Milford is a town in
Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It is located across the
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's We ...
from the city of
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
. The population of Milford was 3,069 at the
2020 census.
The town's slogan is the "Best little town by a dam site," referring to the
Milford Dam abutting Milford on the Penobscot River, south of the
Penobscot Indian Island Reservation
Penobscot Indian Island Reservation (Abenaki: ''Álənαpe Mə́nəhan'') is an Indian reservation for the Penobscot Tribe of Maine, a federally recognized tribe of the Penobscot .
History
The settlement was known as Sunkhaze plantation before it was incorporated as Milford in 1833.
Milford was the site of a major 19th-century
water power
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a wa ...
ed
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
on the Penobscot River. Most of its lumber was shipped from nearby
Bangor. The large Bodwell Water Power Co. sawmills (1889), owned by Maine Governor
Joseph Robinson Bodwell, burned in 1891, almost taking the village with it. The present
Bodwell Water Power Co. plant, also known as the Milford Plant of Bangor Hydro, was built in 1906 and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. It was designed by Wallace C. Johnson, a civil engineer who also worked on hydro-power projects at
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
.
The
Milford Congregational Church, designed and built by Asa T. Wing, is also listed on the National Register.
The
Milford Air Force Auxiliary Airfield Milford Air Force Auxiliary Airfield was an auxiliary airfield of the United States Army Air Forces that was located in Milford, Penobscot County, Maine.
History
It operated from 1942 to 1948, when the Deblois Bombing Range opened nearby. It wa ...
operated just outside of town.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.
The
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is located in Milford.
Climate
This
climatic
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Milford has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 3,070 people, 1,289 households, and 819 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,385 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.6%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.4%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.2% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.3% of the population.
There were 1,289 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.5% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.81.
The median age in the town was 39.7 years. 18.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 30.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census
of 2000, there were 2,950 people, 1,180 households, and 797 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,248 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.51%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.10%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.32%
Native American, 0.47%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.41% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.15% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 1,180 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,500, and the median income for a family was $46,542. Males had a median income of $33,359 versus $25,758 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,649. About 9.7% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Lulu Hunt Peters
Lulu Hunt Peters (1873–1930) was an American doctor and author who wrote a featured newspaper column entitled ''Diet and Health'', which she followed up with a best-selling book, ''Diet & Health: With Key to the Calories''. She was the first pe ...
, doctor and syndicated health columnist
*
Jane Weinberger
Rebecca Jane Weinberger (née Dalton; March 29, 1918 – July 12, 2009) was an American author, publisher and wife of Caspar Weinberger, the 15th United States Secretary of Defense. She wrote over a dozen books during her career, many written fo ...
, author, publisher, wife of Secretary of Defense
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American statesman and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including chairman of the Californ ...
References
External links
Town of Milford official website
{{authority control
Towns in Penobscot County, Maine
Towns in Maine