Life in Milford has revolved around the Mispillion River for centuries. Beginning in the 1700s, the southern Delaware town was home to a thriving shipbuilding industry that would later supply vessels for World Wars I and II. Though shipbuilding here declined as steam engines became the norm, there’s still plenty of riverfront activity. In 2016, the city adopted the Rivertown Rebirth Plan to revitalize its downtown area, opening more businesses and improving the Mispillion Riverwalk to connect shopping and dining options with waterfront parks. And efforts like this have helped Milford grow from 11,000 to 13,000 in the past few years. “We’re a growing town. In the past five years or so, we’ve gotten a new police station and a new hospital,” says Myra Mitchell, RE/MAX Horizons Realtor and Milford local. “But all the growth is happening slowly enough that [Milford] still feels like a small town.”
Delawarians are proud of their state and folks in Milford are no exception.
The Milford River Walk is a very popular attraction running through the heart of Milford.
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Some Milford houses are in flood zones
Early 1900s Craftsman-style bungalows and Queen Anne houses surround downtown Milford. Ranch styles and cottages from the 1950s and ‘60s are also common, and New Traditional houses are still being built toward the outskirts of town. The median single-family home price here is $369,900, which is lower than the national median of $406,000. Milford experiences all four seasons, with humid summers and mild winters. Severe rainstorms and wind often cause the Mispillion River to overflow. Flood insurance is mandatory for properties within the town’s FEMA-designated flood zones. New-build homes in these areas must also be raised 18 inches above the ground.
According to FBI data, Milford consistently has higher property and violent crime rates than national and state figures. In 2023, a new 24,000-square-foot Milford Police headquarters opened near downtown.
This new-construction home in Milford is designed to look like an old, classic farmhouse.
These Milford townhomes are built with varying facades to avoid the typical rowhome look.
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Community events at Bicentennial Park and on the Mispillion Riverwalk
Milford is home to 10 parks, and several are along the Mispillion River. Bicentennial Park in downtown Milford has a fishing bridge and picnic tables along its rocky shoreline. The green space is also an entry point for the Mispillion Riverwalk, a mile-long path with pocket parks, public kayak docks and The Milford Public Library. Every September, locals enjoy live music, fireworks and carnival games at the Riverwalk Freedom Festival, which is held in the park and along the path to honor veterans and first responders. The Riverwalk Farmers Market is every Saturday from May through October.
“It takes less than 20 minutes to get to Delaware Bay, so that’s what everyone does on weekends during the summer,” says Mitchell. Slaughter Beach, 10 miles east, is known for its calm water and horseshoe crabs that lay eggs between May and June. Touristy oceanfront towns, like Rehoboth and Dewey, are about 25 miles south.
A group of friends gets down to some competitive basketball at Milford's Bicentennial Park.
Bicentennial Park is a memorial park located in the center of Milford DE.
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Shopping, dining and theater in downtown Milford
Antique stores, cozy taverns and seafood restaurants fill Federal-style storefronts in downtown Milford. “It’s your typical downtown in a small town. There aren’t a whole lot of restaurants, but the places that we do have are beloved.” The five-block district also has a few art centers and hosts a few community events. Second Street Players is a local performing arts group that puts on year-round plays and musicals at the Riverfront Theatre. Every April, locals dressed in red and black parade through downtown for the Bug & Bud Festival, which celebrates Delaware’s state bug: the ladybug.
Milford has a few strip malls with chain grocery stores, but larger shopping centers are located in Dover or Rehoboth.
A Milford residents sends his ball down the lane at Milford Bowling Lanes.
A couple of friends trade stories over a beer at Park Place Lounge and Restaurant.
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B grades for Milford public schools and the private school
The Milford School District earns a B-minus from Niche and serves 4,470 students with a 15-to-1 student-teacher ratio.
B-minus-rated Milford Christian School educates students in prekindergarten through high school.
Benjamin Banneker Elementary School is a public school located in Milford, DE.
Milford Central Academy is a public school located in Milford, DE.
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Dover, Wilmington and Philadelphia are within driving distance
Delaware Route 1 is in the eastern part of town, and U.S. Route 113 is to the west. A 20-mile drive north on Route 1 leads to Dover, and 70 miles in the same direction reaches Wilmington. About a 40-mile drive south on Route 113 leads to Salisbury, home to the Salisbury Regional Airport. Delaware Authority Regional Transit bus stops in the area offer rides around town and to Dover. Local traffic can occasionally stop at streets intersecting with the Delmarva Central Railroad or when the Mispillion River drawbridge on Rehoboth Boulevard rises.
In south Milford, the Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus has a level-three trauma department and it's one of the town’s top employers, providing over 300 jobs. The hospital opened in 2019, replacing the much smaller and now-shuttered Milford Memorial Hospital.
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