Milford was first settled in 1662 and was officially incorporated in 1780. It was originally the eastern part of Mendon, called "Millriver." Milford is most famous for its "Milford pink Granite." Discovered in the 1870s, the granite has been widely used by many locations such as New York, Washington D.C., Paris, along with many other monuments, but it is most famous for the battle monument of West Point.
According to the census from the year 2000, there were 26,799 residents of the town, but Milford has significantly grown to about 31,230 as of 2014. The racial makeup of the town is about 88% white, while Hispanic-Latinos make up about 7 percent and other non-specific nationalities make up the remaining 5%.The core of Milford's governing system is the representative town meeting, where elected citizens can voice their opinions, but more importantly, directly effect changes in the community. Along with a Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator, Planning Board, Finance Committee, etc., the citizens of Milford have input into how the town is run.The Massachusetts Department of Corrections is headquartered in Milford.
The Milford Public Library was established in 1858. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Milford spent 1.5% ($966,758) of its budget on its public library—some $35 per person.