City Guide: oxford

Oxford is one of England's famous university towns andt is located approximately 50 miles north-west of London and has a growing population. The City of Oxford is a place steeped in history culture due to its university and educational background. It is primarily student town with an ever-changing population as new students come and go. The City has grown up based around the University College buildings in the centre and as modern business and commercial retail outlets based themselves in Oxford, so a growing congestion problem was created. To solve this problem a pedestrian only centre was introduced and a highly efficient bus network where cars are banned from the centre, allowing buses and pedestrians to move in and out of the city more freely and safely.

Oxford is well connected to local transport links including the M40 motorway (connecting London to the south and Birmingham to the north) and the A34 dual-carriageway which connects with the M4. In addition there city has a mainline railway station connecting to other major cities. Also the London to Oxford coach service provides a cheaper alternative for students on a lower budget.

Oxford has many famous buildings both in terms of Architecture and of a historical value the. These include the sheldonian theatre where lectures and orchestras have been provided for generations of students and music lovers. The high spires can be seen from far a field and the university colleges have been used in many episodes of Inspector Morse, the fictional detective TV series. These all make Oxford a highly traditional historic town where traditional pubs and cafes can be found down side alleys and amongst the colleges for the tourists and students alike. This history is matched in part with the traditional events such as the May Ball where students (after a long night celebrating and drinking) jump into the Thames river from the local bridge. Freshers week is also a notable diary date for new students coming to study in the City.

It is not just the universities that attract students; there are many tertiary colleges and what was previously known as polytechnics such as the Oxford Brookes University, based in Headington and Wheatley. As a result of these university colleges and other centers of learning being spread in different parts of the city, the number of on- campus accommodation places for students is somewhat limited. Consequently, there is a high number of students living in shared housing in areas like Cowley, Headington and in other suburban areas of a relatively small city. The council has recently built additional housing in the areas near to the old Rover factory, providing welcome expansion for increasing number of students including foreign students. However, the typical shared housing accommodation in Oxford would be an older, terraced Victorian house owned by private landlords in the area.

As a result of the increased number of students and the lack of space to build new properties, property prices between 1990 and today have risen dramatically, in line with the rest of the UK house market. A typical rent could range from anything from £30 to £60 per week per student per room living in shared house, typically with three or four other students sharing one bathroom. With the introduction of new UK Council regulations were regards to houses in multiple occupation, landlords will in future be obliged to install additional washing facilities and other safety and health facilities to ensure students have a safe and healthy house to share.

If you are planning to live in Oxford as a student and share accommodation it would be advisable to budget for not just the term times but also the holiday break times,. This is because landlords sometimes charge rent all year round even though students may return home to their parents or not require the accommodation during the holiday time. Use this website to place a wanted advert so landlords or other students can contact you with regards to your requirements for living in Oxford. You may also browse property to rent whether it is shared housing or university on site university accommodation. It would be advisable to ensure you read and understand the tenancy agreement most landlords will ask you to sign… rental deposits are typically one and a half's months' rent and any breakages will be the responsibility of the tenant. In addition, it is likely tenants will be responsible to pay council tax and other utility bills such as electricity and gas.

There is a huge range of leisure activities for students living in Oxford including many social clubs and faculties. It has a large theatre, restaurants, sporting facilities, rowing on the river and of course the obligatory pub crawls in the huge nu mber of city centre pubs.

Here you will find details of property for sale, rental accommodation, shared housing in oxford.