Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, Inc. Thank you for your recent request for retirement information about one of the South's oldest and loveliest towns, Oxford, Mississippi. Steeped in rich tradition with a cultural and literary heritage second to none, Oxford has been named one of America's most charming towns and has been hailed by USA Today as the "thriving New South arts mecca." From John Grisham to William Faulkner, from kudzu to culture, Oxford has much to offer. Enclosed is detailed information about our community. This packet contains articles and brochures that are pertinent to tourists and newcomers alike, along with a video about our lovely town. I am here to answer your questions about relocating to the town that author John Grisham described as "the undiscovered jewel of the South." Please feel free to contact me using our toll- free telephone number 1-800-880-6967, or visit our web site at www.retire.oxfordms.com. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Best wishes, Rosie Vassallo, Director Retiree Attraction Program [email protected] Enclosures N estled among the rolling hills of north Mississippi lays the extraordinary town of Oxford – a vibrant University town filled with unique shops and galleries, eclectic restaurants and clubs, historic landmarks and comfortable inns, along with the country’s number one bookstore according to Publisher’s Weekly. The University of Mississippi – affectionately known as Ole Miss – is one of the South’s crown jewels, and hosts an array of exciting athletic events as well as enlightening and enriching performing arts programs, scholarly presenta- tions, museums and exhibits. The area is dotted with parks and recreation centers that offer tennis, swimming, hiking, fishing, golf and other sports. But don’t just take our word for it, many national publications feature the Lafayette County seat as one of the most desirable retirement destinations in the United States, with Memphis only an hour away. Reader’s Digest, Your Money magazine describes “this gracious Southern town” as having “a small arts community, [with] moonlight, magnolia, antebellum mansions, and wisteria. If Ox- ford didn’t exist, it would have to be in- vented.” National Geographic Traveler magazine depicts the community as “a place where art openings are as well- attended as hard rock concerts; where the local bookstore is as busy as the local Wal-Mart; and where hometown authors such as Faulkner and John Grisham are as revered as the Ole Miss Rebel football team.” While the Washington Post sums up the area as “cosmopolitan, sophisticated, even trendy…You can get a latte’ in Oxford.” Liveability.com spotlights the town as “Top Ten Small Towns in America.” Indeed, from the arts to athletics to academics, Oxford and the University of Mississippi – Faulkner’s “little postage stamp of soil” – offer almost as many opportunities as the kudzu vines that cover the countryside. Tree-lined boulevards with lovely homes encircle Oxford’s downtown area. Less than half a mile away, the beautiful Ole Miss campus features architec- ture from the antebellum era to the present. Ole Miss is an integral part of the community and has helped pave the way to important economic growth in industry and commerce in the area. The University provides many social and cultural activities, as well as opportunities for adults wishing to further their education. In fact, retirees 65 years or over can take four credits per semester free as part of the Lifetime Learners Program. www.outreach.olemiss.edu/LifetimeLearner/ With seven major schools of study – liberal arts, engineering, law, education, pharmacy, business admini- stration, and accountancy – Ole Miss provides a complete program for undergraduate and advanced degrees. UM’s division of Outreach and Con- tinuing Education has a wide range of courses from wine tasting to photography. Ole Miss also participates in the Interhostel program. www.outreach.olemiss.edu The local satellite campus of Northwest Mississippi Community College is yet another education option which offers additional continuing education opportunities. www.northwestms.edu Among the University’s extensive calendar of events open to the public are weekly brown bag luncheons on a variety of subjects at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and The Croft Institute for International Studies; the Music De- partment’s frequent concerts and recitals, Theatre Department productions, and University Museums and Art Depart- ment exhibits. The University’s J.D. Williams Library houses an extensive Blues archive. Both the University and La- fayette County-Oxford libraries are open to the public. Spectators enjoy SEC sports year round. Fortune magazine describes Ole Miss fans as providing “near religious support for Rebel football, baseball, and basketball teams.” Lavish tailgates are a big tradition during home football games, and Oxford plays host to several thousand visitors each year who attend events here from across the nation. ART The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council (YAC) is the city’s official arts agency that works to promote the arts for all citizens of Oxford and Lafayette County. www.oxfordarts.com Art and gallery shows, film festival events and art edu- cation projects are a few of the programs sponsored by the arts council that is located in the Powerhouse Community Arts Center, which houses a 160-seat theater, exhibit space, studio space, classrooms and meeting space. Many opportunities exist to mix and mingle with local artists at local art galleries that host occasional art open- ings with wine and cheese. Permanent displays at the University Museums include one of the nation’s foremost collections of Greek and Roman antiquities, 19th century scientific instruments and a major collection of local primitive artist Theora Hamblett’s paintings. Eight traveling exhibits are shown annually. On the Ole Miss campus, the Mary Buie Museum and the Kate Skipwith Teaching Museum display changing exhibits and permanent collections. The museum offers workshops, lectures from renowned scholars, and special events all year. www.olemiss.edu/museum PERFORMING ARTS The Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts is a 1,250-seat full-service production facility offering a broad spectrum of entertainment and cultural events. This gleaming facility offers a venue capable of handling everything from opera to touring Broadway shows, chamber music and blues to world music concerts, and every- thing in between. www.olemiss.edu/depts/fordcenter THEATRE University Theatre produces plays and the community group, Theatre Oxford, offers several productions a year. The University Artists Series provides several major presentations each year from renowned classical performers. www.olemiss.edu/depts/theatre_arts MUSIC The music scene is particularly vibrant in Oxford, and the in- fluence of Delta blues from Memphis is evident in the talented musi- cians who play blues, jazz, and many other styles in local clubs and restaurants. The University Department of Music holds performances throughout the academic year, while the Ole Miss Alumni Jazz Club sponsors the local Jazzfest. The award-winning Ole Miss Gospel Choir and Jazz Band are nationally acclaimed. The Oxford Civic Chorus, composed of community members, performs two major concerts each year. www.olemiss.edu/depts/music Oxford celebrates its appreciation of fine crafts, good music and delicious food by hosting the annual Double Decker Arts Festival, always held the last weekend in April. www.doubledeckerfestival.com The nightclub and coffee- house scene gives local, regional, and national talent performing venues. www.visitoxfordms.com The Thacker Mountain Radio Show, Oxford’s version of National Public Radio’s Prairie Home Companion, features writers and musicians who read selections from their literary works and entertain the guest audience with lively musical selections. www.thackermountain.com LITERARY Oxford has long been a haven for writers. Oxford’s literary legacy began with Nobel Prize-winning author Wil- liam Faulkner, who used the town as the inspiration for the county seat of his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. His ante- bellum home, Rowan Oak, where he wrote many of his masterpieces, was re- cently restored and is open to the public. The Center for the Study of Southern Culture, housed in the antebellum Barnard Observatory at Ole Miss, serves as a teaching and research facility dedi- cated to the study of all things Southern, including music, science, politics, folk life, literature and art. Two annual international conferences are held in Oxford each year; The Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference draws scholars each summer from around the globe. The Oxford Conference for the Book celebrates reading and writing while attracting some of the most successful writers in America, and is free to the public. Past participants have included John Grisham, Stephen King, Barry Hannah, Larry Brown, George Plimpton, Willie Morris, and many other celebrated writers. RESTAURANTS Sophisticated little Oxford provides a wide variety of dining options. From nationally-acclaimed gourmet to Southern cuisine and from barbeque to sushi, Oxford is replete with restaurants and quaint cafes serving everything from ethnic dishes to scrumptious pastries. There is an Oxford eatery to suit any occasion and appetite. www.oxfordms.com/ diningguide.asp HEALTHCARE Oxford boasts a highly rated regional medical center offering sophisticated health care to north Mississippi. Baptist Me- morial Hospital-North Mississippi’s newly constructed six story and more advanced hospital for Oxford, Lafayette County and the surrounding area encompasses approximately 680,000 square feet with 217 beds and the capacity to ex- pand to 290 beds to accommodate future growth. It currently has more than 90 medical and surgical physicians repre- senting more than 30 specialty areas. Baptist Cancer Institute offers state-of-the-art oncology care and treatment. www.northmiss.baptistonline.org Several area health clubs serve the residents of Oxford and a variety of home health agencies are available to meet the specialized needs of individuals.