Perhaps the greatest American writer of the 20th century, William Faulkner, immortalized the vivid characters that walked Oxford's streets. Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak, is one of the many magnets which attract so many visitors to Oxford, the region's cultural mecca.

Oxford is home to the University of Mississippi, which enjoys a strong literary and visual arts reputation, graduate schools (including law) and total enrollment of approximately 12,000.

Although the county is home to only 34,000, nearly 100,000 people venture to work here.