Millville, Delaware
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2000, there were 259 people, 111 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density
was 534.1 people per square mile (208.3/km²). There were 141 housing units at an average density of 290.8 per square mile (113.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.91% White, 1.93% from other races
, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 111 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples
living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,932, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,250. None of the families and 1.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 3.8% of those over 64.
governs the town. After each election, the council elects one of its members to serve as mayor
. Another council member serves as deputy mayor, another as treasurer
, and another as secretary
, while the fifth council member serves as a council member alone with no additional duties. Each council member serves a two-year term, and the terms are staggered so that three of the council members are elected in each odd-numbered year and two in each even-numbered year.
The Annual Municipal Election is held on the first Saturday in March. Anyone 18 years old or older registered to vote in Millville may run for the town council as long as he or she has resided in Millville for at least 90 days before the date of that years election.
If only one person runs for a particular council seat, that person takes office automatically without any election being held that year for that seat. If no one runs for a particular council seat, the incumbent
automatically serves another term without any election being held that year for that seat.
; it purchased its first motor-driven firefighting vehicle in 1936 and today operates 16 vehicles.
Sussex County handled all land use
regulation
in Millville until 1993, when Millville itself began to pass zoning
ordinances
to control growth.
ans is poorly recorded, although it is known that the swamp
y, marsh
y nature of much of the land of eastern Baltimore Hundred in southeastern Delaware when the first Europeans arrived led them to establish plantation
s on higher ground in the vicinity of what are now Millville, Ocean View, and Clarksville
. Millville itself grew up around a steam
-powered sawmill
operated by Captain Peter Townshend in the late 19th century, becoming a center for lumber
, agricultural products
, and commercial fishing
.
For a time, the names "Dukestown" and "Dukesville" were considered for the town because of the prominence and number of members of the Dukes family who resided in the area. Eventually, however, the town was named Millville because of the sorghum
mills, lumber mills, and grist mills in the area.
Millville was incorporated in 1906. It had a population of 206 at the time, and has grown in population only very slowly since, reaching only 259 by the 2000 census
.
Millville was considered the principal town of Baltimore Hundred, although this today lacks meaning because Delaware's hundreds lost their political functions long ago and now serve only as geographic points of reference.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 259 people, 111 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 534.1 people per square mile (208.3/km²). There were 141 housing units at an average density of 290.8 per square mile (113.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.91% White, 1.93% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 111 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,932, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $21,250. None of the families and 1.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 3.8% of those over 64.
Elected officials
Millville has a council-manager form of government. Under the current governmental structure and electoral system, which went into effect with the election of March 3, 2001, a five-person town councilTown council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
governs the town. After each election, the council elects one of its members to serve as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. Another council member serves as deputy mayor, another as treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, and another as secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
, while the fifth council member serves as a council member alone with no additional duties. Each council member serves a two-year term, and the terms are staggered so that three of the council members are elected in each odd-numbered year and two in each even-numbered year.
The Annual Municipal Election is held on the first Saturday in March. Anyone 18 years old or older registered to vote in Millville may run for the town council as long as he or she has resided in Millville for at least 90 days before the date of that years election.
If only one person runs for a particular council seat, that person takes office automatically without any election being held that year for that seat. If no one runs for a particular council seat, the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
automatically serves another term without any election being held that year for that seat.
Appointed officials and town operations
A town manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the town. The Millville Police Department polices Millville, and the Millville Volunteer Fire Company serves Millville, Ocean View, and unincorporated portions of Sussex County as far east as the Assawoman Canal and as almost as far west as DagsboroDagsboro, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 519 people, 226 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was 409.5 people per square mile . There were 248 housing units at an average density of 195.7 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 92.29% White, 6.36%...
; it purchased its first motor-driven firefighting vehicle in 1936 and today operates 16 vehicles.
Sussex County handled all land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
regulation
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
in Millville until 1993, when Millville itself began to pass zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
ordinances
Local ordinance
A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
to control growth.
History
The early settlement of the Millville area by EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans is poorly recorded, although it is known that the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
y, marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y nature of much of the land of eastern Baltimore Hundred in southeastern Delaware when the first Europeans arrived led them to establish plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s on higher ground in the vicinity of what are now Millville, Ocean View, and Clarksville
Clarksville, Delaware
Clarksville is an unincorporated community in Baltimore Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware, United States located just west of Millville. It is centered, more or less, along Delaware Route 26. Many tourists from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area pass through the town on their way to and from the...
. Millville itself grew up around a steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
-powered sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
operated by Captain Peter Townshend in the late 19th century, becoming a center for lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, agricultural products
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, and commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
.
For a time, the names "Dukestown" and "Dukesville" were considered for the town because of the prominence and number of members of the Dukes family who resided in the area. Eventually, however, the town was named Millville because of the sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
mills, lumber mills, and grist mills in the area.
Millville was incorporated in 1906. It had a population of 206 at the time, and has grown in population only very slowly since, reaching only 259 by the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
.
Millville was considered the principal town of Baltimore Hundred, although this today lacks meaning because Delaware's hundreds lost their political functions long ago and now serve only as geographic points of reference.
External links
- http://www.millvillede.us/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.home