Milford, Kosciusko County, Indiana

Milford
Town
Location of Milford in Kosciusko County, Indiana.
Coordinates: 41°24′33″N 85°50′49″W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Kosciusko
Township	Van Buren
Area
• Total	1.47 sq mi (3.82 km2)
• Land	1.45 sq mi (3.76 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	833 ft (254 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,562
• Estimate  (2016)	1,565
• Density	1,077.82/sq mi (416.19/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	46542
Area code	574
FIPS code	18-49320
GNIS feature ID	439139, 2396763

Milford is a town in Van Buren Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,562 at the 2010 census.

History

Looking south on Main Street, 1919

Milford was laid out by Judge Aaron M. Perine on April 10, 1836, who had settled the area with his family in 1834. It was named for a mill which stood near a ford. The post office at Milford has been in operation since 1837. In 1880, Milford was officially incorporated as a town.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Milford has a total area of 1.12 square miles (2.90 km²), of which 1.1 square miles (2.85 km²) (or 98.21%) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) (or 1.79%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	209		—
1870	432		106.7%
1880	492		13.9%
1890	677		37.6%
1900	905		33.7%
1910	814		−10.1%
1920	811		−0.4%
1930	869		7.2%
1940	901		3.7%
1950	952		5.7%
1960	1,167		22.6%
1970	1,264		8.3%
1980	1,153		−8.8%
1990	1,388		20.4%
2000	1,550		11.7%
2010	1,562		0.8%
2017 (est.)	1,566		0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,562 people, 613 households, and 406 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,420.0 inhabitants per square mile (548.3/km²). There were 667 housing units at an average density of 606.4 per square mile (234.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.3% White, 0.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 8.8% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.4% of the population.

There were 613 households of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.06.

The median age in the town was 36.9 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 23% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,550 people, 590 households, and 402 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,436.8 people per square mile (554.1/km²). There were 626 housing units at an average density of 580.3/sq mi (223.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.61% White, 0.84% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 5.29% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.16% of the population.

There were 590 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,458, and the median income for a family was $43,958. Males had a median income of $32,898 versus $24,107 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,247. About 2.4% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Milford is home to:

• Gravelton Parochial School (grades 1-8)
• Maple Grove Amish School (grades 1-8)
• and West Hastings (grades 1-8)
• Milford Elementary and Middle School (grades K-8) part of the Wawasee Community School Corporation (WCSC)

The town has a lending library, the Milford Public Library.

Industry

The industry of Milford is based primarily on manufacturing and agriculture. Milford is home to agricultural equipment manufacturer CTB, Inc., printer/publisher The Papers Incorporated, whose largest publication is Auto & RV, which publishes books available for Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Tennessee, and Maple Leaf Farms, the largest White Peking duck producer in North America.

Notable people

Milford was the childhood home of Dr. Ronald C. Brown, noted labor historian and winner of the 2000 Colorado Endowment for the Humanities Publication Prize for "No One Ailing Except a Physician: Medicine in the Mining West 1848-1919" which he co-authored with Dr. Duane A. Smith. Brown also coordinated a three-year program in oral history with NASA, a two-year program in Texas Music History and regularly conducts and consults on oral history projects.