Old
Southern small-town charm and 21st century big-city amenities…gathering
place for literature and the arts and center for scientific
research…renowned university town and increasingly
popular retirement destination. It seems unlikely that
all these contradictions can successfully co-exist, but
in Oxford they do. The best of the old and the new South
meet in Oxford, which seems to go from strength to strength
even as other Mississippi towns struggle. While certainly
not immune to the effects of a sluggish economy, Oxford
moves ahead, offering an array of cultural, educational,
entertainment, and commercial opportunities.
At the University of Mississippi, Communications Director
Jeff Alford says the opening of the Gertrude C. Ford Center
for the Performing Arts this spring is one of the most
significant events around the university. “This
is something that’s been long anticipated,”
he comments, “and which will have an impact on the
cultural environment of the entire region. It’s
a first-class theater facility.”
The 1200-seat Center has already been the site of several
sold-out shows, featuring performers of national renown,
Alford adds.
Also bringing national attention to Ole Miss is the National
Center for Physical Acoustics, which is located on the
campus. According to Alford, two recent successes at the
facility are helping Oxford gain recognition as a research
center. Addressing a growing need in today’s unsettled
world, the Center developed a prototype land mine detection
system, utilizing sound waves, which has been tested and
praised by the U. S. Army. Also recently announced were
the results of analysis of sound records from the space
shuttle Columbia, which have helped NASA answers some
of the many questions about that disaster.
“Something that’s not new, but is still unusual,”
continues Alford, “is that the university operates
Oxford’s airport. There are numerous plans for improvement
and expansion in progress. Long-term plans include the
building of a new terminal.”
Smith, Turner & Reeves, with offices in Oxford and
Jackson, is a full-service accounting firm providing accounting,
audit, tax and consulting services for a wide range of
clients. Vickie Cook reports that the 1999 merger of her
Oxford practice with the Jackson-based firm has proven
very advantageous.
“Our Oxford office’s growth has far exceeded
our expectations,” she says, “and we can attribute
much of that growth to the amazing level of growth in
Oxford and the surrounding area. While certainly pleased
with these growth levels, our primary goal is still to
provide excellent service to our clients.”
Smith comments that the general economic and business
climate in Oxford remains stable, even though, like many
Mississippi towns, Oxford has experienced some plant closings
in recent months. “We remain optimistic about the
future—since other businesses are locating here,
and existing ones are expanding.
“You can’t think of Oxford without thinking
of the University of Mississippi,” she continues.
“Although Oxford would still be a special place
without the university, the influence and impact of Ole
Miss is huge. With the continuing addition of facilities
and programs at the University and in the community, residents
can enjoy cultural experiences that are not available
in other small towns.”
Oxford’s reputation as a desirable retirement destination
continues to grow, and the city is regularly spotlighted
in publications aimed at the senior population. “We
were recently included in Where To Retire magazine as
one of the ten most affordable retirement towns,”
reports Christy Knapp, director of Oxford’s Retiree
Attraction Program. “The article included quotes
from the mayor, spotlighting the university and the amenities
we offer here.” The town will again be featured
in an upcoming issue of the magazine, she adds.
Knapp agrees that the Ford Center at Ole Miss is a major
new attraction for the area. “The center is suitable
for a wide array of cultural activities, including dances,
concerts, theater. It’s great for tourists, yes,
but it will also be a venue for a lot of activities for
residents, including our retiree population.”
The Retiree Attraction Program recently held a Senior
Sports Day, according to Knapp, where retirees met with
members of the Ole Miss women’s softball team. “We’re
trying to enhance attendance at the wide range of sporting
events the school offers, and this gave us the opportunity
to talk with our senior citizens about the importance
of their attendance—and volunteering for them as
well,” she explains.
Knapp also comments that people start looking at their
retirement options, and possible relocation areas, up
to five years before they actually plan to retire. “Planning
so far in advance gives people the chance to come and
tour the places they’re considering retiring to,”
she says. “And people are certainly being attracted
to Oxford for many reasons, including good medical facilities,
cultural activities, Ole Miss, and even our proximity
to the international airport in Memphis—because
seniors like to travel.”
“We’re seeing a lot more people in their early
fifties exploring retirement living options,” comments
Tony Williams, director of the Azalea Gardens retirement
community. He adds that the facility reached a 90% occupancy
level late last year, and continues to attract new residents
from various places. “Recently, we welcomed a couple
who are actually natives of Scotland and who moved here
from the Myrtle Beach area,” he relates.
Now managed by Cooperative Retirement Services of America,
based in Memphis, Azalea Gardens is in the process of
constructing a 32-unit unit addition, and is exploring
the possible acquisition of other properties, according
to Wilson. He also comments that Azalea Gardens offers
an ever-increasing array of activity opportunities.
“Residents can choose things that meet their own
interests,” he says. “Activities range from
plays and concerts to sporting events, sightseeing tours,
and even visits to locals farms and orchards for fresh
produce.”
Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi has recently
completed a $37.5 million expansion project which provides
enhancements in many areas, including ER and surgery,
according to Director of Marketing Sarah Hollis.
“We’re in the second phase of a 3-phase construction
project,” she comments. “With the completion
of this expansion, we’re increasing the capacity
of our emergency room from 10 to 21 treatment rooms. We’ll
double our number of surgery suites, from 6 to 12.”
Hollis adds that space freed up by the expansion is allowing
the centralization of heart care services to one floor,
and closer proximity of other services to surgical areas.
With the completion of a new cafeteria, the former cafeteria
space is being renovated for a new Acute Rehabilitation
Unit, scheduled to open September 15. In addition to creating
additional beds specifically for rehab patients, the new
facility will feature a custom gymnasium. “We’ll
take a team approach to treatment,” says Hollis.
“Physical and occupational therapy, speech pathology,
and other services will be centralized in the new facility.”
Physician recruitment efforts remain strong at Baptist,
Hollis reports. “Among those joining our staff are
two new ER doctors and a radiologist.”
Oxford—and especially the downtown Square—is
home to numerous long-established local businesses. Even
in an age of discount retailers and fast-food chains,
home-grown Oxford businesses retain a loyal clientele.
It’s clear that one reason is a commitment to a
more local, and personal, approach to doing business.
The J. E. Neilson Co. department store has been an Oxford
landmark for well over a hundred years. A bridal department
added last year has been very successful, reports Will
Lewis, but he adds, “Overall, business has not been
as robust this year, but then last year was exceptionally
good for us.”
Asked how Neilson’s continues to maintain a loyal
customer base against increasing competition, Lewis comments,
“The mid-range chains we compete with are all pretty
much the same. So we try to buy outside those norms, and
offer our customers something a little different.
“Oxford is certainly continuing to grow,”
he continues. “I marvel at the amount of student
housing complexes being built, for example. It’s
difficult to manage Oxford’s growth, especially
with some of the old zoning laws that really didn’t
anticipate the kind of rapid growth we’ve seen.
But our mayor is doing an excellent job.”
Popular downtown bookstore Square Books has now expanded
to three locations, reports manager Lyn Roberts. In addition
to its established general bookstore, recently opened
is Square Books Jr., a children’s bookstore just
across the square. “There’s also Off Square
Books, which features bargain titles as well as our used
and rare books. It’s also the place where we hold
a lot of our special events,” Roberts reports.
Moving its children’s department to its own location
has freed up space in the main store, she adds—which
will allow for some reorganizing and expansion of sections.
“There’s never a problem in filling shelf
space,” she comments.
Asked about the key to staying successful with so much
competition from big retailers and their discounted best
sellers, Roberts says, “One big difference is our
staff. They’re well read and knowledgeable, and
they’re dedicated to selling books. They’re
not being distracted all the time to go take care of other
duties, as they would be at a large retailer.
“And we offer a really broad selection of titles—best
sellers, yes, but a lot more—including a lot of
university press and small press titles that you won’t
find anywhere else.”
A long-time Oxford landmark, located in an historic building
on the square, is the popular Downtown Grill restaurant.
Manager Lee Cauthern reports that the restaurant is undergoing
renovations to its upstairs area—where seating for
50 people is being added—and to its kitchen. “With
our increasing banquet business, the changes to the kitchen
will give us a lot more flexibility,” says Cauthern.
“Now we’ll be able to serve groups as small
as 10 people to as large as 350 people.
Reappearing on the menu this summer, he adds, are entrée
and dessert crepes, which were popular items when the
restaurant first opened.
With its rapid growth, amenities, and central location,
Oxford also continues to attract new businesses. One of
the newer firms to locate in the city—their local
office opened in August, 2002—is Upchurch Services,
which offers plumbing, heating, and air conditioning repair
and maintenance. While new to the Oxford market, the company
is a division of long-established Upchurch Plumbing, based
in Greenwood. David Blackburn says the new firm was formed
to expand both service capabilities and geographic coverage.
“We needed to create a separate office, because
our business keeps growing; and, we wanted to get more
into the service and ongoing maintenance areas,”
he explains. “Oxford is a great market with a lot
of growth. We’ve also found it to be a great place
for our employees to live, and a place that has a good
available workforce.
To meet the needs of the service and maintenance market,
Blackburn says Upchurch Services utilizes some of the
latest, high-technology methods and equipment. “For
example, we have a camera that can be maneuvered through
a sewer before we have to starting tearing into it. When
we come upon a problem, a digital locator on the surface
allows us to find the camera, helping pinpoint a precise
area that needs to be opened up for repairs,” he
reports.
Comments from Vickie Cook summarize an attitude shared
by many of those who are building an exciting future for
Oxford: “This is my hometown—I grew up here,
went to Ole Miss, and chose to remain here after college
to pursue my career. When I think of all the changes that
have taken place just during my lifetime, it’s almost
overwhelming.
“Many times we hear people comment that they would
like to keep Oxford just the way it has always been. Oxford
is definitely a unique place, and for the most part we
have met the challenge of preserving its small town charm
while experiencing incredible growth.
“This is an area that’s becoming more and
more attractive to people from all over the world. I tell
people that we do not have to leave Oxford—the rest
of the world comes to us!” DBJ
