Milford, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milford
Village
Village of Milford
Downtown Milford along Main Street
Seal
Location within Oakland County
Milford Location in Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oakland
Township	Milford
Incorporated	1869
Area
• Village	2.53 sq mi (6.55 km2)
• Land	2.45 sq mi (6.35 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation	965 ft (288.036 m)
Population  (2020)
• Village	6,520
• Density	2,660.14/sq mi (1,026.90/km2)
• Metro	4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48380, 48381
Area code(s)	248
FIPS code	26-53960
GNIS feature ID	0632306

Milford is a small village located in Oakland County, Michigan, in the United States. In 2020, about 6,520 people lived there. Milford is part of Milford Township. It is well-known for being home to the Milford General Motors Proving Ground, a big testing site for cars.

Geography of Milford

Milford is a village with a total area of about 2.52 square miles (6.52 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 2.43 square miles (6.29 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.09 square miles (0.23 square kilometers), is water.

Milford's Population Over Time

Milford's Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 6,175 people living in Milford. They lived in 2,589 households, and 1,719 of these were families. The village had about 2,541 people per square mile (981 people per square kilometer).

Most of the people living in Milford were White (95.7%). A small number were African American (0.6%), Native American (0.6%), or Asian (0.7%). About 2.0% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in Milford was 40.8 years. About 23.5% of the residents were under 18 years old. About 12.9% were 65 years or older. There were slightly more females (52.6%) than males (47.4%) in the village.

History of Milford

Milford's story began in 1832 when Elizur and Stanley Ruggles built a sawmill. This mill helped the area grow. In 1834, the area officially became a "Township." The first gristmill, which grinds grain, was built by Luman Fuller in the same year. In 1835, Milford got its first post office, with Aaron Phelps as the first postmaster.

Powering the Mills

To power the many mills and factories, the Lower Mill Pond was created in 1836. The Upper Mill Pond followed in 1845. Later, in 1911, the Hubbell Pond was made by building a dam on the Huron River. This dam helped generate electricity for the village. Milford officially became an incorporated village in 1869.

Thanks to hydropower (power from water), Milford was one of the first places to have electric lights in 1892. Just one year later, in 1893, telephone service became available in the village. This was very early compared to other towns; for example, nearby South Lyon didn't get electric lights until 1932.

Henry Ford's Influence

In 1939, Henry Ford built a carburetor plant and two hydroelectric stations in Milford. He wanted residents to be able to work in factories while also continuing their farm work. The carburetor plant was taken down in 2002. However, the Art Deco style hydroelectric station is still there on Pettibone Creek. Restoration work on it began in 2004.

Modern Changes

In the summer of 2017, Milford started allowing golf carts on its streets. By November of that year, only 10 golf carts were registered.

Notable People from Milford

Many interesting people have come from Milford, including:

• Lillian Hollister, who worked to promote temperance (avoiding alcohol).
• Mary Jackson, an actress.
• Thomas Lynch, a poet.
• Blake Pietila, a hockey player.
• Richard Pursel, a writer for animated shows.
• Dax Shepard, an actor.
• Brian Steele, an actor.
• Jim Storm, a hockey player.
• Matt Wayne, another animation writer.
• Violent J, a rapper.
• Natalie Kerwin, a sports reporter for Bally Sports Detroit.

Milford's Climate

Milford has a type of climate called a humid continental climate. This means it has big differences in temperature throughout the year. Summers are warm to hot and often humid. Winters are cold, and sometimes very cold. This climate is known as "Dfb" on climate maps.

See also

In Spanish: Milford (Míchigan) para niños