The village of Milford, Michigan is in Milford Township, Oakland County, just west of the Detroit Metro region.

Pettibone Creek empties into the Huron River near the center of the village. Damming of the creek has created Lower Mill Pond, Upper Mill Pond, and other widened areas of the creek in the northern part of the village, while the damming of the river has created Hubbell Mill Pond, which is partially located in the western portion of the village. Central Park is between the river and Lower Mill Pond.

The chief routes to and from Milford include Commerce Road, General Motors Road, Hill Road, Milford Road, and Old Plank Road. No major highways are within the village limits, although I-95 is south of the village, while M-59 is north of the village.

Cities and villages within twenty miles of Milford include Wolverine Lake, Wixom, Walled Lake, South Lyon, Brighton, Novi, Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Holly, Northville, Pontiac, Clarkston, Farmington, Fenton, Farmington Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Franklin, and Lake Angelus.

Currently, about forty percent of the area within the village is made up of single-family homes. Although single-family homes are scattered throughout Milford, the most concentrated areas of single-family residences are in the northeast and southwest portions of the village. In the southwest corner of the village, homes are on lots ranging from a half-acre to an acre, but most residential lots within the village are small.

Milford includes various types of multi-family residences, as well. These include apartment complexes, co-op apartments, townhouses, and senior living facilities. Rather than being concentrated in any one area, multi-family residences are scattered throughout the village.

Milford has a traditional downtown business district that serves as the commercial anchor for the village and township. This district is on both sides of Main Street, between Huron Street to the south, and Summit Street to the north. The ground floors of most buildings in the downtown district are used for commercial businesses and office spaces, although some buildings have apartments on the upper floors.

Other commercial areas within the village are at Milford Road at General Motors Road, Commerce Street at Summit Street, and Milford Road at Highland Street, which include grocery stores, smaller commercial businesses, and offices.

Milford does have many industrial areas, and no large ones, although there are industrial establishments in the north end of the village, near Summit Street and Concrete Drive, and in the area along Huron Street, south of the Huron River.

More than seven percent of the village is set for recreation and conservation purposes. These include six municipal parks and several private parks.

The community experienced three decades of population decreases in the latter part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, largely due to the decline of the timber industry, its population. has since increased each census year, with the exception of 2010, when its population decreased by 1.5%. However, it is expected to increase by more than five percent when the 2020 census numbers are released.

Acknowledged as the first permanent settler in Milford, Levi Pettibone came to the area in 1827, settling along the creek that was later named for him. Two brothers, Elizur and Stanley Ruggles, built a sawmill on the Huron River in 1832, adding a gristmill on the other side of the river in 1839.

Other early settlers were Jabesh M. Mead, Aaron Phelps, and Lumen Fuller. Along with his brother-in-law, Ansley Arms, Jabesh Mead built the first store in the community and recorded the first plat of the village. On May 28, 1836, Mr. Phelps became the first postmaster of Milford.

Milford was incorporated as a village on April 12, 1869.

The mill ponds were built to create water power for various mills and factories. Lower Mill Pond was created in 1836, while Upper Mill Pond was formed in 1845, and Hubbell Mill Pond was created when a dam was erected across the Huron River in 1911. Hydropower allowed Milford to become one of the first communities with residential electricity, as early as 1892. In 1939, the Ford Motor Company opened a carburetor plant and two hydroelectric stations in Milford.

The focal point of this portion of our guide is on the village of Milford, Michigan. Online resources for the village and any other governmental entities based in the village, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, sports programs and facilities, and recreational opportunities, are the focus of this category.

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