[3] In 2015, approximately 1,400 acres of the town were used to grow the crop, accounting for 3% of all land used to harvest cranberry bogs in the United States.

[4][5] The town was first settled by Europeans in 1661 as Nemasket, later changed to Middlebury, and officially incorporated as Middleborough in 1669.

Nemasket may have meant "place of fish", due to the large amount of herring that migrate up the river each spring.

The names Middlebury and Middleborough were actually derived from the city of Middelburg, Zeeland, the westernmost province of the Netherlands.

The English religious dissenters known as the Brownists developed their governing institutions in Middelburg before emigrating on the Mayflower, and were the earliest settlers of Middleborough.

During King Philip's War (1675–1676), the town's entire populace took shelter within the confines of a fort constructed along the Nemasket River.

The site is located behind the old Memorial High School (now a kindergarten), and is marked by a state historical commission marker along Route 105.

[3] Western Middleborough broke away on May 13, 1853, and formed the town of Lakeville, taking with it the main access to the large freshwater lakes there, including Assawompset Pond.

In the spring, the Nemasket River alewife and blueback herring run upstream to the Assawompset Ponds complex to spawn.

[3] In the summer of 2007, Middleborough became the proposed location for a controversial future resort casino,[9] sponsored by the Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee, Massachusetts.

Middleborough reached the 1994 edition by defeating Milburn-Short Hills, New Jersey, to take the East Region title.

[13] On June 11, 2012, Middleborough made national headlines after residents approved an ordinance outlawing the use of profanity in public, making it punishable by a $20 fine.

Dozens of residents on both sides of the issue attended a protest in front of the town hall.

[16] The Massachusetts state director for the American Civil Liberties Union said, "the Supreme Court has ruled that the government can't prohibit public speech just because it contains profanity.

"[17][18] In October 2012, Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley blocked enforcement of the law, saying it was inconsistent with the Constitution, and the town ultimately backed off the profanity ban.

It is bordered by Bridgewater and Halifax to the north, Plympton and Carver to the east, Wareham and Rochester to the south, and Lakeville, Taunton and Raynham to the west.

The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority provides public bus services along three routes in Middleboro, connecting to Wareham, Raynham, Taunton, and Lakeville, with stops including Morton Hospital, the Middleboro/Lakeville commuter rail station, and Onset beach.

The current station is expected to either be abandoned or reduced to shuttle service, which has drawn criticism from officials in both Middleboro and Lakeville.

The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the First Plymouth and Bristol district, which also includes Berkley, Bridgewater, Carver, Dighton, Marion, Raynham, Taunton and Wareham.

[45] On the national level, Middleborough is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, and is currently represented by William R. Keating.

A third, temporary station was built in the 2000s as the surrogate home for the downtown facility, which was closed for substantial renovations.

Middleborough is also home to the Frederick L. Chamberlain School, a private institution that serves students from around the world struggling with learning disabilities.

In November 2017, "Middleboro voters approved a $103 million dollar plan to construct a new Middleborough High School building and campus."