Oxford County, Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oxford County
U.S. county
Strathglass Building at Rumford, Maine.
Location within the U.S. state of Maine
Maine's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Maine
Founded	1805
Named for	Oxford, Massachusetts
Seat	Paris
Largest town	Rumford
Area
• Total	2,176 sq mi (5,640 km2)
• Land	2,077 sq mi (5,380 km2)
• Water	99 sq mi (260 km2)  4.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	57,777
• Estimate  (2021)	58,629
• Density	26.552/sq mi (10.2518/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Oxford County is a special area in the state of Maine, United States. It is like a large district with its own local government. In 2020, about 57,777 people lived here. The main town where the county government is located is called Paris.

Oxford County was created a long time ago, on March 4, 1805. It was formed from parts of York and Cumberland counties. The county is located right next to the country of Canada, specifically the Canadian province of Quebec. Parts of Oxford County are also near bigger cities like Lewiston, Auburn, and Portland.

Geography of Oxford County

Typical fall landscape in Oxford County, ME.

Oxford County is a big place! It covers a total area of about 2,176 square miles. Most of this area, about 2,077 square miles, is land. The rest, about 99 square miles, is water. This means about 4.5% of the county is covered by water.

Neighboring Areas

Oxford County shares its borders with several other counties and a Canadian province:

• Franklin County – to the northeast
• Androscoggin County – to the east
• Cumberland County – to the southeast
• York County – to the south
• Carroll County, New Hampshire – to the southwest (in New Hampshire)
• Coös County, New Hampshire – to the west (in New Hampshire)
• Le Granit Regional County Municipality, Quebec – to the north (in Canada)

Special Protected Lands

Some parts of Oxford County are protected areas, which means they are kept safe for nature and wildlife:

• Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge (a part of it is in Oxford County)
• White Mountain National Forest (a part of it is in Oxford County)

People of Oxford County

Family Backgrounds

Many people in Oxford County have family roots from different parts of the world. In 2015, the largest groups of people reported their family backgrounds as:

Main Family Backgrounds (2015)	Percentage
English	22.6%
French or French Canadian	20.9%
Irish	15.7%
"American"	8.9%
German	6.5%
Scottish	5.6%
Italian	4.9%
Polish	1.9%

Fun Things to Do

Oxford County is a popular spot for summer camps! Many kids come here to enjoy the outdoors and make new friends. Some of the well-known camps include:

• Camp Wekeela
• Kamp Kohut
• Camp Wyonegonic
• Forest Acres Camp for Girls
• Maine Teen Camp

Towns and Communities

Spruce Mountain Wind Farm is one of three wind farms in Oxford County, ME.

Oxford County has many towns and smaller communities. Here are some of them:

Towns

Plantations

Plantations are small, rural communities that have a simpler form of local government.

Unorganized Territories

These are areas that don't have their own local government and are managed directly by the county or state.

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

CDPs are areas that are identified by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes. They are like towns but don't have their own separate local government.

Other Small Communities

These are even smaller places within the county.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Oxford para niños