Milford, established in 1639, is Connecticut's sixth-oldest municipality, and it retains the feel of a small coastal town despite its more than 48,000 residents and the commercial stretch of the Boston Post Road that runs through its center. The large town green is at the heart of this community, and it sparkles in winter with thousands of tiny white lights strung in its trees. The duck pond and waterfall behind city hall is a pleasant place to while away a spring afternoon, and Milford's many beaches, open to the public for the price of parking, are inviting in summer.