Milford, New York

Milford is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,044 at the 2010 census. Within town is the village of Milford. The town is northeast of the City of Oneonta.

History

The first settler arrived around 1770, but few people followed until after the Revolutionary War.

The town was formed from the Town of Unadilla in 1796 as the Town of Suffrage, but the name was changed to Milford in 1800.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.2 square miles (122.2 km²), of which, 46.1 square miles (119.4 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (2.27%) is water.

The Susquehanna River flows south through the eastern part of Milford, receiving the inflow of Cherry Valley Creek.

New York State Route 28 is a north-south highway through the eastern part of the town. New York State Route 166 intersects NY-28 at Milford village, and New York State Route 7 intersects NY-28 in the south part of Milford. NY-28 intersects Interstate 88 near the south town line.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	2,505		—
1830	1,968		−21.4%
1840	2,095		6.5%
1850	2,227		6.3%
1860	2,210		−0.8%
1870	2,301		4.1%
1880	2,319		0.8%
1890	2,051		−11.6%
1900	2,007		−2.1%
1910	1,825		−9.1%
1920	1,616		−11.5%
1930	1,635		1.2%
1940	1,666		1.9%
1950	1,913		14.8%
1960	2,055		7.4%
1970	2,485		20.9%
1980	2,685		8.0%
1990	2,845		6.0%
2000	2,938		3.3%
2010	3,044		3.6%
Est. 2014	2,978	[2]	−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[3]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 2,938 people, 1,207 households, and 813 families residing in the town. The population density was 63.7 people per square mile (24.6/km²). There were 1,575 housing units at an average density of 34.2 per square mile (13.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.52% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of the population.

There were 1,207 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% 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 2.84.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,803, and the median income for a family was $43,516. Males had a median income of $31,108 versus $23,015 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,722. About 9.3% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Brewery Ommegang Cooperstown brewer of Belgian style ales.
Cooperstown Brewing Company Old Slugger is an American Pale Ale (APA) style beer brewed by Cooperstown Brewing Company. Bear Pond Winery Local NY Wines Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad is a heritage railway offering rides between Milford and Cooperstown from June to September. It currently owns and operates a pair of ex-Canadian National Railway MLW switchers (Alco S-4 and Alco S-7 designs) pulling heavyweight passenger equipment.

Communities and locations in the Town of Milford

• Cliffside – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, on the east shore of Goodyear Lake.
• Colliersville – A hamlet in the south part of the town on NY-7.
• Cooperstown Junction – A hamlet in the south part of the town on NY-7.
• Crummhorn Lake – A small lake by the east town line on Crummhorn Mountain.
• Crummhorn Mountain – A highground in the southeast part of Milford.
• Crummhorn Mountain Wildlife Management Area – A conservation area on Crummhorn Mountain.
• Edson Corners – A location west of Milford village at the junction of County Highways 44 and 46.
• Goodyear Lake – A lake in the southeast part of the town.
• Milford – The Village of Milford is on NY-28 at the intersection of NY-166 and County Highway 44 in the northeast part of the town.
• Milford Center – A hamlet in the south part of the town on NY-28
• Portlandville – A hamlet east of Milford Center on NY-28.
• Saddlebag Lake – A small lake near the Susquehanna River and Portlandville.
• Wilber Lake – A lake in the southwest corner of Milford.

Notable residents

• Paul Wolfe, NASCAR Championship Winning Crew Chief.

References

Notes

1. "History of Otsego County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers". This town was formed from Unadilla Feb. 5, 1796, as "Suffrage." It retained that name until 1800, when it was changed to Milford.
2. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
3. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
4. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

• Early map and brief history of Milford