.
Located just 17 miles from Lewiston and 40 miles from Portland, the town of Oxford also offers easy access to all the amenities that those more urban centers offer, as well as being just a 45 minute drive to popular Bethel and the Sunday River Ski Area.
Visit the town of Oxford’s website at www.oxfordmaine.org.