Milford is a village in Milford Township, Iroquois County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, United States. The population was 1,306 at the 2010 census. The village's name comes from its location, where the Old Hubbard Trail forded Sugar Creek and where a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

stood in 1836 ("the mill at the ford").

Geography

Milford is located in southeastern Iroquois County along Illinois Route 1, which leads north to

Watseka Watseka or Watchekee (c. 1810–1878) was a Potawatomi Native American woman, born in Illinois, and named for the heroine of a Potawatomi legend. Her uncle was Tamin, the chief of the Kankakee Potawatomi Indians. She was also known by the ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

, and south the same distance to Hoopeston in Vermilion County. The

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

border is east of Milford via county roads. According to the 2010 census, Milford has a total area of , all land. Sugar Creek flows westward along the southern edge of the village, before turning north to flow to the Iroquois River near Watseka. It is part of the

Kankakee River The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in the Central Corn Belt Plains of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largest wetlands in ...

watershed.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 1,369 people, 616 households, and 391 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 666 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.20%

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, 0.44% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population. There were 616 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.81. In the village, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,109, and the median income for a family was $40,750. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $19,453 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $19,078. About 4.1% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

High school athletics

Milford High School, which also brings in students from nearby communities of Stockland, Wellington and Sheldon, fields varsity level teams in; golf, baseball, softball, football, volleyball, cheer leading, and basketball. Teams play under the nickname "Bearcats" (boys) and "Lady Cats" (girls). Football cooperative agreements: In the spring of 2009 it was announced that Cissna Park and Milford would form a high school football cooperative to become more competitive. Previously, the football program had co-oped with Sheldon (from 1993 through Sheldon's becoming part of the Milford school district) and Donovan (in 1997 and 1998). Gymnasium: The school was also one of few nationally to feature a carpeted gym floor used for varsity level basketball and volleyball. The carpet was removed in the summer of 1997 and replaced by a plastic surface manufactured by Sport Court. Night Football: The Bearcat football team took part in the first night football game in America. The contest took place on September 21, 1928 in Westville IL. Westville won the game 26-6. This is recognized by the Illinois High School Association as the first "modern" football game played under lights.

Notable people

* Joseph R. Callahan, Illinois state representative, farmer, and businessman; born on a farm near Milford * Ray A. Laird, president of Laredo Community College in

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the Flag of th ...

, 1960 to 1974; born in Milford in 1907 * Eula Davis McEwan, geologist and paleontologist born in Milford, taught at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

Claude Rothgeb Claude James Rothgeb (January 1, 1880 – July 5, 1944) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Agricultural College of Colorado, now Colorado State University, from 1906 to ...

, outfielder for the Washington Senators, college football, basketball, and baseball coach; born in Milford * Jessie Sumner, Iroquois county judge, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois' 18th district through the 76th to 78th US congress

Gallery

Image:Milford Illinois Library.jpg, Milford Carnegie library Image:Milford Illinois Water Tower.jpg, Milford's water tower

References

{{authority control Villages in Iroquois County, Illinois Villages in Illinois