Milford, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 The center oval and town hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location inHillsborough County,New Hampshire | |
| Coordinates:42°50′07″N71°38′56″W / 42.83528°N 71.64889°W /42.83528; -71.64889 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Hillsborough |
| Incorporated | 1794 |
| Government | |
| • Select Board |
|
| • Town Administrator | Mike Viola (interim) |
| Area | |
• Total | 25.47 sq mi (65.96 km2) |
| • Land | 25.41 sq mi (65.82 km2) |
| • Water | 0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2) 0.22% |
| Elevation | 259 ft (79 m) |
| Population (2020)[3] | |
• Total | 16,131 |
| • Density | 635/sq mi (245.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 03055 |
| Area code | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-48020 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873666 |
| Website | www |
Milford is atown inHillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States, on theSouhegan River. The population was 16,131 at the2020 census,[3] up from 15,115 at the2010 census.[4] It is the retail and manufacturing center of a multi-town area known informally as the Souhegan Valley.
The town center, where 9,212 people lived at the 2020 census, is defined as theMilford census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the junction of New Hampshire routes13 and101A. It also contains part of the census-designated place ofWilton.
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Milford separated from neighboringAmherst in 1794. Like most towns named Milford in the United States, its name comes from the fact that it grew around amill built on aford—in this case on theSouhegan River.[5]
Milford was once home to numerousgranitequarries, which produced a stone that was used, among other things, to make thepillars for theU.S. Treasury in Washington, D.C.[clarify] —as seen on the back of the American $10 bill.[6][7] Its nickname remains "The Granite Town", although only one small quarry is in operation as of 2017.
Like manyNew England riverside towns, Milford developed several thrivingtextile mills in the 19th century. That industry left New England byWorld War II, but Milford remains the commercial and retail center for surrounding towns. Major employers included casting company Hitchiner Manufacturing Co.,[8] a metal cable manufacturer, Hendrix Wire and Cable Inc.,[9] and a contract manufacturing solutions company, Cirtronics Corporation.[10] In 2018, local firm Alene Candles became one of the first companies in the state to implement a "conscious leadership" program in a manufacturing production setting.[11]
Milford is home to the Milford State Fish Hatchery.[12] The town also holds the Souhegan Valley Boys & Girls Club, built on the former home of the now-bankrupt private theater American Stage Festival.
Milford was a stop on theUnderground Railroad for escaped slaves.[citation needed] It was also the home ofHarriet E. Wilson, who published the semi-autobiographical novelOur Nig: Or, Sketches in the Life of a Free Black in 1859, making it the first novel by anAfrican-American woman published in the country.
Officially designated "Union Square", the Milford Oval is neither square nor oval in shape, but rather triangular. The "square" name in American parlance denotes a town common irrespective of geometry, and the "oval" name dates from the 19th century, when it was oval in shape. The Oval is the town center, with the PillsburyBandstand as its centerpiece and the Souhegan River as the backdrop. The Oval is formed by a modifiedtraffic rotary in which State Highways 13 and 101A intersect, with northbound 13 and eastbound 101A passing straight through and crossing each other at a right angle with a stop sign for traffic on Route 13.
Milford is in southernNew Hampshire and south-central Hillsborough County. It is 20 miles (32 km) southwest ofManchester, the largest city in the state, and 14 miles (23 km) northwest ofNashua.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.5 square miles (66.0 km2), of which 25.4 square miles (65.8 km2) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) are water, comprising 0.22% of the town.[2] Milford is drained by theSouhegan River, an eastward-flowing tributary of theMerrimack River. The southwestern part of town is drained by Mitchell Brook and Spaulding Brook, which flow south intoBrookline and are part of theNashua River watershed, another tributary of the Merrimack. The town's highest point is near its western border, on the summit of Boynton Hill, at 814 feet (248 m) abovesea level.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Milford has ahot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Milford was 101 °F (38.3 °C) in July 2011, while the coldest temperature recorded was −21 °F (−29.4 °C) in January 1994.[13]
| Climate data for Milford, New Hampshire, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 76 (24) | 88 (31) | 95 (35) | 95 (35) | 99 (37) | 101 (38) | 100 (38) | 96 (36) | 87 (31) | 77 (25) | 71 (22) | 101 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 54.6 (12.6) | 56.2 (13.4) | 66.2 (19.0) | 80.9 (27.2) | 88.3 (31.3) | 92.1 (33.4) | 93.4 (34.1) | 91.7 (33.2) | 87.7 (30.9) | 77.6 (25.3) | 68.0 (20.0) | 57.6 (14.2) | 95.2 (35.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.2 (0.7) | 36.2 (2.3) | 44.6 (7.0) | 58.3 (14.6) | 69.2 (20.7) | 77.5 (25.3) | 83.4 (28.6) | 81.2 (27.3) | 72.7 (22.6) | 60.4 (15.8) | 48.9 (9.4) | 38.1 (3.4) | 58.6 (14.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 34.0 (1.1) | 46.3 (7.9) | 57.0 (13.9) | 66.1 (18.9) | 71.8 (22.1) | 69.4 (20.8) | 61.3 (16.3) | 49.0 (9.4) | 38.6 (3.7) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 47.7 (8.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.3 (−9.8) | 14.9 (−9.5) | 23.5 (−4.7) | 34.3 (1.3) | 44.9 (7.2) | 54.8 (12.7) | 60.1 (15.6) | 57.6 (14.2) | 50.0 (10.0) | 37.7 (3.2) | 28.4 (−2.0) | 20.0 (−6.7) | 36.7 (2.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −5.1 (−20.6) | −2.6 (−19.2) | 4.4 (−15.3) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 41.9 (5.5) | 49.8 (9.9) | 46.6 (8.1) | 35.0 (1.7) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 15.0 (−9.4) | 3.4 (−15.9) | −8.3 (−22.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) | −16 (−27) | −6 (−21) | 11 (−12) | 26 (−3) | 34 (1) | 43 (6) | 41 (5) | 25 (−4) | 17 (−8) | 7 (−14) | −9 (−23) | −16 (−27) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.03 (77) | 2.99 (76) | 3.79 (96) | 4.15 (105) | 3.35 (85) | 4.03 (102) | 3.73 (95) | 3.68 (93) | 4.04 (103) | 4.88 (124) | 3.92 (100) | 4.45 (113) | 46.04 (1,169) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.4 (39) | 11.5 (29) | 14.4 (37) | 2.3 (5.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 1.1 (2.8) | 12.6 (32) | 57.4 (145.85) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 8.8 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 12.1 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 10.5 | 10.2 | 11.4 | 11.1 | 133.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 7.1 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 5.2 | 26.3 |
| Source 1: NOAA[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[13][15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 939 | — | |
| 1810 | 1,117 | 19.0% | |
| 1820 | 1,243 | 11.3% | |
| 1830 | 1,303 | 4.8% | |
| 1840 | 1,455 | 11.7% | |
| 1850 | 2,159 | 48.4% | |
| 1860 | 2,223 | 3.0% | |
| 1870 | 2,606 | 17.2% | |
| 1880 | 2,308 | −11.4% | |
| 1890 | 3,014 | 30.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,739 | 24.1% | |
| 1910 | 3,939 | 5.3% | |
| 1920 | 3,783 | −4.0% | |
| 1930 | 4,068 | 7.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,927 | −3.5% | |
| 1950 | 4,159 | 5.9% | |
| 1960 | 4,863 | 16.9% | |
| 1970 | 6,622 | 36.2% | |
| 1980 | 8,685 | 31.2% | |
| 1990 | 11,795 | 35.8% | |
| 2000 | 13,535 | 14.8% | |
| 2010 | 15,115 | 11.7% | |
| 2020 | 16,131 | 6.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[3][16] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 15,115 people, 5,929 households, and 4,004 families residing in the town. There were 6,295 housing units, of which 366, or 5.8%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 94.8%white, 1.3%African American, 0.2%Native American, 1.3%Asian, 0.01%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.6% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.[17]
Of the 5,929 households, 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were headed bymarried couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53, and the average family size was 3.04.[17]
In the town, 25.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.8% was from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.[17]
For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $64,576, and the median income for a family was $80,241. Male full-time workers had a median income of $55,313 versus $38,792 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $32,918. 5.8% of the population and 3.7% of families were below the poverty line. 8.2% of the population under the age of 18 and 2.7% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[18]
The Milford School District operates Jacques Memorial School (K-1), Heron Pond Elementary School (2-5), Milford Middle School (6-8), andMilford High School & Applied Technology Center (9-12).[19]
The town is known for its "Pumpkin Festival", which is normally held in early October.[20] It is held over a three-day weekend (Friday-Sunday) and attracts more than 35,000 people. The festival has many attractions including food vendors, music stages, craft fair, carved pumpkin lighting, a haunted trail, a beer and wine tasting and a fireworks display around the Oval.
coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
Places adjacent to Milford, New Hampshire | |
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Municipalities and communities ofHillsborough County, New Hampshire,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
