Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #599 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1820.
The Milford post office opened in 1805, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Milford Centre (1833) and Cooperstown Junction (1893), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Milford is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #599 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Milford’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Milford’s history is told.
Milford’s post office has been open since 1805. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Milford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Milford.
From Wikipedia’s history of Milford.
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, and the name was changed to Milford in 1800.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Milford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
emigrated to this country in 1645, and l)ecame the owner of a large tract of land situated on Long Island sound, and now known as Pon.d Point or Merwin's Point. It was mostly situated in the town of Milford, New Haven county. Conn., but extended easterly across Oyster river into what is now the town of Orange. By Lambert's history of Milford, it appears that he was a tanner and currier, and.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
I have not the records of the town of Milford, which probably contain fuller mention. Milford was incorporated as a towni in 17S0 — it was formerly a part of Mondon. Perhaps Mendon may contain the births of these children.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereDavid F. Wilber is born here
Born hereJohn Hyde Sweet is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyFire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.
1916Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Between 1,616 and 3,044 people in every census since 1820.
20 censuses, 1820–2010.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Milford’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Milford post office opened in 1805, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Milford is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #599 of 758 in New York. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
24% of Milford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1979.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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