Millbourne, Pennsylvania

Millbourne /ˈmɪlbərn/ Borough is a self-governing municipal borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population is 1,212. Millbourne borders Philadelphia along Cobbs Creek. The name "Millbourne" comes from the word Mill and "bourne" meaning creek.

Millbourne was settled by Samuel Sellers in 1682. Samuel's descendants later owned a gristmill in Millbourne called Millbourne Mills. In the early 1900s, developers Samuel Shoemaker and John L. Fry developed housing in Millbourne, leading to its separation from Upper Darby and its official incorporation as a borough in 1909. Millbourne Mills shut down in 1926 and was replaced by a Sears, Roebuck & Co. store, which operated until 1988 when it relocated to Upper Darby, causing financial strain on Millbourne. Millbourne was designated a financially distressed municipality in 1998 and was removed from the list in 2014.

Throughout its history, Millbourne has experienced waves of diverse ethnic populations, starting with Greek Americans, followed by East Asian Americans, and currently hosting a significant South Asian American community. Millbourne holds the distinction of having the most concentrated South Asian population in the entire United States. It is also the most densely populated municipality in Pennsylvania.

Millbourne is served by its own SEPTA station known as Millbourne Station. Additionally, the town had its own police department and fire department, both established in 1909. However, the Millbourne Fire Company, which operated the fire department, ceased operations in 2019. In 2022, the former Sears site underwent redevelopment, resulting in the establishment of a logistics facility for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.