Oxford City of Oxford |
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City and non-metropolitan district | ||
From top left to bottom right: Oxford skyline panorama from St Mary's Church; Radcliffe Camera; High Street from above looking east; University College; High Street by night; Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum.
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Nickname(s): "the City of Dreaming Spires" | ||
Motto: "Fortis est veritas" "The truth is strong" | ||
Shown within Oxfordshire |
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Coordinates: 51°45′7″N 1°15′28″W / 51.75194°N 1.25778°W | ||
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Constituent country | England | |
Region | South East England | |
Ceremonial county | Oxfordshire | |
Admin HQ | Oxford City Centre | |
Founded | 8th century | |
City status | 1542 | |
Government | ||
• Type | City | |
• Governing body | Oxford City Council | |
• Lord Mayor | Cllr Rae Humberstone (2015–2016) (Lab) | |
• Sheriff of Oxford | Cllr Sajjad Malik (Lab) | |
• Executive Council Leader | Labour Cllr Bob Price |
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• MPs |
Nicola Blackwood (C) Andrew Smith (L) |
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Area | ||
• City and non-metropolitan district | 45.59 km2 (17.60 sq mi) | |
Population (mid-2014 est.) | ||
• City and non-metropolitan district | 157,997 (ranked 118th of 326) | |
• Density | 3,270/km2 (8,500/sq mi) | |
• Urban | 171,380 | |
• Metro | 244,000 | |
• Ethnicity | 72.4% White British 6.7% Other White 8.5% South Asian 3.7% Black 4.3% Chinese 3.0% Mixed Race 2.5% Other 1.4% White Irish |
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Demonym(s) | Oxonian | |
Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | |
• Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | |
Postcode | OX1, OX2, OX3, OX4 | |
Area code(s) | 01865 | |
ISO 3166-2 | GB-OXF | |
ONS code | 38UC (ONS) E07000178 (GSS) |
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OS grid reference | SP513061 | |
Website | www.oxford.gov.uk |
Oxford (/ˈɒksfərd/) is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire. With a population of 159,994 it is the 52nd largest city in the United Kingdom, and one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse. The city is situated 57 miles (92 km) from London, 69 miles (111 km) from Bristol, 65 miles (105 km) from both Southampton and Birmingham and 25 miles (40 km) from Reading.
The city is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Buildings in Oxford demonstrate notable examples of every English architectural period since the late Saxon period. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold. Oxford has a broad economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses, some being academic offshoots.
Oxford was first settled in Saxon times and was initially known as "Oxenaforda", meaning "Ford of the Oxen" (according to the English Place-Name Society, who base their result on a passing reference in Florence of Worcester's work Chronicon ex chronicis); fords were more common than bridges at that time. It began with the establishment of a river crossing for oxen around AD 900. In the 10th century, Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes.