Milford, Delaware
Milford, Delaware | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
ZIP code 19963 | ||
Area code | 302 | |
FIPS code | 10-47420 | |
GNIS feature ID | 214308[2] | |
Website | www.cityofmilford.com |
Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city is 11,190 people and 4,356 households in the city.[3]
The Kent County portion of Milford is part of the
History
The Kent County side of Milford was first settled in 1680 by Henry Bowan on what was known as the Saw Mill Range. A century later the Reverend Sydenham Thorne built a dam across the Mispillion River to generate power for his gristmill and sawmill. Around the same time, Joseph Oliver laid out the first city streets and plots nearby on a part of his plantation. Soon a number of homes and businesses appeared along Front Street. The city was incorporated February 5, 1807.[5]
In the 1770s, a ship building industry was already flourishing on the Mispillion River. Shipbuilding continued to be the major industry of Milford through World War I, bringing considerable prosperity to the town. The high point came in 1917 when the four-masted, 174-foot (53 m) long Albert F. Paul was launched from the William G. Abbott shipyard. At one point six shipyards were operating in the downtown area. When the last of the area's giant white oaks was cut in the 1920s, the shipyards quickly went out of business, although the Mispillion ships sailed on for many years. (The Paul was sunk by a German torpedo in 1942 while sailing from the Bahamas.) The Vineyard shipyard was called into service in both World War I and II to build submarine chasers.[5]
During much of the twentieth century Milford served primarily as the commercial center for much of southern Delaware's large agricultural community.[5]
Seven of Delaware's governors have come from Milford: Daniel Rogers (who served 1797–99), Joseph Haslet (1811–14), William Tharp (1847–1851), Peter F. Causey (1855–59), William Burton (1859–63), William T. Watson (1895–97), and Ruth Ann Minner (2001–09).[5]
On Friday, May 30, 2003 at approximately 3:00 p.m. a fire started in a second floor apartment next to Wiley Hardware & Appliance on Walnut Street in the historic downtown section of Milford. More than 200 firefighters from Milford,
Geography and climate
Milford is located at 38°54′45″N 75°25′41″W / 38.91250°N 75.42806°W (38.9126129, −75.4279748),[8] along the Mispillion River, which runs through the city.[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.87 square miles (25.6 km2).
Climate data for Milford, Delaware | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
78 (26) |
90 (32) |
97 (36) |
99 (37) |
102 (39) |
106 (41) |
103 (39) |
99 (37) |
95 (35) |
86 (30) |
76 (24) |
106 (41) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43 (6) |
45 (7) |
54 (12) |
64 (18) |
73 (23) |
82 (28) |
87 (31) |
85 (29) |
78 (26) |
68 (20) |
58 (14) |
48 (9) |
65 (19) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24 (−4) |
25 (−4) |
33 (1) |
42 (6) |
52 (11) |
62 (17) |
67 (19) |
65 (18) |
57 (14) |
46 (8) |
36 (2) |
29 (−2) |
45 (7) |
Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
−11 (−24) |
4 (−16) |
16 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
36 (2) |
39 (4) |
43 (6) |
34 (1) |
19 (−7) |
9 (−13) |
−2 (−19) |
−11 (−24) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.08 (104) |
3.30 (84) |
4.51 (115) |
3.50 (89) |
4.03 (102) |
3.31 (84) |
3.69 (94) |
4.61 (117) |
4.08 (104) |
3.48 (88) |
3.32 (84) |
3.59 (91) |
45.50 (1,156) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.9 (9.9) |
5.4 (14) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.5 (3.8) |
12 (30.76) |
Source: [10] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 1,178 | — | |
1870 | 1,150 | −2.4% | |
1880 | 1,240 | 7.8% | |
1890 | 2,555 | 106.0% | |
1900 | 2,500 | −2.2% | |
1910 | 2,603 | 4.1% | |
1920 | 2,703 | 3.8% | |
1930 | 3,719 | 37.6% | |
1940 | 4,214 | 13.3% | |
1950 | 5,179 | 22.9% | |
1960 | 5,795 | 11.9% | |
1970 | 5,314 | −8.3% | |
1980 | 5,366 | 1.0% | |
1990 | 6,040 | 12.6% | |
2000 | 6,732 | 11.5% | |
2010 | 9,559 | 42.0% | |
2020 | 11,190 | 17.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[11] |
As of the 2020 census,[3] there were 11,190 people and 4,356 households in the city.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 44.3% from 18 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older.
The racial makeup of the city was 62% White, 26% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, and 4.5% from 2 or more races.
The median household income according to the 2020 census is $47,824. 14.1% of families are below poverty level, which is slightly higher than the national average of 11.4%, and higher than the Kent County and Sussex County average of 13% and 11% respectively.
Education
Milford School District operates public schools.[12][13]
Infrastructure
Transportation
Milford is served by several state roads connecting it to other points in Delaware.
Utilities
The City of Milford provides electricity to the city, operating a substation and over 100 miles (160 km) of overhead lines and over 50 miles (80 km) of underground lines.[17] The city's electric department is a member of the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC) and purchases its power from the PJM Power Grid. The City of Milford serves about 6,500 customers.[18] The Public Works department provides water, sewer, trash and recycling collection to Milford.[19][20] Natural gas service in Milford is provided by Chesapeake Utilities.[21]
Milford is home to the Milford Solar Farm, a 15 MW, 80 acre solar power farm owned by the Public Service Enterprise Group and is the largest solar power farm in Delaware. DEMEC purchases the power generated from the solar farm.[22]
Health care
Notable people
- Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
- Jeff Baldwin, baseball player
- Robert Crumb, a famous cartoonist, lived in Milford for a few years and attended high school there
- Albert Jackson, the first black letter carrier in Canada
- Simmie Knox began to teach himself to paint while living in Milford as a young man; he later became the first African-American to paint an official presidential portrait – that of President Bill Clinton
- John Lofland (1798–1849), widely known as the "Milford Bard", was a prolific and widely read writer of prose, verse and speeches; he grew up and spent much of his life in "The Towers" on North West Front Street
- Governor of Delaware2001–2009
- Harold Peterman, state legislator
- offensive tackle played in the National Football League for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Chris Short, star baseball pitcher for Philadelphia Phillies in 1960s, was born in Milford
- Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert, Union General in the civil war and diplomat
- Governor of Delaware
References
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Milford, Delaware
- ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Kent County, Delaware; Sussex County, Delaware; Milford city, Delaware; United States". Census.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- )
- ^ a b c d "History of Milford, Delaware". cityofmilford.com. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Fire Hits Block In Historic Milford, Delaware". Firehouse. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ISBN 0-89933-279-X.
- ^ "Milford, DE Monthly Weather Averages". Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Delaware Department of Transportation (2008). Delaware Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation.
- ^ "Routes and Schedules". DART First State. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ "Delmarva Central Railroad". Carload Express. November 8, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "Electric Utility Service - About Our System". City of Milford. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ "Electric Utility Service". City of Milford. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ "Trash Collection". City of Milford. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ "Recycling Collection". City of Milford. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ "Delmarva Service Territory". Chesapeake Utilities. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
- ^ "Governor Markell helps dedicate PSEG Milford Solar Farm" (Press release). Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. April 17, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
- ^ "Locations & Contact". Bayhealth. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Bayhealth Medical Center Stats & Services". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- ^ "Emergency Care". Bayhealth. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Rini, Jen (May 27, 2016). "Bayhealth breaks ground on Milford campus". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ Bavaro, Angelo (February 5, 2019). "Bayhealth Hospital Sussex Campus opens". Salisbury, MD: WBOC-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Re-imagining Clarke Avenue". Bayhealth. Retrieved August 8, 2017.[permanent dead link]
External links
Media related to Milford, Delaware at Wikimedia Commons
The End