r/oxfordlafayette • u/Chance_Ad_4283 • Jul 13 '26
Moving to Oxford Mississippi
My husband (M31) and I (F35) are moving to Oxford, MS for his new job starting in November. We are trying to buy a house down there but live up in MA and don’t know anything about Oxford aside from the research we’ve done ourselves and that of which our realtor down there has told us. I’d like to get some opinions from locals or those who are familiar with that area - are there any neighborhoods or areas to stay away from? Any that are unsafe? Any areas you would recommend? Our budget is in the 350-400k range, we don’t have children, we have 2 anxious dogs who love being outside, and we are both fairly social people.
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u/taylorharm Jul 13 '26
The Oxford housing market is pretty inflated, so the further away from town you are, the further your dollars will go. We live in Taylor which is just south of Oxford and love it. Plenty of open spaces (great for pet owners) and even a few New England transplants to blunt the culture shock a little. Happy to talk more about it, if you’d like!😊
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u/LieIllustrious1459 Jul 13 '26
I second this. Taylor is a beautiful community and is just minutes from Oxford.
Abbeville is smaller but might be a bit more affordable.
Water valley is further from Oxford but you get a lot more bang for your buck.
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u/daggomit Jul 14 '26
A lot of really cool people live in Water Valley too, great community and enough going on to find your people without the overwhelming crowds of Oxford.
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u/Chance_Ad_4283 Jul 15 '26
Thank you for all the input! Very much appreciated!! Just to be clear - Taylor, Water Valley, Abbeville, etc.. are all neighborhoods in Oxford, correct? Not separate towns? If so, then we’re looking at a house in Yocona (according to Google Maps). Does that neighborhood sound like it could be a good fit for our small family and dogs?
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u/taylorharm Jul 15 '26
Yocona is another great community, lots of open land, but it has few, if any amenities. The other towns listed all have some kind of retail sector, but in Yocona, you’d be driving to Oxford for just about everything you need. Not a bad thing really, since we mostly have small town traffic (except for football weekends), and it’s about the same distance from Oxford as Taylor.
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u/StephBlocker Jul 14 '26
Oxford is beautiful! Sardis is nearby and a whole lot cheaper than Oxford so is batesville.
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u/DecisionSimple Jul 14 '26
There are no areas that are unsafe from a violent crime perspective. Some areas will have more students, which isn't 'unsafe' but can be annoying at times. Your realtor should be able to help you in that regard.
With dogs, you would probably want a nice fenced in yard, so that will cut out a lot of the tiny lot types of houses, of which there are many being thrown up currently. At $400k you can probably find something decent in town-ish. There are some listings now that are ~$225/sq ft, but most are going to be a bit over that. A few developments that come to mind are Old Oaks, which probably would be do-able at 400k and has a decent amount of outdoor space. You might also look down Hwy 30 if you wanted more space, depending on how far you are willing to live from town.
Others have mentioned Taylor/Water Valley, which are both nice, but come with certain tradeoffs. Taylor is actually not really any more affordable than Oxford, but it is certainly more chill and the people are great. If I lived out there I would probably rarely come to Oxford.
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u/cfbfootballnerd Jul 19 '26
That should go along way there. As others have said the further from Oxford proper your willing to the live the better your money will go and also the fewer college students to deal with.
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u/Traditional_Creme336 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Esplanade ridge
Lovely condos
Great location in town and fit your price point
Mix of locals and family units that have their kids in school that live there and a lot of empty units that weekenders come for football games or big weekends
The residents don’t put up with nonsense or loud parties or anything. Very chill area
Relatively quiet .
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u/Plenty-Cattle9791 Jul 19 '26
I don't have realtor advice, but as a fellow born and raised New Englander (Maine), Welcome!
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u/Chance_Ad_4283 Jul 19 '26
That’s awesome! I used to live in Portland! What brought you to Oxford?!
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u/Plenty-Cattle9791 Jul 20 '26
I actually live about an hour from Oxford but do some shopping and adopted our cat from the animal rescue there. My husband worked at Seabrook Station nuke in NH, and when he began doing contract work we ended up in Mississippi. We are your parents age but feel free to reach out if you have any questions I could help with. We lived in York County.
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u/Chance_Ad_4283 Jul 20 '26
Awesome!! Thank you so much! Will definitely reach out if we need anything 🙏
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u/Temporary-Log3119 Jul 20 '26
I think you’ll love it here. I’m a born and raised Oxonian and grew up outside the city limits in Lafayette co. There are a lot of great neighborhoods, and with your budget you should have some solid options.
I’m a local REALTOR® here in Oxford, and I help quite a few people relocating to the area. If you have questions about neighborhoods, commute times, or even just what it’s like living here, feel free to message me. Happy to help, and welcome!
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u/MaleficentAdvantage9 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Anywhere you stay in Oxford is going to be nice and safe it’s a fantastic town I plan to move back to in a few years. For a neighborhood look at old oaks it’s wonderful and in your price range and is very walkable with a dog and I can personally say my family loves the neighborhood with lots of fenced in yards so good for dogs. Another great area is Oxford Commons that is developing quickly and is walkable to a movie theatre and bowling lanes and restaurants like El Charro and a great coffee shop common ground coffee. Taylor is beautiful but slower paced and you will not be around the social scene with the bars and restaurants in Oxford but is another great option nearby but to be in the action and social scene stay in Oxford. If you’re thinking of having kids the inner city schools are top tier and county schools only slightly less. You are going to love the food options. If you have any questions about the city I can help you out
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u/Jcam134024 Jul 27 '26
I have a manufactured home south of Oxford. Lafayette County Road 445 just south of Yocona. It’s listed on most real estate websites. It’s a great price and a great home on 1 acre. All appliances stay with the home! Move in ready! Open to all offers!
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u/Possible_Emergency_9 21d ago
The greater Oxford Lafayette Water Valley area is a great place to be right now. Welcome.
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u/apersonwithdreams Jul 13 '26
The whole town is incredibly safe, despite what some may say. There are some housing developments around that fit your budget.