Oxford Summertime Brings More Accessibility for Students, Residents

The summertime in Oxford presents a unique set of circumstances for residents and students alike. The city is more accessible, and the lines at establishments are noticeably lower.

The students that are in Oxford for summer school sense a more laid-back environment.

Breck Jones has been in Oxford for summer school the past two summers and notes that the environment surrounding the city is noticeably different than the normal semesters for students.

There are more parking spots on the Square in summertime.

“You can go around and do things a little more easily,” Jones said. “There’s usually parking on the Square, and restaurants and bars are not quite as crowded. It’s a lot more fun if you’re not looking for a crowd of people everywhere. “

Blake Thompson has been a resident of Oxford for eight years now and is experiencing his eighth summer in the city.

“If you want to eat at a restaurant for lunch when the semester is in session it’s a lot more difficult to grab a table somewhere,” Thompson said.

The student population in Oxford during the summer school term has grown over the past few years, but it’s nothing in comparison to the influx of students that are in the city during the fall and spring semesters.

The city of Oxford’s population is around 21,000 people, but that doesn’t include the students at any given time.

Jimmy Anderson is a senior whose finishing off his last summer class before he graduates. This is Anderson’s first summer school class during his time at Ole Miss and the changes the city sees in June and July to him are palpable.

Anderson said that the ability for students who are in summer school to have more options for parking on campus is one of the better things about being a summer school student.

“They’ve allowed you to park anywhere,” Anderson said. “The good thing is it gives you access to park closer to where your classes are, and you don’t have to worry about getting ticketed.”

The traffic during summertime in Oxford is much lower and provides residents and students a peace of mind that might not be there during the spring and fall semesters.

“Oxford wasn’t really built to handle as many people as there are right now,” Jones said. “The traffic set up and the roads are set up for the amount of people that are here during the summer vs. how many people are here for the spring and fall semesters.”

“The biggest difference to me is probably traffic,” Thompson said. “I think that’s the biggest difference there.”

The difference in traffic influx gives Anderson a different option in the summer that he doesn’t have during the fall and spring semesters.

“During the semesters (Jackson Ave.) is such a pain all the time,” Anderson said. “I normally avoid it. I’ll normally take (Hwy.) six onto campus, but I can actually risk going on Jackson and not being annoyed. It’s nice.”

Collin Brister is a staff writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at collin.brister@hottytoddy.com.

Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…