[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), all land.

New Oxford was originally platted in 1792 for Henry Kuhn by James Bolton and identified as "Oxford town" due to the presence of a nearby stream ford and a local establishment named "Dutch Frederick's stand" with the head of an ox on the front of the building.

[5] New Oxford was incorporated as borough on August 20, 1874, and Joseph S. Gitt was elected as its first president and then served as secretary through 1891.

Among these are Winter Gardens, which manufactures products such as chicken salad; Yazoo Mills, which manufactures paper products; Pilgrim's Pride, which processes turkeys; and Aero Energy, which refurbishes propane and CO2 containers for Blue Rhino.

The Chamber of Commerce sponsors an annual antiques and crafts show on the third Saturday in June.