Oxford is located north of the Housatonic River and shares boundaries with the towns of Southbury, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls and Seymour. It is in New Haven County. Oxford's 33 square miles are bisected by three state roads --- Route 34, Route 188 and Route 67 - all of which are historic travel routes.
Although it is primarily residential and distinctly rural in character, the availability of close to 3,000 acres of industrial property in the northeastern region points to it potential for economic development, especially for light manufacturing and corporate development.
The town’s location near the Housatonic River and Lake Zoar provides areas for boating, hiking and outdoor sports. Several public and private courses are close by. Oxford also has an excellent parks and recreation system. The center of Oxford's Community Parks is the town green, located directly across from The Oxford House. Posypanko Park is a 16-acre tract that contains ball fields, tennis courts and a concession stand and batting cage. Jackson Cove Park on Lake Zoar has over 27 acres of beach and woodland and is used for swimming, water skiing, boating and hiking. A hiking trail, known as the Oxford loop of the Pomperaug Trail, provided hours of exercise filled with scenic views of the Housatonic River.
Oxford is bordered by parts of several state parks including Kettletown State Park, Southford Falls State Park, Naugatuck State Forest and Larkin Bridle Trail. Kettletown is a 220-acre facility that offers camping, swimming, hiking and a picnic area. Southford Falls on Route 188 is a 115-acre park bisected by Eight-Mile Brook. Spectacular scenery, including a cascading waterfall, covered bridge and lush foliage, make the park a popular locale for wedding photography. A sizable dam, stocked with trout, provides good fishing in the springtime and ice-skating in the winter.
The Naugatuck State Forest comprises 365 acres of forest land and is used primarily for hiking and picnicking. The Larkin Bridle Trail, which passes through the town's industrial zone, is a favorite of area equestrians.
Originally, the Town of Oxford was part of Derby. Its evolution can be further traced to Milford, where English settlers had migrated from other parts of New England in 1639. During the 1650s some of the Milfordites had pushed forward along the Housatonic River, forming a settlement at Paugussett between the Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers. The settlement was named after a tribe of Indians living in that district.
Another tribe, the Pootatucks, occupied the land west and south of the Housatonic. Both Tribes, eager to have white man's goods, freely sold land piece by piece to people in Derby, until the town boundry reached Waterbury and Woodbury on the north.
In 1675, the Paugussett plantation, which included about 14,000 acres, was named Derby and was occupied by 12 families. Gradually, some of the residents of Derby, probably the children of that town's original settlers, pushed further inland and settled a new district, which later became Oxford.
