Milford, DE

Milford is a Delaware city on the Mispillion River, split between Kent and Sussex counties. Its early growth followed waterpower, including Reverend Sydenham Thorne's dam across the river for a gristmill and sawmill. That river setting still gives Milford a recognizable center, while modern growth has pushed outward with schools, health care, shops, and housing. The city also has a small but active downtown and access to Delaware's beach routes. Milford feels like a working lower-Delaware town with real river bones.