We’ve all noticed the Square is busier during the day and louder at night, Jackson Avenue is more congested than it has been in the past two months and Ole Miss academic halls are full of students taking on the spring semester of classes.

The added number of people to our little town can be frustrating. Your drive from downtown to Walmart just became 20 minutes longer. Fitness classes are filled with young, college-aged kids, you no longer can get in Ajax without waiting and the line at Kroger just became three times longer.

Although your daily activities now take a little bit longer, it’s important to remember that students, and the influx of people coming into our community, do so much for our local marketplace. Stores, restaurants and service providers’ revenues are sure to increase. Friends and parents of students will come in town to visit, spending dollars in our local stores and boosting Oxford’s economy.

Even though the added traffic on Jackson and noise on the Square can be frustrating, we are fortunate to live in a community that has a state university that brings 23,000 students to live, work and play in our area.