Milford, Massachusetts

Milford, Massachusetts
Town
Town Hall
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°08′23″N 71°31′00″W / 42.13972°N 71.51667°WCoordinates: 42°08′23″N 71°31′00″W / 42.13972°N 71.51667°W
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester
Settled	1662
Incorporated	1780
Government
• Type	Representative town meeting
Area
• Total	14.9 sq mi (38.5 km^2)
• Land	14.6 sq mi (37.8 km^2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km^2)
Elevation	307 ft (94 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	27,999
• Density	1,900/sq mi (730/km^2)
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:

• Hopkinton on the north
• Holliston on the northeast
• Medway on the east
• Bellingham on the south
• Hopedale on the southwest
• Upton on the west

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	4,819	—
1860	9,132	+89.5%
1870	9,890	+8.3%
1880	9,310	−5.9%
1890	8,780	−5.7%
1900	11,376	+29.6%
1910	13,055	+14.8%
1920	13,471	+3.2%
1930	14,741	+9.4%
1940	15,388	+4.4%
1950	15,442	+0.4%
1960	15,749	+2.0%
1970	19,352	+22.9%
1980	23,390	+20.9%
1990	25,355	+8.4%
2000	26,799	+5.7%
2010	27,999	+4.5%
* = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

As of the census^[11] 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.^[12]

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.^[13]

Library

The Milford Public Library was established in 1858.^[14][15] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Milford spent 1.5% ($966,758) of its budget on its public library—some $35 per person.^[16]

Education

Milford Public Schools operates seven public schools 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

• 9–12: Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (eligible town) (located in Upton)

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

• The Milford Daily News is a daily newspaper covering Milford and several nearby towns in Norfolk and Worcester counties.
• WMRC 1490AM is a radio station licensed to serve Milford.
• Two non-profit Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV stations serving Milford-area subscribers on Channels 8 and 11. Channel 8 is the Milford town Public-access television station that produces and runs a variety of local shows, and Channel 11 is the Milford Educational-access television station and runs School Committee meetings as well as projects made by students in the high school's video production classes.

Notable people

Milford Town Library, 1899

• Adin Ballou, author, religious leader and prominent 19th century proponent of pacifism, socialism and abolitionism. He authored The History of Milford, Massachusetts, published 1882.
• Nathan Barnatt, actor and comedian
• Michael Bavaro, producer of Rex Trailer's Boomtown
• Albert Fitch Bellows, artist
• Al Cass, musician and inventor
• Horace Brigham Claflin, merchant
• William Claflin, industrialist, philanthropist and governor
• Chris Colabello, Major League baseball player
• Vincent Connare, designer of the Comic Sans and Trebuchet fonts
• Ezekiel Cornell, member of Continental Congress 1780-1782
• Paul Coyne, Emmy-nominated producer of numerous television series
• John Davoren, politician
• Greg Dickerson, sports broadcaster
• William F. Draper, U.S. Representative, U.S. Ambassador to Italy
• Brian Fair, lead singer of the metal band Shadows Fall
• Annie R. Godfrey, wife of Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System.
• Rich Gotham, president of the Boston Celtics
• George F. Johnson, businessman
• Art Kenney, pitcher for the Boston Bees {later renamed the Boston Braves} in 1938
• Charles Laquidara, radio disc jockey
• Howie Long, NFL Hall of Famer, TV broadcaster and actor
• Ralph Lumenti, Major League baseball player
• Virginia Martinez, Republican National Committeewoman from Louisiana from 1977 to 1992; landed the Republican convention in 1988 in her adopted city of New Orleans
• Leonard Chapin Mead, college president
• Richard T. Moore, politician
• Joseph E. Murray, pioneer in the area of organ transplants, 1990 recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine
• Henry "Boots" Mussulli, Jazz Saxophonist
• John Ritto Penniman, decorative painter, portraitist and decorator; his works are currently displayed in several notable museums, such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago
• Gerard Phelan, football player who caught the famous 63 yard game winning touchdown pass (thrown by Doug Flutie) for the Boston College Eagles in an NCAA game against the Miami Hurricanes.
• Ruth Pointer, singer and member of The Pointer Sisters
• George Pyne III, American football player
• George Pyne, American businessman
• Jim Pyne, former NFL player
• Jorge Rivera, mixed martial artist, UFC middleweight contender
• Brian Skerry, underwater photo-journalist
• Erik Per Sullivan, actor from Malcolm in the Middle, The Cider House Rules, and Christmas with the Kranks
• Michael Videira, midfielder for the New England Revolution (Major League Soccer)

See also

• List of mill towns in Massachusetts

References

1. "TOTAL POPULATION (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
2. "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
3. "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
4. "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
5. "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
6. "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
7. "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
8. "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
9. "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
10. "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
11. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
12. Plot Synopsis for FOX's Fringe (Season 1, Episode 6: "The Cure", Original Air Date: 21 October 2008).
13. "Massachusetts Department of Correction." Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
14. 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
15. Milford Town Library. Retrieved 2010-11-10
16. 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

• Town of Milford
• Milford Town Library
• Milford Historical Commission
• Milford Performing Arts Center
• Upper Charles Trail