Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the ised form Oxonia) is a county in the of, bordering on , , , , , and.

It is divided into five :, , (after the ),  and.

The county has a major tourism industry. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. has headed a concentration of print and publishing firms; the university is also linked to the concentration of local companies.

The main centre of population is the city of. Other significant settlements are, , , and to the north of Oxford;  to the west;  and  to the east; and , ,  and  to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped to be concentrated around Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the growth area.

The highest point of the county is, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 856 feet (261m).

Oxfordshire's is the.

History
The county of Oxfordshire, at that time entirely situated to the north of the, was formed in the early years of the.

Historically the area has always had some importance, it has been valuable agricultural land resting between the main southern cities and containing the prestigious settlement at (whose name came from  Oxenaford = "ford for "). Ignored by the Romans, it was not until the formation of a settlement at Oxford that the area grew in importance. was born in Wantage. The was founded in 1096. The area was part of the wool trade from the 13th century. The reached  in 1839. was founded in Oxford in 1912 and in Abingdon in 1929. The importance of agriculture as an employer has declined rapidly in the 20th century; currently under one percent of the county's population are involved.

In the county had fourteen s, namely, , , , , , , , , , , ,  and.

The was based at the Barracks on Bullingdon Green,.

The Vale of the White Horse and parts of South Oxfordshire south of the were historically part of, but were added to the administrative county in. Conversely, the area of  was historically part of Oxfordshire. (See History of Oxfordshire for the traditional county boundaries).

Towns and cities

 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)
 * (In Berkshire until 1974)

For a more complete list of settlements in the county see .

Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Oxfordshire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Education
Oxfordshire has a completely comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state schools. The state schools are from the ages of 11 to either 16 or 18. Sixth-form provision is very good, with only eight schools not having a sixth-form; these are mostly in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts. At GCSE in England, 45.8% of pupils gain five good GCSEs including English and Maths; for Oxfordshire's 6500 pupils taking GCSEs at 16, it is 47.5%. The best school at GCSE is the Chiltern Edge Community School (which has no sixth form) in. All schools in South Oxfordshire perform very well, with the notable exception of in. The worst performing school is the Peers School in Littlemore in south Oxford. At A level, Oxfordshire performs well under the England average. The independent schools get good results, but in general the state schools achieve much less. The best school is the with excellent results, followed by the  in Oxford. These two schools outstrip the others by a long way. Overall at A level, the best school is the independent, followed by.

GCSE results by district council (%)
% of pupils with 5 grades A-C including English and Maths; compare this table to average house price by district.
 * South Oxfordshire 56.9
 * West Oxfordshire 54.6
 * Vale of White Horse 43.8
 * Oxford 42.4
 * Cherwell 38.7

Places of interest

 * [[Image:HH icon.png|Historic house]] -
 * [[Image:UKAL icon.png|Accessible open space]] -
 * [[Image:HR icon.png|Heritage railway]] - A  operated with steam and diesel locomotives
 * [[Image:HR icon.png|Heritage railway]]
 * and Gardens
 * [[Image:UKAL icon.png|Accessible open space]] -
 * [[Image:HR icon.png|Heritage railway]] - Museum of the
 * [[Image:NTE icon.png|National Trust]]
 * [[Image:HH icon.png|Historic house]] -by . Hotel Golf & Country Club
 * [[Image:HH icon.png|Historic house]] - Home of
 * [[Image:HH icon.png|Historic house]] [[Image:Museum icon.png|Museum (free)]][[Image:Museum icon (red).png|Museum (not free)]]
 * Project Timescape - Visitor Centre near
 * [[Image:UKAL icon.png|Accessible open space]]
 * [[Image:Museum icon (red).png|Museum (not free)]]
 * [[Image:UKAL icon.png|Accessible open space]]
 * [[Image:HH icon.png|Historic house]] and Gardens
 * [[IMage:HH icon.png|Historic house]]
 * [[Image:Museum icon.png|Museum (free)]] Museum
 * [[Image:UKAL icon.png|Accessible open space]], and  in the White Horse Hills
 * [[Image:Museum icon (red).png|Museum (not free)]]