Downtown and the Square, Oxford: homes, schools and parks

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the City of Oxford’s historic districts map layer and Vision 2037 Comprehensive Plan (PDF), the Census Bureau’s school district boundaries, the Mississippi Department of Education’s report card, Zillow Research, Oxford-University Transit and OpenStreetMap.

Downtown Oxford is the Square and the blocks around it. On the city’s own map it is the Courthouse Square Historic District, the smallest of the three historic districts the city maps, and it is mostly shops, restaurants, offices and government buildings. This page covers living there; for shopping, dining and parking, see our guide to the Square.

What this means for you

• Schools: the Oxford School District, which groups schools by grade, so every downtown student goes to Oxford High for grades 9 to 12. The district rated A for 2024-25.
• Home value: $417,122 in ZIP code 38655 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest Highway 6 interchange: South Lamar Boulevard, about a mile south of the Square.

Part of our Oxford neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The city’s historic districts layer draws the Courthouse Square District around the Lafayette County Courthouse. Streets inside it, from OpenStreetMap, include Courthouse Square, Van Buren Avenue, East Jackson Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Tyler Avenue, Harrison Avenue and the first blocks of North and South Lamar Boulevard, between about North and South 9th Street on the west and 14th Street on the east. It is in ZIP code 38655 and in Ward 4 on the city’s current ward map.

The city’s Vision 2037 plan calls this area the Urban Core: “oriented around the historic Courthouse Square with a formal framework of streets laid out in the original plan of Oxford” and anchored by the courthouse and City Hall. Among its development uses the plan lists mixed use with residential on upper floors, and it caps buildings in the historic core at three stories, with limits set by the code.

Changes to buildings here go before the city’s Courthouse Square Preservation Commission, a separate body from the commission that reviews the residential historic districts, as our history and landmarks guide explains. The Square became a National Register historic district in 1980.

Schools

The Census Bureau’s school district map puts all of the district inside the Oxford School District. Oxford groups its schools by grade instead of drawing neighborhood zones, so every student in the district attends the same building for a given grade. Grades are from the state’s 2024-25 report card:

The district asks families to confirm a specific property with the Lafayette County Tax Assessor, 662-234-5562. Calendars, scores and registration are in our schools guide.

Home values

Zillow does not publish a figure for downtown alone. Its index for ZIP code 38655 was $417,122 in August 2026, up 3.3% from $403,970 in August 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The figure for the city of Oxford was $416,262. The index is a modeled typical value for homes in the middle of the market, not a sale price. More figures are in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

The Square itself is the public space here; the Vision 2037 plan names it as the area’s primary amenity. The nearest city parks, from the Oxford Park Commission:

• Stone Park, 432 Washington Ave., across from the city pool, about a third of a mile northwest
• Oxford Skate Park, Bramlett Boulevard across from the library, under half a mile east
• Oxford Depot Trail, the paved path that runs north from Jackson Avenue west of the Square, about a third of a mile away

All of our park listings are in parks and trails.

Getting around

• Highway 6 (U.S. 278): the interchange at South Lamar Boulevard, signed for Downtown Oxford, is about a mile south of the Square, per OpenStreetMap.
• Memphis International Airport: about 69 miles by road from the courthouse, measured on the OpenStreetMap road network. That is a distance, not a drive time.
• Buses: Oxford-University Transit’s city routes start at the downtown parking garage, 1102 Jefferson Ave. Blue West, Grey, Red North and Red South all stop there, according to OUT’s route page. Rides are free.
• Parking: meters run 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday; floors 2 to 4 of the garage are free. Details are in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

There is no supermarket inside the district. The nearest, mapped in OpenStreetMap, are on University Avenue and Bramlett Boulevard:

• Larson’s Cash Saver, University Avenue, about half a mile southeast
• Chaney’s Pharmacy, Bramlett Boulevard, about a third of a mile east
• Walgreens, University Avenue, under half a mile southeast

Trash pickup

The city collects garbage twice a week inside the city limits. Pickup days vary by street, so look up an address on the city’s garbage route map. Holiday changes are in our trash and recycling guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is downtown Oxford, Mississippi?

On the city’s map it is the Courthouse Square Historic District: the Square around the Lafayette County Courthouse and the blocks along Van Buren, Jackson, Jefferson, Tyler and Harrison avenues and North and South Lamar. Building changes there go before the Courthouse Square Preservation Commission.

What school district is downtown Oxford in?

The Census Bureau’s school district map puts the whole district in the Oxford School District, which rated A on the state’s 2024-25 report card. Oxford High School is at 101 Charger Loop.

What is the typical home value in downtown Oxford?

Zillow does not publish a figure for downtown alone. Its index for ZIP code 38655, which covers downtown, was $417,122 in August 2026, a modeled typical value, not a sale price.

Can you live on the Square in Oxford?

The city’s Vision 2037 plan describes the Urban Core around the Square as mixed use, with residential on upper floors among its development uses. Check zoning for a specific building with the Planning Department.