Marlborough is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the census-designated place (CDP) of Terramuggus. The town's population was 6,133 at the 2020 census. Marlborough is a suburban and rural community. The local high school is RHAM High School. In 2013, Marlborough ranked third (of 24) in Connecticut Magazine's biannual ranking of Connecticut small towns. Educationally, RHAM High School, which serves Marlborough, Hebron, and Andover students, is one of the top-ranked regional high schools in the state on the SAT in 2017, and 11th highest-performing school in the state on the test. The town is home to Elmer Theines-Mary Hall elementary school which serves Pre-K through 6th grade. The school scores above state average on standardized testing and student progress. History The earliest inhabitants of present-day Marlborough, prior to the arrival of the English settlers, were the Podunk people, an indigenous people who spoke an Algonquian language. The beginnings of the town can be traced back to the opening of (John) Sadler's Ordinary, a colonial-era rest stop, in 1648. It was the second such establishment in Connecticut Colony after Hartford. It was a crossroads of sorts during colonial times, and travelers would stop to rest at the heart of what is now Marlborough center at the Buell House (now the Marlborough Tavern). Although the original Sadler's Ordinary (Inn) eventually went out of business, a new Sadler's Ordinary was built in a new location in 1970, and is still in business today. In 1747, William Buell and Joel Foote petitioned the colonial General Court for permission to form an Ecclesiastical Society and settle what was to become known as the town of Marlborough. In 1749, they began constructing the First Congregational Church which wouldn’t be finished until 1803. Marlborough was incorporated on 13 October 1803 with land from parts of three neighboring towns: Glastonbury, Colchester (New London County) and Hebron (Tolland County). The town took its name from Marlborough, Massachusetts, which in turn took its name from Marlborough, Wiltshire in England. By 1907 the town had a population of less than 305 residents. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the town was rediscovered as a bedroom community for white-collar professionals working in Hartford. A complete town history called Reflections Into Marlborough's History was published in 2007. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and ,