Leyden, Massachusetts

Leyden is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 711 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.HistoryLeyden was first settled 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 until February 22, 1809. The town was named for the city of Leiden, Netherlands, refuge of the Pilgrims before colonizing the Americas. 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. The Brotherhood of the Spirit commune was founded in Leyden in 1968.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.7km2, of which 46.4sqkm is land and 0.3sqkm, or 0.66%, is water. 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 9mi north of Greenfield, north of Springfield, and west-northwest of Boston.