Milford, Massachusetts

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Milford, Massachusetts
Town
Town Hall
Town Hall
Official seal of Milford, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Worcester
Settled 1662
Incorporated 1780
Government
 • Type Representative town meeting
Area
 • Total 14.9 sq mi (38.5 km2)
 • Land 14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation 307 ft (94 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 27,999
 • Density 1,900/sq mi (730/km2)
Demonym(s) Milfordian
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01757
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-41165
GNIS feature ID 0618372
Website www.milford.ma.us

Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It had a population of 27,999 at the 2010 census.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Milford, constituting the center of the town, please see the article Milford (CDP), Massachusetts.

History

Milford was first settled in 1662 and was officially incorporated in 1780. It was originally the eastern part of Mendon, called "Mill River".

Milford is renowned for its pink Milford granite, discovered in 1870. Some of this granite has been used for buildings in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Paris, along with a number of war memorials and other monuments, including the Battle Monument at West Point.

Today, it is recognized, in part, for its health care facility—the Milford Regional Medical Center. In January 2008, the Center opened a cancer treatment facility with the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. The Center is affiliated with UMass Medical Center as a teaching hospital.

Milford is also the home of the "My One Wish" foundation, started in 1984.

  • Lincoln Square in 1907

  • Old High School in 1907

  • B. & A. Station c. 1913

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.9 square miles (39 km2), of which 14.6 square miles (38 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 1.82%, is water. Milford is drained by the Charles River.

The town is crossed by Interstate 495, as well as state routes 16, 85, 109, and 140.

Adjacent towns

Milford is located in Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 26,799 people, 10,420 households, and 7,200 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,835.6 people per square mile (708.7/km²). There were 10,713 housing units at an average density of 733.8 per square mile (283.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.95% White, 1.35% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.99% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.36% of the population.

There were 10,420 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,856, and the median income for a family was $61,029. Males had a median income of $42,173 versus $30,989 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,742. About 5.8% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Milford has been growing at a fast rate since the introduction of Interstate 495, which opened in the area with dual exits at Route 85 and Route 109 in 1969. Since then, major retailers have opened in town, including Kmart, Kohl's, Target, Lowe's, and Sports Authority. Other retailers which recently opened stores in Milford include Friendly's, T.G.I. Friday's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Petco, and Best Buy. Milford was fictitiously featured in a 2008 episode of the Fox television series Fringe.[2]

Government

County-level state agency heads
Clerk of Courts: Dennis P. McManus (D)
District Attorney: Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
Register of Deeds: Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
Register of Probate: Stephanie K. Fattman (R)
County Sheriff: Lew Evangelidis (R)
State government
State Representative(s): John V. Fernandes (D)
State Senator(s): Ryan Fattman (R)
Governor's Councilor(s): Jen Caissie (R)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-4th District),
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)
Old Park School in 1909

The core of Milford's governing system is the representative town meeting, where elected citizens can voice their opinions, but more importantly, directly effect changes in the community. Along with a Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator, Planning Board, Finance Committee, etc., the citizens of Milford have input into how the town is run.

The Massachusetts Department of Correction is headquartered in Milford.[3]

Library

The Milford Public Library was established in 1858.[4][5] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Milford spent 1.5% ($966,758) of its budget on its public library—some $35 per person.[6]

Education

Milford Public Schools operates seven public schools [1] and the town also has one catholic school.

Public schools
  • Pre-K: Shining Star Early Childhood Center
  • K–2: Brookside Elementary School
  • K–2: Memorial Elementary School
  • 3–4: Woodland Elementary School
  • 5–7: Stacy Middle School (SMS)
  • 8: Middle School East (MSE)
  • 9–12: Milford High School (MHS)
Catholic schools
  • K–6: Milford Catholic Elementary School (MCES)
Vocational schools

Annual events

  • Independence Day fireworks, held on Plains Park within a day of July 4
  • Portuguese Picnic: A two-night festival held at the Portuguese Club
Irish Round Tower, Milford, MA

Sites of interest

  • Memorial Hall, home and museum of the Milford Historical Commission
  • Ted's Diner, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, was the oldest diner built by the Tierney Diner Company. Ted's was left abandoned by the town and vandalized, eventually moved to make way for a new fire station.
  • St. Mary's Cemetery holds the only Irish round tower in the United States, built from local granite.
  • Fino Field, owned by the local Post of American Legion, has been home to the Milford Legion baseball team for over half a century.
  • Ye Olde Farm, established 1709, owned and run by the Ferrucci family.

Media

Notable people

Milford Town Library, 1899

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Plot Synopsis for FOX's Fringe (Season 1, Episode 6: "The Cure", Original Air Date: 21 October 2008).
  3. ↑ "Massachusetts Department of Correction." Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  4. ↑ C.B. Tillinghast. The free public libraries of Massachusetts. 1st Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1891. Google books
  5. ↑ Milford Town Library. Retrieved 2010-11-10
  6. ↑ July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What’s Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available: Municipal Pie Reports. Retrieved 2010-08-04

External links

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