Former industrial borough with waterfront views
Milford is a little borough on the banks of the Delaware River crossed with creeks and railroad tracks. Though its architecture is from an earlier age defined by riverfront transportation and manufacturing industries, tourism in towns along the river has lifted Milford from its post-industrial slump. “When I was growing up around the area, New Hope in Pennsylvania was a very trendy place – but it started pricing out local people and second home buyers. So, they moved across the river to Lambertville, then up to Frenchtown. Milford has really become trendy in the last 20 years,” says Mary Malone, a Realtor with the Luxe Service Real Estate Group at Coldwell Banker who has specialized in Hunterdon County for two decades. Today, Milford remains a truly small town of around 1,000 people despite the influx of interest, all of whom can enjoy the sweeping views, small business districts and local community events that fill the Delaware River Valley just over an hour away from both Philadelphia and New York City.
Shopping and dining at specialty businesses on Bridge Street
Milford’s small business community lines Bridge Street in an eclectic mix of century-old commercial buildings that house modern specialty shops and restaurants. Canal House Station is one of the first stops off the Upper Black Eddy-Milford Bridge, an acclaimed farm-to-table restaurant in the old train station that opens only on Sundays. Along nearby sidewalks, shoppers stop into Allen’s Antiques, browse crystals before attending a yoga class at Riverside Wellness and Enchantments or tuck into a treat at tables outside Chocolate in the Oven Bakery. Descendants Brewing Company at the Old Ship Inn operates in a grand Second Empire building and has been a favorite spot for local brews and classic pub fare for decades. The borough is within a few miles of two small grocery stores: Dutch Mill Market and Frenchtown Market IGA. Many streets in the borough are named for where they lead, like Frenchtown Road and the track-hugging Railroad Avenue; of Milford’s handful of small community churches, however, only the First United Church of Christ sits on Church Street.
Classic holiday traditions and bed racing at borough events
Milford hosts many classic community events; Santa visits Bridge Street businesses decorated with wreaths and lights for Christmas in Milford, and costumed crowds walk in the Halloween Parade. The Milford Merchants Association gets more creative during Milford Alive! Live music, local artists’ vendor booths and fair food are favorite attractions at many fall festivals, but at a certain point during Milford’s celebration, Bridge Street also gets cordoned off for bed racing. Companies and community groups roll up to the starting line in mattresses on wheels, and a range of creative design schemes and open-to-interpretation regulations mean that no two beds look alike. Bed pushers and occupants dress to match their themes, ranging from the fastest and most aerodynamic employees at local medical centers to youth athletes representing school sports teams or acting as racing mercenaries for local restaurants. Some take the “race” aspect seriously, pushing at top speed and maintaining control of their cozy, careening carts as the crowd cheers; others display their beds and business logos at a more sedate pace.
Single-family homes built from the 19th to the 20th century
The different styles of single-family homes and residential streets in Milford showcase the community’s waves of 19th- and 20th-century industry. “Some of the small row homes were built because everyone worked at the paper mill. People walked to work, walked back home to lunch and then walked back,” Malone says. Closely plotted blocks lined by sidewalks that run parallel to the river are a hallmark of areas laid out in the early 20th century or before, as are the many National-style, Colonial Revival and Victorian-style standalone and twin homes. In the forested hills that rise away from the Delaware, winding subdivisions are lined with Cape Cods, ranch-style homes and split-levels built from the 1940s through the 1970s. Prices typically range from about $250,000 to $550,000, but fixer-uppers can go for less. Homes that sell for more are those on the rare larger lots on the area's outskirts, newer construction and properties with exceptional views of or access to the Delaware River.
Nature preserves and recreation along the Delaware River
Hunterdon County is rich with vast preserved green spaces, and the Thomas F. Breden Preserve at Milford Bluffs offers rugged trails through the hundreds of acres of riverside forests that range just northwest of Milford. Milford Borough Park is home to a tree-shaded playground and picnic pavilion. Though the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park hugs its namesake waterway, the hiking and biking trail doesn’t quite extend to Milford; trailheads are easily accessible just south of the borough and across the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side. Many of the access points that locals use to fish or set tubes and kayaks into the Delaware aren’t official, but more sanctioned access points can also be found all along the New Jersey side of the river and just across the water in Upper Black Eddy.
Commuting to New York City and Philadelphia
Milford is a roughly 60-mile drive from Philadelphia, while New York City is closer to 65 miles from home. Though commuters here are largely car dependent, the Hunterdon County LINK bus does run a couple of local routes between Milford and nearby small towns like Clinton, which offer better access to NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line train stations. Hunterdon Medical Center is about 15 miles away, while Lehigh Valley International Airport is closer to 30 miles away.
Transitioning from Milford schools to regional schools
Milford Public School, the borough’s elementary school, earns a B from Niche. Students move on to Kingwood Township School and then Delaware Valley Regional High School, both of which earn a B-plus. Del Val High gives students the opportunity to apply for accelerated academic academies to prepare for career fields ranging from the arts to business.
Flood zones in the Delaware River Watershed
The Delaware River and Hakihokake Creek create flood zones as they pass through the borough. Extreme flooding is possible after unusually heavy rain, but nuisance flooding of basements and roadways is more common. Buyers should consult maps to understand their risk and need for insurance.
