Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 27,491, a decrease of 909 (−3.2%) from the 2010 census count of 28,400, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,553 (+5.8%) from the 26,847 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Millville was originally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 24, 1801, from portions of Fairfield Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Landis Township on March 7, 1864. Millville was reincorporated as a city on March 1, 1866, based on the results of a referendum passed that same day.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 121. Accessed May 30, 2024. The city derives its name from a proposal to create a mill town in the area.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 7, 2015.History of Millville , Millville Public Schools. Accessed September 7, 2015. "Millville got its name back in the 1790s from the numerous mills and factories that were planned for the site."

Millville is part of the South Jersey region of the state and is located within the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area, and it is ultimately part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area.New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 10, 2023.

History

Around 1720, a sawmill was believed to have existed at Leaming's Mill, known as "Shingle Landing" in its earliest days.Staff. "Millville Bicentennial 1802-2002 / Did You Know?", The Press of Atlantic City, April 2, 2002. Accessed October 16, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "The settlement of Millville was known as 'Shingle Landing'? The sawmill of Leaming's Mill (circa 1720) brought its products to a ship's landing place on the east bank of the Maurice River along a road that roughly followed Smith Street." The area also had a public road, a boat landing, and a bridge-like structure.

In 1790, Joseph Smith and Henry Drinker purchased of land known as the Union Mills Tract. They formed the Union Estates Company, built lumber mills along the Maurice River and established a dam to power these new mills. Joseph Buck, an American Revolutionary War veteran who served under General George Washington, was part of a group that purchased the land in the area in 1795 and laid out the plans for what would become Millville.Biddle, Henry Drinker. The Drinker Family in America: To and Including the Eighth Generation, p. 11. J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1893. Accessed September 7, 2015. "In 1790, he, together with Joseph Smith and others, formed a company called the Union Company, and purchased twenty-four thousand acres of land in Cumberland County, New Jersey, - the tract included the present site of Millville. They built a dam and erected mills. In 1795, they sold out to Eli Elmer, Joseph Buck, and Robert Miller and Joseph Buck, laid out the town of Millville."

In 1806, an Irish immigrant, James Lee, opened the area's first glass factory, making use of the large amounts of silica sand and the ample wood that could be used to operate the plant.Glass - Whitall Tatum Company, Millville , Art & Architecture of New Jersey, Stockton University. Accessed May 21, 2012.

In the early 1850s, the Smith and Wood Iron Foundry and New Jersey Mills were constructed. In 1860, a bleachery and dye house were added to New Jersey Mills, which then became Millville Manufacturing. David Wood then constructed a dam, forming the largest man-made lake in the state, which powered the entire manufacturing organization. By 1870, the mill had 600 employees, and in 40 years this number doubled.

In 1862, Charles K. Landis laid out the city of Vineland about east of the Maurice River. In 1864, Vineland was separated from Millville Township and joined the new Landis Township.

In 1936, the town was the site of Roosevelt Park, a project proposed by Effie Maud Aldrich Morrison as the country's first housing development for the elderly. The retirement colony was built on land which had been repossessed by the town of Millville for back taxes, and became known as the "Roosevelt Colony". It was later renamed to the "Roosevelt Park" old age colony, and was sometimes referred to as the Colony for the Aged at Roosevelt Park and Roosevelt Park Colony for Aged. When it opened on October 23, 1936, it became the first senior citizens retirement colony in the United States.Kane, Joseph Nathan. Famous First Facts, Fifth Edition. H. W. Wilson Company, . "The first retirement colony was dedicated on October 23, 1936, at Roosevelt Park, Millville, NJ. The project, which was completed on January 1, 1937, contained seven houses for couples, which rented for $7 a month; six houses for single people, which rented for $5; and a community house. The city of Millville supplied the land, which had been taken over for taxes; the federal government's Works Progress Administration supplied $34,571. The city collected rent and agreed to keep the houses in repair. Residents received $15 monthly from the state under the Old Age Assistance Act. The plan was originated by Effie Morrison, deputy director of the Cumberland County Welfare Board."

Millville Airport was dedicated "America's First Defense Airport" on August 2, 1941, by local, state, and federal officials.Staff. "15,000 At Dedication Of Defense Airport; Henderson Predicts Many Fields Like That at Millville, N.J.", The New York Times, August 3, 1941. Accessed October 14, 2018. "The nation's first defense airport, covering 660 acres, was dedicated here this afternoon." In less than a year, construction of military base facilities began, and in January 1943, the Millville Army Air Field opened as a gunnery school for fighter pilots. Gunnery training began with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft, but after a few weeks was changed over to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. During its three-year existence, thousands of soldiers and civilians served here, with about 1,500 pilots receiving advanced fighter training in the Thunderbolt.Vanaman, Joyce. "Students Visit Air Museum / A Very Plane Experience in Millville", The Press of Atlantic City, May 12, 1999. Accessed May 21, 2012. "Some 1500 pilots received gunnery training in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-40 Warhawk fighter planes."

Following World War II, the airfield was declared excess to the government's needs, and returned to the City of Millville. Most of the airport buildings were converted to apartments for the many veterans returning from the war. The last of the apartments vanished in the early 1970s, and the airport soon became a hub of industry and aviation for Southern New Jersey.Overview, Millville Army Air Field Museum. Accessed August 25, 2014.

Up to the late 1990s the Millville downtown area was depressed and somewhat isolated, as illustrated by the abandoned Levoy Theatre and Wheaton Glass Factory, with investors reluctant to venture in its development. Major redevelopment has occurred in the past several years, establishing the scenic Riverfront and Downtown areas into an artists' haven, including many studios, shops, and restaurants. Older abandoned buildings have been restored, and continued major development is planned.

Millville has an arts district named the Glasstown Arts District. A public art center with galleries and studios is the hub of activity, and is open six days a week. The district includes seven full-time galleries, along with ten part-time galleries and studios, which are open mostly on weekends and on the third Friday of each month. Wheaton Arts and the Creative Glass Center of America includes a major collection of early American glass with contemporary glass from CGCA Fellows and working glass artists in a restored 19th century glass factory.Arts District & Tourism, Milville, New Jersey. Accessed October 31, 2019., Glasstown Arts District. Accessed October 31, 2019. Opened in 1908 and closed in 1974 with declining numbers of customers, the Levoy Theatre re-opened in September 2012.Loughlin, Ryan. "How the Levoy Theatre brings in big-time success", The Press of Atlantic City, March 10, 2018. Accessed October 31, 2019. "Opened in 1908, the Levoy originally served as a bustling venue for vaudeville acts, plays and bands. As time went on, it switched ownership and even its purpose, at one point becoming primarily a movie house, until it closed in 1974 after years of declining ticket sales.... But the sheer will of the Van Embdens and their team kept them focused, and the doors reopened in September 2012."

One of Millville's claims to fame is an original paperweight making technique which originated there. Fine paperweights from the classic period (1845–1870) were made with one of three techniques: millefiori, lampwork or cameo incrustations (sulphides). In the first decade of the twentieth century, crimp flowers, mostly roses, originated in Millville, with several glassworkers making them in their off duty time.Newell, Clarence A., Old Glass Paperweights of Southern New Jersey (1989) These paperweights are commonly called "Millville roses", even when sometimes made elsewhere.Minns, Edward W. "Flashback: Paperweight Making as Done at Millville", Collectors Weekly, March 10, 2009. Accessed October 31, 2019.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 44.50 square miles (115.25 km2), including 42.00 square miles (108.78 km2) of land and 2.50 square miles (6.47 km2) of water (5.62%). Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Clarks Mill, Farmingdale, Manatico, North Newark and Union Lake.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.

The city borders the Cumberland County municipalities of Commercial Township, Deerfield Township, Downe Township, Fairfield Township, Lawrence Township, Maurice River Township and Vineland.Map of Cumberland County, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed October 28, 2019.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Millville lies between the southern termini of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, Route 55 (which runs through the northeastern portion of the city) and the Atlantic City Expressway.

Climate The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and the hardiness zone is 7a bordering 6b.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Millville had a population of 27,491. The median age was 39.4 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.3 males age 18 and over.

83.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 16.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 10,770 households in Millville, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.5% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 11,616 housing units, of which 7.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.