Milford, Connecticut
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Milford is a city located in the town of Milford in New Haven County, Connecticut. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 50,594. The municipality is subdivided into the City of Milford, the Village of Devon, and the Bourough of Woodmont.
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History
The land which today comprises Milford, Orange and West Haven, Connecticut was purchased on February 1, 1639 from Ansantawae, chief of the local Paugusset tribe by English settlers affiliated with the contemporary New Haven Colony. Originally, the area was known as "Wepawaug", after the small river which runs through the town, and which has given its name to several streets in both Milford and Orange.
During the Revolutionary War the Milford section of the Boston Post Road, a vital route connecting Boston, New York and other major coastal cities, was blockaded by Contenental and Fort Trumbull was constructed to protect the town. The site of the blockade is comemorated by the Liberty Rock monument.
By 1822, the town had grown large enough that residents in the northern and eastern sections of Milford chartered their own independent course as the town of Orange. During the next century and a half, the remaining section of Milford was known for shipbuilding, farming, and oystering, although a small subset of industrial facilities did develop in town also. During this time, the town also became known as a beach resort for residents of New Haven and Bridgeport.
In 1915 a portion of the town was incorporated as the borough of Woodmont. In 1959, the remainder of the town of Milford was incorporated as the City of Milford.
In the post-World War II period, Milford -- like many other New England towns -- underwent significant suburbanization. Interstate 95 was routed through town and the Milford section was completed by 1960. In the 1960s and '70s, Milford developed further with the construction of the Connecticut Post Mall and the extensive commercial development of the town's stretch of the Boston Post Road. The city also became host to several headquarters of multinational corporations during the same period. In the present day, Milford faces the typical modern issue of deciding how much land to develop and how much to keep natural, especially in light of Milford's location at the mouth of the Housatonic river.
Geography and The Environment
According to the United States Census Bureau, the balance has a total area of 61.5 km² (23.7 mi²). 57.7 km² (22.3 mi²) of it is land and 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.15% water.
Milford's Devon neighborhood is located at the mouth of the Housatonic River near Stratford, and is possesed of an Audubon Center overlooking the estuary.
A large portion of Milford's shoreline forms the Silver Sands State Park. Charles Island, also a part of the park, is a protected nesting ground.
Demographics
| Historical population of Milford[1][2] | |
| 1756 | 1,633 |
| 1774 | 2,127 |
| 1782 | 2,195 |
| 1790 | 2,098 |
| 1800 | 2,417 |
| 1810 | 2,674 |
| 1820 | 2,785 |
| 1830 | 2,256 |
| 1840 | 2,455 |
| 1850 | 2,465 |
| 1860 | 2,828 |
| 1870 | 3,405 |
| 1880 | 3,347 |
| 1890 | 3,811 |
| 1900 | 3,783 |
| 1910 | 4,366 |
| 1920 | 10,193 |
| 1930 | 12,660 |
| 1940 | 16,439 |
| 1950 | 26,870 |
| 1960 | 41,662 |
| 1970 | 50,858 |
| 1980 | 50,898 |
| 1990 | 49,938 |
| 2000 | 52,212 |
| 2002 | 53,472 (estimate) |
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 52,212 people, 20,138 households, and 13,613 families residing in the balance. The population density was 876.8/km² (2,270.7/mi²). There were 21,145 housing units at an average density of 366.4/km² (949.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the balance was 93.55% White, 1.91% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 3.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 20,138 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the balance the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the balance was $61,167, and the median income for a family was $71,175. Males had a median income of $48,368 versus $36,770 for females. The per capita income for the balance was $28,773. 3.8% of the population and 2.4% of families were below the poverty line. 4.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Culture
The Milford Downtown is undergoing a rapid revitalization, with development centered primarily on Daniel Street. New venues such as Cafe Atlantique, the Daniel Street Club, SBC Restaurant, the Stonebridge Restaurant, and a number of smaller buisnesses account for down-town Milford's new found popularity in the area.
Every year in August, Milford celebrates its annual Oyster Festival, which serves as a combination of a typical town fair with a culinary celebration of the town's location on historically shellfish-rich Long Island Sound. This festival is held on the Milford Green, in the center of town. The Milford Cultural Center, operated by the Miflord Council for the Arts, offers various events throughout the year. The Firehouse Art Gallery was recently opened in Devon.
Milford is home to the operational headquarters of the Subway fast-food corporation. The town also hosts the headquarters of the BIC Corporation, which has in recnt years moved most of its operation outside of the city. In December 2005 the Mountain Development Corporation bought many of Bic's former manufacturing facilities, and is in the process of finding tenents.
Milford will soon be home to a Wal-Mart, the third in the region of western New Haven County/Eastern Fairfield County. Other Wal-Marts are located in the municipalities of Stratford and Derby. The site chosen for Wal-Mart was formerly a trailer park. A long re-location process for residents preceeded the groundbreaking of the Wal-Mart plaza. In December 2005, during construction of the plaza, a naturally occurring form of asbestos was discovered in bedrock, leading to a halt in construction, and questions about the safety of workers and citizens in surrounding shopping centers (the Connecticut Post Mall and Stop and Shop Supermarket).
Milford, as is home to one of Connecticut's largest malls: Westfield Connecticut Post Mall.
Milford Celebrities
- Milford was the home and final resting place of Peter Pond, the first explorer of the Athabasca region of North America in the 1780s.
- Local legend has it that Captain Kidd buried treasure on Charles Island. No treasure has ever been found. The island does contain the ruins of an abandoned Catholic monastery.
- Milford is also the birthplace of American actress Christy Carlson Romano.
See also
External links
- City of Milford official Web site
- History of Milford, CT
- Cities and boroughs of Connecticut with dates of incorporation
- 1646 Map of Milford, CT
