Mifflin is a rural and family friendly township in Columbia County
Mifflin Township was established in the late 1700s with houses on large lots and wide main roads as the seat of Columbia County. When Bloomsburg, about 9 miles west, received that title instead, Mifflin easily transitioned into an agricultural community with a location south of the Susquehanna River and on a Nescopeck Mountain ridgeline. Today, farming is still a big industry, and Mifflinville, the township’s main village, has parks, restaurants and carnival grounds. “I always describe Mifflin as rural but family friendly,” says Ricky Brown, a lifelong Mifflin local and the president of the township’s board of supervisors. “We have a Little League, we’re in a great school district and we do a bunch of fun community events.” With only about 2,000 residents, Mifflin is also a close-knit community. “Everyone knows each other, whether they live in the village or on a huge piece of farmland,” Brown says.
Gridded streets and farmland coexist in Mifflin
Housing here includes Colonial Revivals, Queen Annes and farmhouses dating back to the 1800s. Ranch styles and New Traditional homes built between the 1980s and 2000s are also common. Streets in Mifflinville follow a gridded pattern, while wheat, potato and hay fields surround winding roads on the rural outskirts. Prices typically range from about $125,000 to around $345,000, depending on a house’s size, age and condition; homes on the higher end of the price range tend to be newer construction and feature more square footage. Heavy rainfall can cause the Susquehanna River to overflow, so houses closest to the waterway do have a risk of flooding.
Mifflinville is the township’s main village
Mifflinville, in the northern part of town, has a post office, a gun shop and a motorcycle repair garage. A few restaurants are also in the area. Locals can buy a slice or whole pie from the counter at Mifflin Pizza, then walk over to Max’s Ice Cream Shack for a banana split. “That’s the Friday night ritual for families here,” Brown says. The Greek Revival-style building that houses St. John's Lutheran Church was built in 1792. Hotels, a Loves Travel Stop, and fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King are in west Mifflin. Berwick, about 6 miles east, has a downtown district with breweries, boutiques and big-box grocery stores like Giant and Aldi.
Students go to highly rated Central Columbia public schools
Central Columbia School District serves Mifflin. Kids can attend Central Columbia Elementary, which Niche grades an A-minus, and Central Columbia Middle, which earns an A. They may continue to A-minus-rated Central Columbia High, where career and technical programs include accounting, agricultural mechanization and education. Commonwealth University’s Bloomsburg campus offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs like graphic design, business and marketing.
Mifflin has a park, baseball diamonds and a public golf course
The township manages three recreation spaces, including the tennis and pickleball courts on Fair Street. Mifflinville Town Park has a small playground and a picnic pavilion. Parents cheer from the bleachers when the South Columbia Little League plays games at the Mifflinville Baseball Fields. Other local green spaces include the public Arnold’s Golf Course, which has 18 holes set against the Susquehanna River. Horses trot across the rolling pastures of Frosty Oak Stables, where riders of all ages and skill levels can take riding lessons. State Game Lands Number 58, less than 8 miles south, is a hunting ground for white-tailed deer and wild turkey. The 12,646-acre plot also has trails for hiking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. A kayak launch and fishing spots sit along the Susquehanna River at Test Track Park, less than 5 miles east.
The Mifflinville Carnival comes to town every May
The Mifflinville Carnival Grounds along East First Street host several annual events. There’s a Trunk-or-Treat on Halloween and a town-wide yard sale every June. But the Mifflinville Carnival in May is the community’s most popular celebration. “That’s the one that the entire town shows up for,” Brown says. Carnival-goers can eat funnel cakes, play ring toss games and get their faces painted during this four-day-long event. Musicians perform on the main stage every night, and tractors, vintage cars and fire trucks from the local station parade through town on the final day.
Locals go on walks and have easy access to Interstate 80
Though most streets in Mifflin don’t have sidewalks, locals still go on walks with their families. “Traffic isn’t bad here, so people just walk on the side of the road with their dogs and strollers,” Brown says. Drivers have easy access to Interstate 80, which spans Mifflin’s core. The highway eventually connects with Interstate 81 to reach Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport, about 45 miles east. U.S. Route 11 leads directly to Bloomsburg, home of the Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital. A freight railroad runs along the Susquehanna River, and locals occasionally hear horns as trains pass by.
