Milford is a city in Dickinson County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States. The population was 3,321 at the time of the 2020 census. The town includes many businesses related to its location in the Iowa Great Lakes region and is often referred to as the southern gateway to the Iowa Great Lakes.

History

The Iowa Great Lakes Area was settled in the 1850s. It attracted many colonists because of the rich black soil, water from the lakes, and an abundance of wild game and fish. As the population increased at these times, there was a need for a good flouring mill because the nearest mills were those in

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The population was 44,488 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Mi ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and Fort Dodge,

. In 1861, there was an attempt to build one on Mill Creek, at the outlet of the Great Lakes but the attempt was abandoned after the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 and the extremely low water level that year. In 1868 one was successfully built, and sawmill was built and put into operation in 1869. The mills began to attract many customers, and the small community began to grow around Old Town. In 1870, the company that operated the mill bought a section of land northwest of Old Town and laid out a plan for the town of Milford. On March 14, 1892, the first Town Council meeting was held. Some buildings were moved from Old Town to New Town and many more businesses and residences were constructed. In 1921, the U.S. flag was flown at the new city hall for the first time and that year a vote approved to pave Okoboji Avenue (Main Street of Milford). The Milwaukee rail line which ran through Milford supplied the town with mail, groceries, clothing, lumber, coal, and machinery before automobiles could get to the Great Lakes. Two passenger trains made daily trips from

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

to Spirit Lake, as well as another from Spencer. Until 1910, excursion trains came to the Lakes Area from Des Moines, Algona, and other towns on weekends and holidays. The last passenger train left Milford for Spencer in 1951. The last freight train left Milford for Spencer in 1976. The tracks were dismantled in 1978 and later became a part of the Iowa Great Lakes Recreational Trail.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 3,321 people, 1,416 households, and 879 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 1,525.3 inhabitants per square mile (588.9/km²). There were 1,566 housing units at an average density of 719.3 per square mile (277.7/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 92.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.4% from other races and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 3.7% of the population. Of the 1,416 households, 29.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were

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

living together, 7.1% were cohabitating couples, 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.1% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.9% of all households were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 41.0 years. 26.7% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 and 44; 22.9% were from 45 and 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 2,898 people, 1,276 households, and 802 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,414 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 1,276 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 41 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,474 people, 1,042 households, and 670 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,128 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.07%

, 0.12%

, 0.16% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.16% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population. There were 1,042 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,063, and the median income for a family was $42,371. Males had a median income of $28,239 versus $20,815 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,680. About 4.3% of families and 6.9% 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 7.2% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Florence Park is located near the high school and offers picnic areas, a large playground, and sessional shelter house available for rent. Memorial Park boasts three ball diamonds, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a horseshoe pitch, volleyball court, playground, two shelters, and a picnic area. Buchanan Park has a playground, a shelter, a basketball court, and a chess table.

Recreational Trails

The Iowa Great Lakes Trails are a series of recreational trails in the Iowa Great Lakes area that cover almost 30 miles and give citizens and visitors a place to walk, bike, skate, rollerblade, run, and cross-country ski. One end of the 14-mile "spine" of the trail begins in Milford and travels through Arnolds Park and Okoboji to Spirit Lake. Another begins Northwest of Milford and follows Highway 86 along the west side of West Okoboji Lake.

Horseshoe Bend Recreational Area

Horseshoe Bend Recreational Area is a county park located approximately five miles southwest of Milford. The park includes picnic areas and a shelter house with modern restroom facilities available for rent. There are 12 primitive campsites, over four miles of mowed trails for hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. The park also offers a canoe launch and fishing on the Little Sioux River. On the south end of the park is a winter sports area with skiing and tubing facilities, lifts, and a lodge with modern restroom facilities.

Iowa Great Lakes

Milford lies on the south end of the Iowa Great Lakes, a popular area that swells the summer population in Dickinson County to about 100,000. visitors and residents enjoy fishing, boating, and swimming in the seven lakes in the Iowa Great Lakes chain.

Businesses

Gravel

"Milford's Hidden Gold"
Since 1910, businesses have taken advantage of the huge amounts of gravel that is under and surrounds Milford, and was first mined by the Milwaukee Railroad. To the east, west, and south of town there are gravel pits either exhausted and abandoned-some used as junkyards or ones still used that change the face of the Earth almost overnight. Milford Sand & Gravel is one company that mines and washes the gravel for industrial use.

Milford Grain Elevator

The Milford Elevator has served the Milford Community is a greatly needed accommodation for the farmers of the Milford area. It was owned by Great Lakes Cooperative until April 3, 2008 when it merged with Green Plains Renewable Energy. The grain elevator is now owned and operated by The Andersons.

Education

Milford is served by the Okoboji Community School District. The district was established on July 1, 1988 by the merger of the Arnolds Park and Milford school districts. The district operates three schools in the city: Okoboji Community High School, Okoboji Community Middle School, and Okoboji Community Elementary School all of which are part of the Okoboji Community School District. The schools mascot is the Okoboji Pioneer. School colors are maroon and white. The town also has a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, the Milford Memorial Library. Retrieved 5 February 2014.

Notable people

* John L. Bascom, attorney and Iowa State Representative * Paul Nesbitt, physician and Oklahoma State Legislator

References

External links

City of Milford
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Dickinson County, Iowa