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Savannah Lima

Dr. Tabitha Clark

ENGW1111

October 29, 2023

The Misconceptions about Milford

Milford is a town in Massachusetts, specifically in Worcester County. Milford was first

settled in 1662 and the population started to quickly increase in 1780 due to its location near

plenty of rivers and the industrial business growing rapidly. Milford’s current population ranges

from 25,000 to 30,000 people. The town is known to be wealthy with the median income for a

household around $90,000. Milford is also considered a safe town with little to no poverty or

crime. Milford has lots of engaging community activities that anyone can participate in no matter

their age, gender, or race, and people have reported feeling a sense of belonging in this. This

town may appear to be perfect from an outside perceptive, but some residents in this community

may disagree. Many people are deciding to move out of Milford due to the increase in crime rate,

expensive living costs, and the unsafe environment in their schools.

Milford is considered a wealthy town with a good education and expensive housing, but

the citizens of the town worked hard to achieve so much. In the 1600s, British colonists first

settled in the town of Milford. Milford was originally part of a town named Medon. Milford was

a suitable place to settle in, but it was a long distance from Medon First Congregational Church

and at the time most people in that area were deeply religious (Town Of Milford). Therefore,

Milford petitioned to be their own town and have their own Church. In the late 1700s, Milford

was incorporated and had their church. In the 1800s, Milford’s Pink Granite was discovered, and
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the granite business started growing. It was sold not only across the country but across the world.

Milford’s population started to grow when transportation was created. Transportation also helped

the granite businesses because they could transport granite easily (Town of Milford). Once the

population of Milford started to increase a fire station was built in the town and it first started

with citizens who wanted to volunteer, but slowly firefighters were hired. A police department

was installed in their Town Hall. When crime started to increase due to the population, the police

department got their own station.

Milford has worked exceptionally hard to improve the appearance of their schools to

create a better environment for the students but has neglected improving the courses they teach

children and the teachers they hire, which counteracts their efforts to create a better environment.

Milford has six schools in their town which include Shining Star Early Childhood Center,

Memorial Elementary School, Brookside Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School,

Stacy Middle School, and Milford High School. The first modification Milford made to their

school was demolishing Middle School East, a middle school for students in eighth grade. The

school was shut down in 2015. According to Daniel Moreira, a former student who attended

Middle School East, “The school was demolished because it was too old, and it was falling apart.

It was also a very hectic environment because all the students were in the same grade” (Moreira).

The middle school was officially demolished in 2018 and has been rebuilt and is now being used

as an apartment complex. Daniel also reported that sometimes the students would be out of

control, and it was a difficult environment to learn in.

The second modification was building a new elementary school now known as Woodland

Elementary School. Woodland Elementary School was built for students in grades three through

five. Since Middle School East was being demolished, the town needed a new space to occupy
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its students. Fifth graders were originally attending Stacy Middle School and the town decided to

move them to Wolland Elementary School. They also decided to move the eighth graders to

Stacy Middle School meaning the students who attended Stacy Middle School were in grades

sixth through eighth. Woodland Elementary School has a more modern look to it. It is very on

the inside but also the outside with a brand-new field and a huge playground for the kids.

Photo of Woodland Elementary from Architect Magazine “Woodland Elementary School” (The Journal of the American Institute

of Architects)

Although the eighth graders were moved into a more controlled environment, there are

still consistent complaints about students misbehaving. For example, on April 26, 2023, there

were reports of students spraying mace inside the building. Teachers, students, and faculty had to

evacuate due to the strong order. Most students left in such a rush they had to leave their

belongings inside the school and could not retrieve them till the next day. The fire department

and the police department both responded to this incident to assist the students. During the
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evacuation, nine students were sent to the hospital from the middle school and many others

decided to get checked out when they arrived home. The classes were canceled for that day and

the students were stuck on the property because they were not allowed to leave without a parent

unless they were going on a bus, but the police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances were all

blocking the road. (Milford Daily News) Therefore, the students had to wait until all the first

responders cleared to go home.

Photo of a Milford Police Officer and a Stacy Middle School teacher during the macing incident at Stacy Middle School from
Milford Daily News Stacy Middle School in Milford was evacuated on Wednesday. Here’s what we know.”

Lots of parents were worried about their child since there was little to no update from the

school during the incident. Also, many kids left their phones inside the building because students

were required to leave their phones inside their locker, thus, many students had no direct

communication with their parents. Fortunately, no student was severely injured during this

incident and the police were able to locate the suspect who sprayed the mace inside the building.
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A third modification is to demolish Milford High School. They already have plans to

expand and include a newer, more modern look, similar to Woodland Elementary School.

Since Milford is a wealthy town, the cost of living is high but has been increasing by a lot

over the past few years. Milford has cut down areas with lots of trees and has been building new

neighborhoods with bigger houses. The rent and mortgage have been increasing in poorer areas

and lots of families are choosing to move out because living in the town has become

unaffordable. Jazmyne Burns, a resident of Milford for 18 years stated, “My family and I are

looking for a smaller place to live out of town because rent keeps increasing. We cannot afford

the place anymore although most of us living there have full-time jobs” (Burns). Jazmyne Burns

reported that her friends have also complained about the cost of housing. She also reported that

Milford is trying to bring more wealthy people in and move the lower class out by increasing the

cost of living (Burns). Milford has a few poor neighborhoods, but most of these poorer

neighborhoods are not filled with violent crimes. Most of these poor neighborhoods are filled

with immigrants from Brazil, Mexico, and or Guatemala (U.S. Census Bureau). They live in

these areas because they are unable to find a well-paying job since they are not citizens and do

not obtain a social security number. These poorer communities have been struggling recently

because of the expensive cost of living and are unable to do much about it because of the

language barrier. Unfortunately, the residents of these poorer communities have no choice but to

start looking for different places to live out of town.

Other than housing, Milford has been putting a lot of money into their police department

because of the increase in crimes. Most people are unaware of the daily crimes that occur in the

town since most of it is not published in any news source for Milford. For example, in the south

of Milford, the chance of being a victim of crime is 1 in 57 (Crime Grade). Milford is an unsafe
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town based on the crime levels in the surrounding towns such as Hopedale, Hopkinton, Mendon,

and Uptown (Crime Grade). Some recent crimes that Milford Police Officers discovered

involved a couple named Juan Munos and Maria Guman who ran an illegal dental service in a

building that appeared to be a convenient store when you first entered. Milford Police officers

arrested a man who was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault, and battery on a

police officer, possession of a large capacity firearm, and domestic assault and battery. Lastly,

Milford police arrested a man who was charged with attempted murder, assault with a dangerous

weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon, and carrying a firearm with a license. This means that

Milford is not as safe as people assume it is. Most people are unaware of these crimes because

the news does not publicize them.

In conclusion, there is much more to Milford than meets the eye. The town is trying to

make improvements to provide a better life for the residents by building new schools and new

houses, but the poorer communities are struggling as a result. Although Milford is not a

dangerous place to live, there are parts of the town that should be avoided, and the crime rate is

higher than people assume. Overall, Milford is not a perfect place, like many other towns, and

Milford should focus on more important aspects to improve. Based on the interview with Daniel

Mor and Jazymne Burns, Milford is more prioritized on how they are viewed than how the town

functions. Therefore, the people who govern this town should take a closer look at the residents

who need assistance, the school system that needs improvement, and the criminals who continue

to hurt others in the community.

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Work Cited

Bosma, Alison. “Demolition begins on Milford's Middle School East” Milford Daily News,

News, March 29, 2021,

https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/news/2021/03/29/former-middle-school-east-

demolished-senior-living-apartments/7002683002/

Burns, Jazmyne. Personal Interview. October 23, 2023.

Miller, Norman. “Stacy Middle School in Milford was evacuated on Wednesday. Here’s what we

know.” Milford Daily News, April 27, 2023,

https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/news/local/2023/04/26/seven-hospitalized-

after-milford-ma-middle-school-student-sprays-mace/70155618007/

“Milford Town, Worcester Counter, Massachusetts.” Quick Facts U.S. Census Bureau.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/milfordtownworcestercountymassachusetts/

PST045222.

Moreira, Daniel. Personal Interview. October 24, 2023.

“The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Milford, MA: Crime Maps and Statistics.”

CrimeGrade.org.TheSafestandMostDangerousPlacesinMilford,MA:CrimeMapsandStatist

icsCrimeGrade.org

“Town Of Milford” Historical Commission. Milford Ma.

https://www.milfordma.gov/historical-commission/pages/town-milford-history