About this city
Also known as: Cultural Mecca of the South
Nestled beautifully in the rolling clay hills of northern Mississippi, Oxford is a dynamic and historic city best known as the home of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Established in 1837 and named after the renowned university city in England to successfully attract the state's premier public institution, the town evolved from a wealthy cotton-trading center into a legendary intellectual capital. Oxford achieved international literary fame as the lifelong home of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner, who used the town and surrounding county as the direct blueprint for his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. The contemporary landscape perfectly pairs grand antebellum and Greek Revival architecture with a fiercely creative, youthful energy, characterized by an award-winning independent culinary scene and historic bookshops.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1–3 days
Tour the historic cedar groves and walk the primitive trails at Rowan Oak, the beautifully preserved home of author William Faulkner. Stroll through the vibrant independent boutiques and legendary bookstores around the historic Oxford Courthouse Square. View the ancient Greek artifacts and southern masterpieces at the University of Mississippi Museum.
