Oxford, IA

Oxford is a Johnson County city between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, set just off U.S. Highway 6 and Interstate 80 between Tiffin and Amana. The 2020 census counted 722 residents. Clear Creek Elementary serves the city, while the rest of the Clear Creek–Amana school system runs toward Tiffin. Oxford’s downtown, bank, civic lodges, and highway access give it the feel of a small service town inside a much larger eastern Iowa commute map.

ATTRAshton B Crew / CC BY 3.0

The city was platted in 1868 and took its name from Oxford Township, which had been named for Oxford, New York. Agriculture remains part of the surrounding land use, while Iowa City and Cedar Rapids supply larger employment and services. First Trust & Savings Bank, American Legion Post 537, Masonic Lodge Canopy No. 290, and the downtown businesses give Oxford a set of institutions that are easy to find on the local map. It is a compact Iowa town with a school at one end, the interstate nearby, and a main street still doing everyday work.