The name of the city supposedly comes from an incident where, upon being asked "Whose land is this?" by a railroad surveyor, an early settler said "It's my land." Although this legend is often repeated, it is likely not true. It is believed the city was named after Milan, Italy. Milan is often referred to as "Bullet Town", due to the Milan Arsenal being located there, despite the fact that the Arsenal manufactures mortar shells and grenades, not bullets.
At the 2000 census, there were 7,664 people, 3,170 households and 2,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 952.2 per square mile (367.6/km). There were 3,413 housing units at an average density of 424.0/sq mi (163.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 75.38% White, 22.68% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.
There were 3,170 households of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91.
Age distribution was 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 79.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males.
The median household income was $30,806, and the median family income was $38,503. Males had a median income of $30,449 versus $21,688 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,255. About 9.4% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.