Milford

Milford, Massachusetts
—  Town  —
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°08′23″N 71°31′00″W / 42.13972°N 71.5166667°W / 42.13972; -71.5166667
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 (2000)
- Total	25,152
- Density	1,835.6/sq mi (708.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01757
Area code(s)	508
FIPS code	25-41165
GNIS feature ID	0618372
Website	http://www.milford.ma.us/

Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,799 according to the 2000 census.

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

Milford has been growing at a fast rate since the introduction of Interstate 495 decades ago. Since then, major retailers have opened in town including KMart, Kohl's Department Stores, Target, Lowe's Home Improvement, and Sports Authority. Other retailers which recently opened stores in Milford include T.G.I. Friday's, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Staples, Petco, and Best Buy.

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 granite, discovered in 1870. Some of this granite has been used for buildings in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Paris, France.

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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.9 square miles (38.5 km²), of which 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²) is land, and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.

Adjacent towns

Milford is located in Central 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

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/sq mi (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.

Government and infrastructure

The Massachusetts Department of Correction has its headquarters in Milford.^[2]

Schools

Milford Public Schools operates seven public schools [1] and one catholic school.

Public Schools:

• Pre-K - Shining Star Early Childhood Center
• K-2 - Brookside Elementary School
• K-2 - Memorial Elementatry 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)

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

Notable residents

• Michael Bavaro, producer of "Rex's Trailer Boomtown"
• Joseph N. Brucato, Author of the book Our Father, and local highschool teacher
• Al Cass, musician and inventor
• Paul Coyne, Emmy nominated TV producer of Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, Homeland Security USA, Shaq's Big Challenge and many others.
• Brian Fair, lead singer of the metal band Shadows Fall
• Rich Gotham, President of the Boston Celtics, 1982 graduate of Milford High School
• Howie Long, NFL Hall of Famer
• Virginia Martinez, Republican National Committewoman from Louisiana from 1977 to 1992; landed the Republican convention in 1988 in her adopted city of New Orleans
• Stephen Minichiello, Emmy Award Winning Television Producer
• Joseph E. Murray, pioneered in the area of organ transplants. 1990 recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine
• John Ritto Penniman, decorative painter, portraitist, and decorator; his works are currently displayed in several notable museums, such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and The Art Institute of Chicago.
• Gerard Phelan, The man who caught the famous 63 yard game winning touchdown pass (thrown by Doug Flutie) for the Boston College Eagles in a NCAA Football game against the Miami Hurricanes.
• Ruth Pointer, singer and member of The Pointer Sisters
• George Pyne II, George Pyne III, and Jim Pyne, the only three-generation family to play in the NFL
• Erik Per Sullivan, actor from Malcolm in the Middle, Cider House Rules, and Christmas with the Kranks
• Michael Videira, Midfielder for MLS Team New England Revolution
• Jorge Rivera, Mixed Martial Artist, UFC Middleweight Contender

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "Massachusetts Department of Correction." Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.

External links

• Milford official website

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