Metro Detroit Oakland County Village
Milford
A mill-pond village on the Huron River, next to GM's proving ground and Kensington
- People (2025 estimate)
- 18,008
- Land area
- 33.0 sq mi · 85.6 km²
- From downtown
- 33.1 miles · 53 km · northwest
- Incorporated
- 1869
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Milford matters
Milford began with a sawmill the Ruggles brothers built on the Huron River in 1832; the mill ponds followed in 1836 and 1845. Thanks to water power, Milford was one of the first communities to get electric lights, in 1892; nearby South Lyon had to wait until 1932.
In 1924 General Motors opened the auto industry's first dedicated testing facility here, the Milford Proving Ground, still the longest continuously operating proving ground in the world. By 1939 Henry Ford had arrived too, building a carburetor plant and two hydroelectric stations so locals could work in the factory and keep farming; the Art Deco powerhouse still stands on Pettibone Creek.
Today Main Street is lined with shops and restaurants, summer brings a concert series and a farmers market, and in August the Milford Memories festival packs the village. Between Milford and South Lyon lies the huge Kensington Metropark, with a bike loop around Kent Lake, beaches and a farm.
02 / Known for
What Milford is known for
GM's Milford Proving Ground: the auto industry's first dedicated testing facility when it opened in 1924, covering about 4,000 acres with 132 miles of test roads
Henry Ford's Art Deco powerhouse on Pettibone Creek, restored starting in 2004
The Milford Memories festival on the second full weekend of August, with a nationally known juried art fair and, organizers say, more than 200,000 visitors
Kensington Metropark, opened in 1947 around Kent Lake, with about 2.5 million visitors a year
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Milford
Nothing on our calendar in Milford right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
3 places on our site in Milford
05 / What to do
If you’re in Milford
Downtown Milford
A small-town Main Street with shops, restaurants and a social district, plus events all year, from the Memorial Day parade to the Christmas parade.
Official site ↗Kensington Metropark
A 4,481-acre park around Kent Lake: a paved hike-bike trail of almost 12 miles (the lake loop is 8.5), beaches, a farm center, a nature center and boat rentals.
Official site ↗Milford Trail
A paved walking and biking path through the woods into downtown's restaurants and shops, with challenging mountain bike trails alongside.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Milford through the years
- 1832
Elizur and Stanley Ruggles build a sawmill, and Milford begins.
- 1869
Milford is incorporated as a village.
- 1892
Thanks to water power, the first electric lights come on; telephone service follows a year later.
- 1924
General Motors opens the Milford Proving Ground, the auto industry's first dedicated testing facility.
- 1939
By this year Henry Ford has built a carburetor plant and two hydroelectric stations in the village; the plant was torn down in 2002, but the powerhouse survives.
- 1947
Kensington Metropark opens on the site of the old village of Kensington, which became a ghost town after the railroad was rerouted.
08 / People
Famous names from here
- Thomas Lynch poet and essayist who ran his family's funeral home in Milford for decades; one of his poetry collections is Still Life in Milford
- Mary Jackson actress best known as Emily Baldwin on The Waltons, born in Milford in 1910
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Milford charter township). The figures cover all of Milford Township.
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford,_Michigan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_proving_grounds
- meetmeinmilford.com/project/ford-powerhouse-restoration-project
- meetmeinmilford.com/downtown-events/milford-memories
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Metropark
- metroparks.com/kensington-metropark
- meetmeinmilford.com
- meetmeinmilford.com/milford-outside/milford-trail
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Lynch_(poet)
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jackson_(actress)
- villageofmilford.org
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: +5.3 percent.
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