Once the fifth-leading shoe manufacturing city in the United States, Marlborough is now the home of the Frye Boot Company, the Digital Equipment Corporation, Raytheon Corporation, and smaller electronics, shoe and paperbox manufacturing companies. And the inexpensive commercial property continues to draw new businesses here. Most recently, a branch of the John Hancock Insurance Company and a sprawling new industrial park were built here. All this development has brought an influx of people to this town that was once an Indian plantation. Since 1965, the population has grown about 35% to 32,000. But there's no chance the city will be overrun by rampant industrialization as the city's master plan reflects controlled growth.

A "High Tech" community with quality residential neighborhoods, apartment complexes and condominiums, and a variety of apartment complexes, with styles ranging from mock Tudor to modern, have sprung up recently to accommodate all the new residents. Single family houses embody all traditional New England styles, from colonial to ranch, and new homes being built this year start at $185,000. The town has a stable tax rate which has even decreased recently. Industrial development and housing have not taken up all the hills and dales, though. The city's outer belt has much undeveloped land, some working farms, a picturesque reservoir, and 71 acres of woodlands for conservation and recreation.

Marlborough is conveniently located near 3 major highways and the junction of 2 interstate roads, Route 495 and the Massachusetts Turnpike. Boston is a 35-minute drive, Worcester is 16 miles away, and Route 128 industrial belt is also nearby. It is, as some describe, in the heart of the opportunity belt. Many Marlborough residents commute by bus or train to Boston from Framingham, only 6 miles away.

An active historical society and redevelopment authority have planned extensive revitalization for the city's downtown. A new pedestrian mall behind City Hall has already enhanced the area, and many buildings are being refurbished in the nineteenth-century style. New parking lots and simpler traffic patterns are other improvements geared to drawing shoppers to the town. The growing school system consists of eight elementary schools, a junior high school, a senior high, and several private and parochial schools.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts maintains a page of excellent links to further information on Marlborough here.