Leyden, Massachusetts
Leyden, Massachusetts | ||
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FIPS code 25-35285 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0618169[1] | |
Website | www |
Leyden is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 734 at the 2020 census.[2] It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Immediately prior to English settlement, the area was occupied by the Wabanaki people.[3] English colonists first settled in Leyden in 1737 as part of "Fall Town", which also included Bernardston and Colrain. The town was set off from Bernardston in 1784, but it was not incorporated as a town until February 22, 1809. The town was named for the city of Leiden, Netherlands, refuge of the Pilgrims before colonizing the Americas.[4] Leyden had several small industries in the eighteenth century, including grist mills, wood product mills, and dairying, but today the largest industry is maple sugar production. The town also has a reservoir which supplies the town of Greenfield.[5] The Dorrellites, a utopian sect founded and led by William Dorrell, was active in Leyden in the 1790s. The Brotherhood of the Spirit commune was founded in Leyden in 1968.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.0 square miles (46.7 km2), of which 17.9 square miles (46.4 km2) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km2), or 0.66%, is water.[6] Leyden lies on the northern Massachusetts border, south of Windham County, Vermont. The town is bordered by Guilford, Vermont, to the north, Bernardston to the east, Greenfield to the south, and Colrain to the west. The town center lies 9 miles (14 km) north of Greenfield, 47 miles (76 km) north of Springfield, and 96 miles (154 km) west-northwest of Boston.
Leyden lies along the eastern edge of
Leyden is one of only a handful of towns in Massachusetts which does not have any
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1840 | 646 | — |
1850 | 716 | +10.8% |
1860 | 606 | −15.4% |
1870 | 518 | −14.5% |
1880 | 507 | −2.1% |
1890 | 407 | −19.7% |
1900 | 379 | −6.9% |
1910 | 363 | −4.2% |
1920 | 330 | −9.1% |
1930 | 261 | −20.9% |
1940 | 260 | −0.4% |
1950 | 306 | +17.7% |
1960 | 343 | +12.1% |
1970 | 376 | +9.6% |
1980 | 498 | +32.4% |
1990 | 662 | +32.9% |
2000 | 772 | +16.6% |
2010 | 711 | −7.9% |
2020 | 734 | +3.2% |
2022 | 734 | +0.0% |
Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] |
As of the
There were 277 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. Of all households, 16.2% were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,385, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $40,192 versus $29,659 for females. The
Government
Leyden employs the
After redistricting in 2023, Leyden is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as part of the First Franklin district, represented by Natalie Blais. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is part of the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester district, represented by Joanne Comerford.[19] Leyden is part of the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council district and is represented by Tara Jacobs.[20] The town is patrolled by the Second (Shelburne Falls) Station of Troop "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.[21]
On the national level, Leyden is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, by Richard Neal. John Olver of Amherst who represented the town in the House from June 1991 to January 2013, retired when redistricting placed him and Rep. Neal in the same district. Massachusetts is represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) and junior Senator Ed Markey (D), who won a special election in June 2013 to fill the seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry.
Education
Leyden is a member of the Pioneer Valley Regional School District, which includes several northern border towns to the east. The district is essentially operated in two portions; the towns each have their own semi-independent elementary schools, with students attending Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield from seventh through twelfth grades. As of 2019, Pearl Rhodes Elementary School has been closed. Students now attend Bernardston Elementary School for K–6. There are private, parochial and charter schools in Greenfield and other nearby communities, with the most prominent private school being Deerfield Academy in nearby Deerfield.
The nearest community college,
Notable people
- Union Square in New York City
- rear admiral, rose to command of the Asiatic Squadron
- Charles N. Davenport (1830–1882), Vermont attorney and politician[22]
- John Leonard Riddell (1807–1865), noted scientist, author and politician, developed the first practical binocular microscope[23] and was melter and refiner at the New Orleans Mint during the American Civil War
References
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Leyden, Massachusetts
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Leyden town, Franklin County, Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ "Native Land Digital". Native-Land.ca. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 186.
- ^ Town of Leyden - Franklin County Chamber of Commerce[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Leyden town, Franklin County, Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- ^ "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
- ^ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ List of Massachusetts Legislators by City and Town
- ^ Mass.gov "Councillors"
- ^ State Police Station B-2, Shelburne Falls
- ^ Child, Hamilton (1884). Gazetteer and Business Directory of Windham County, Vt., 1724-1884. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Journal. pp. 138–139 – via Google Books.
- ^ Riddell JL (1854). "On the binocular microscope". Q J Microsc Sci. 2: 18–24.