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Three summers ago the US Bureau of Census designated Oxford as suburban. The Waterbury Republican American ran a Sunday article ....
Firstly, newspaper articles are the OPINION of the reporter and the editor. They may be (but are not necessarily) factual.
Secondly, I called the US Census Bureau this morning. They don't have a classification of "Suburban", only "Rural" or "Urban". Those terms are used for "Census Blocks" which are geographic areas that can be a portion of a town, but not necessarily the whole town. They also refer to metropolitan or macropolitan in reference to the county as a whole.
Oxford town, New Haven County, Connecticut
Total: 9,821
Urban: 4,704
Inside urbanized areas: 4,704
Inside urban clusters: 0
Rural :5,117
U.S. Census Bureau Census 2000
If you can back your data as actual factual fact, then I would be most happy to concede the point. However, for now I will continue to call your position an "opinion"
Firstly, newspaper articles are the OPINION of the reporter and the editor. They may be (but are not necessarily) factual.
Secondly, I called the US Census Bureau this morning. They don't have a classification of "Suburban", only "Rural" or "Urban". Those terms are used for "Census Blocks" which are geographic areas that can be a portion of a town, but not necessarily the whole town. They also refer to metropolitan or macropolitan in reference to the county as a whole.
Oxford town, New Haven County, Connecticut
Total: 9,821
Urban: 4,704
Inside urbanized areas: 4,704
Inside urban clusters: 0
Rural :5,117
U.S. Census Bureau Census 2000
If you can back your data as actual factual fact, then I would be most happy to concede the point. However, for now I will continue to call your position an "opinion"
If you can back your data as actual factual fact, then I would be most happy to concede the point. However, for now I will continue to call your position an "opinion"[/quote]
First, editorials are opinion - when a newspaper runs an article and cites a reliable source, that is not opinion. And since you called the USCB and they told you there is not a "suburban classification", it's possible that the classification was just no longer rural, rather than suburban. Anyone out there know for sure what their classifications include?
Second, of the information you provided, four out of five links do not work. The fifth, and the only one that works, is a dated (8 years old) breakdown from the Census Bureau, which even there shows that just under half of the town is not considered rural. Your sources are certainly lacking for someone who puts much emphasis on reliability.
While I look through the archives of the Republican American, I will leave you with this article from the Voices newspaper stating that Oxford is the fastest growing town in the area. While the dated information you provided shows me that the town was split half and half 8 years ago, and since it was the fastest growing town in the state for three years in a row, well you can draw your own conclusions. That said, I will do research to find the article at the Republican-American website.
Ok so I will put in my two cents since we just looked at Oxford for the first time this weekend.
Yes the town lacks large businesses such as Wal Marts and grocery stores, but there is a large area of town near the airport that has corporations. We looked at neighborhoods in that area but it was too commercialized and we didn't like the power lines.
I would not consider Oxford a rural town rather a town which enjoys a rural appeal. Rural to me means a sparse population with lots of farms. Oxford does have pretty horse farms and apple orchards from what we saw but the realtor explained to us that there are only four farms left in the community.
There are plazas along US 67 that seem to have much of what we would need for daily shopping and if I am not mistaken they are building a supermarket too.
If you want to see rural, visit WA and OR. It is funny what people in CT and NJ vs other areas of the nation view as ''rural''. Anyway that's just my opinion!
Second, of the information you provided, four out of five links do not work. The fifth, and the only one that works, is a dated (8 years old) breakdown from the Census Bureau, which even there shows that just under half of the town is not considered rural. Your sources are certainly lacking for someone who puts much emphasis on reliability.
Actually, 2 links are clickable. Links to an additional 2 citations are contained within the clickable ones. The only link that i can't access is the citydata one, which i assume was merely a posting error by seymourct.
Actually, 2 links are clickable. Links to an additional 2 citations are contained within the clickable ones. The only link that i can't access is the citydata one, which i assume was merely a posting error by seymourct.
The only one that works for me is the Detailed Tables link.
It is funny what people in CT and NJ vs other areas of the nation view as ''rural''. Anyway that's just my opinion!
I know what you mean - CT is largely a suburban state. The only *real* rural areas in the state are in the NW and NE corners, like towns such as Ashford, Thomson, Union, Salisbury, Warren, Goshen, etc. Compared to these towns, Oxford is a city! LOL
[SIZE=1]The Voices Article is citing a report by "Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]who did a report. If you open their report they are citing the 2000 census data which - yes - is 8 years old, not 3 summers ago. You've just proved my original point. They COGCNV include projections, but those are not from the US Census Bureau as you originally said. The US Census says "Urban" has population density of over 500 per square mile. CERC.com 2008 Oxford data page says the town's average population density is now 328 per square mile, which is below the criteria. Look - lets leave the data searching alone. You have your opinion I have mine, and we will let the 2010 census determine the results.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]US Census Definintions posted:[/SIZE]
Urban - All territory, population and housing units in urban areas, which include urbanized areas and urban clusters. An urban area generally consists of a large central place and adjacent densely settled census blocks that together have a total population of at least 2,500 for urban clusters, or at least 50,000 for urbanized areas. Urban classification cuts across other hierarchies and can be in metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas.
Rural - Territory, population and housing units not classified as urban. Rural classification cuts across other hierarchies and can be in metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas.
For Census 2000, the Census Bureau classifies as "urban" all territory, population, and housing units located within an urbanized area (UA) or an urban cluster (UC). It delineates UA and UC boundaries to encompass densely settled territory, which consists of:
core census block groups or blocks that have a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile and
surrounding census blocks that have an overall density of at least 500 people per square mile
In addition, under certain conditions, less densely settled territory may be part of each UA or UC.
The Census Bureau's classification of "rural" consists of all territory, population, and housing units located outside of UAs and UCs. The rural component contains both place and nonplace territory. Geographic entities, such as census tracts, counties, metropolitan areas, and the territory outside metropolitan areas, often are "split" between urban and rural territory, and the population and housing units they contain often are partly classified as urban and partly classified as rural.
[SIZE=1]The Voices Article is citing a report by "Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]who did a report. If you open their report they are citing the 2000 census data which - yes - is 8 years old, not 3 summers ago. You've just proved my original point. They COGCNV include projections, but those are not from the US Census Bureau as you originally said. The US Census says "Urban" has population density of over 500 per square mile. CERC.com 2008 Oxford data page says the town's average population density is now 328 per square mile, which is below the criteria. Look - lets leave the data searching alone. You have your opinion I have mine, and we will let the 2010 census determine the results.[/SIZE]
Well, I will still search the archives when I have time. But either way - it sort of proves my point that even with the 9 year old data in the Voices article which show Oxford was even then not "very, very rural", the demographics of Oxford have changed drastically since. Either way you slice or dice it, a town of 13,000 is hardly rural. Yes, it has a rural appeal, but "very, very rural" is an exaggeration.
As for the 2010 census - you will be quite shocked.
Last edited by kidyankee764; 05-15-2008 at 09:24 AM..
im assuming those arguing about definition are from the area and its not sounding too welcoming to those checking this area out...truly who cares enough about an official versus personal definition of rural. there does seem to be more political small town in-fighting in oxford as a minus, there are larger lots of land overall in oxford which many seem to enjoy understandably. watch out oxford, though, taxes are going to go thru the roof w/the new hs. both towns have the old timers vs newbies thing going on. seymour has a few more options in terms of supermarket, etc. one major thing to note...oxford has a lot of land. so the "minutes to the highway" are a guage depending on where you hang your hat at night. it can take a good 20 minutes maybe more to drive to the other side of town (airport to jacksons cove or OHS) where in seymour things are 10 minutes, 15 tops if I'm pushing it to get anywhere.
I grew up rural. I know rural. Oxford is not rural. It's a suburban bedroom community.
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Rural
