Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the late 20th century after the construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike. It is part of the Worcester metropolitan area.
Marlborough was declared a town in 1660, and was incorporated as a city in 1890 when it changed its municipal charter from a New England town meeting system to a mayor–council government.
History
In 1656, several families from Sudbury, Massachusetts, led by Edmund Rice, John Howe, John Ruddock, and John Bent, petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to create a new town. The proposed town would be located southwest of Sudbury at the intersection of two trails used by local Native American tribes, known as the Nashua Trail and Connecticut path. Its name would be Marlborough, after the market town in Wiltshire, England of the same name.
The land belonged to a tribe of Pennacook Native Americans whose population had been decimated by the introduction of European diseases a few decades prior. In 1656, only 50 or so Pennacooks remained in the area. The Pennacook people spoke an Algonquian language; this was among the reasons that Howe, a fur trader who spoke Algonquian, became the first settler to move to the area. The Pennacook, knowing their reduced numbers left them vulnerable to attacks from other Native groups, initially welcomed the settlers in exchange for their assistance protecting the tribe.
Marlborough was officially incorporated as a town in 1660. Rice, a former Puritan deacon, was elected a selectman in 1657. Sumner Chilton Powell wrote, in Puritan Village: The Formation of a New England Town, "Not only did Rice become the largest individual landholder in [the] Sudbury [area], but he represented his new town in the Massachusetts legislature for five years and devoted at least eleven of his last fifteen years to serving as selectman and judge of small causes."
The Puritan minister Reverend William Brimstead became the first minister of the First Church of Marlborough, and William Ward the first deacon. Johnathan Johnson was the first blacksmith.
Marlborough was one of the seven "Praying Indian Towns" because they were converted to Christianity by the Rev. John Eliot of Roxbury. In 1674, a deed was drawn up dividing the land between the settlers and the natives.
However, the outbreak of King Phillip's War in 1675 led to increased tension and distrust between the Native and European residents of Marlborough. Local officials, worried that even friendly tribes might be persuaded to join Metacomet's forces, began rounding up Native Americans residing in the area. They were initially brought to Marlborough, where they were held in what historian John Buczek describes as "a sort of concentration camp." However, the local European population quickly became concerned that there were insufficient guards to protect them if the prisoners revolted, so that winter the prisoners were moved to Deer Island in Boston Harbor. The following year, the settlement was almost destroyed by Metacomet's forces.
In 1711, Marlborough's territory included land that today belongs to the towns of Northborough, Southborough, Westborough, and Hudson. As population, business, and travel grew in the colonies, Marlborough became a favored rest stop on the Boston Post Road. Many travelers stopped at its inns and taverns, including George Washington, who visited the Williams Tavern soon after his inauguration in 1789.
In 1836, Samuel Boyd, known as the "father of the city," and his brother, Joseph, opened the first shoe manufacturing business - an act that would change the community forever. By 1890, with a population of 14,000, Marlborough had become a major shoe manufacturing center, producing boots for Union soldiers as well as footwear for the civilian population. Marlborough became so well known for its shoes that when it was incorporated as a city in 1890, its official seal was decorated with a factory, a shoe box, and a pair of boots.
The Civil War resulted in the creation of one of the region's most unusual historical monuments. Legend has it that a company from Marlborough, assigned to Harpers Ferry, appropriated the bell from the firehouse where John Brown last battled for the emancipation of the slaves. The company left the bell in the hands of one Mrs. Elizabeth Snyder for 30 years, returning in 1892 to bring it back to Marlborough. The bell now hangs in a tower at the corner of Route 85 and Main Street.
Around that time, Marlborough is believed to have been the first community in the country to receive a charter for a streetcar system, edging out Baltimore by a few months. The system, designed primarily for passenger use, provided access to Milford to the south and Concord to the north. As a growing industrialized community, Marlborough began attracting skilled craftsmen from Quebec, Ireland, Italy, and Greece.
Shoe manufacturing continued in Marlborough long after the industry had fled many other New England communities. Rice & Hutchins, Inc. operated several factories in Marlborough from 1875 to 1929. Frye boots were manufactured in the city through the 1970s, and The Rockport Company, founded in Marlborough in 1971, maintained an outlet store in the city until 2017. In 1990, when Marlborough celebrated its centennial as a city, the festivities included the construction of a park in acknowledgment of the shoe industry, featuring statues by the sculptor David Kapenteopolous.
The construction of Interstates 495 and 290 and the Massachusetts Turnpike enabled the growth of the high technology and specialized electronics industries. With its easy access to major highways and the pro-business, pro-development policies of the city government, the population of Marlborough has increased to over 38,000 at the time of the 2010 census. In November 2016, the administration of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $3 million grant to the city to fund infrastructure improvements along U.S. Route 20 to aid commercial development.
Geography
Marlborough is located at 42°21′3″N 71°32′51″W / 42.35083°N 71.54750°W (42.350909, −71.547530). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.2 square miles (57 km2), of which 21.1 square miles (55 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (4.87%) is water. The Assabet River cuts across the northwest corner of the city. Within city limits are three large lakes, known as Lake Williams, Millham Reservoir and Fort Meadow Reservoir. (A portion of Fort Meadow Reservoir extends into nearby Hudson.)
Marlborough is crossed by Interstate 495, U.S. Route 20 and Massachusetts Route 85. The eastern terminus of Interstate 290 is also in Marlborough.
Adjacent towns
Marlborough is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by six municipalities: Berlin, Hudson, Sudbury, Framingham, Southborough, and Northborough.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Marlborough had a population of 41,793. The median age was 39.6 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.0 males age 18 and over.
98.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 16,733 households in Marlborough, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 20.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 17,547 housing units, of which 4.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 36,255 people, 14,501 households, and 9,280 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,719.4 inhabitants per square mile (663.9/km2). There were 14,903 housing units at an average density of 706.8 per square mile (272.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.70% White, 2.17% African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.76% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.27% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.06% of the population.
There were 14,501 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,879, and the median income for a family was $70,385. Males had a median income of $49,133 versus $32,457 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,723. About 4.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Marlborough is home to many businesses, stores and restaurants.
The revitalized southwestern corner of the city – locally known as the "Southwest Quadrant" – features numerous office parks and corporate buildings clustered together in a busy industrial core dotted along Forest Street, Cedar Hill Street, Simarano Drive, Ames Street, D’Angelo Drive and Campus Drive (serving The Campus at Marlborough property) with easy access to the Interstate 495 highway. The city's recent growth of suburban office park infrastructure adjacent to Interstate 495 – which is commonly known as Greater Boston's outer circumferential highway – is a strategic land usage format comparable to the city of Waltham, which itself has many office parks adjacent to the region's inner circumferential highway of Massachusetts State Route 128.
The Marlborough Center Historic District – focused primarily on Main Street in the heart of the city's downtown area – features restaurants, hair salons, barber shops, insurance agencies and many other businesses.
Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce is the local chamber of commerce for Marlborough and five other surrounding towns in MetroWest Massachusetts. The chamber represents the business needs of over 650 businesses and thousands of employees in the area and is headquartered in the city.
The Chamber of Commerce's role has included working with the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority to improve transportation options and to obtain recognition for Marlborough's Downtown Village as a cultural district.
Education
Public schools
- High schools (grades 9–12):
- Middle school (grades 6–8)
- 1LT Charles W. Whitcomb School (formerly 4–7 School, Marlborough Middle School, and Marlborough Intermediate Elementary School)
- Elementary schools (grades K–5)
- Raymond C. Richer Elementary School
- Francis J. Kane Elementary School
- Sgt. Charles J. Jaworek Elementary School
- Goodnow Brothers Elementary School
- Preschool (up to Pre-K)
Charter schools
Parochial schools
- Immaculate Conception School (Catholic, PS–8) (closed June 2020)
Private schools
- Hillside School (5–9)
- Wayside Academy (9–12)
- Massachusetts International Academy (closed June 2020)
- New England Innovation Academy (6–12)
After school programs
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Metrowest
Transportation
Marlborough is located near the intersection of Routes 495, 290, 20 and the Massachusetts Turnpike. It is connected to neighboring towns and cities by the Metrowest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA).
Major highways
Marlborough is served by two interstates, one U.S. highway and one state highway: