$443,846Average Value$292Average Price per Sq Ft1Home For Sale
Leyden’s peaceful country lifestyle has space for farming and hiking
As the picture of country living in the Berkshires, Leyden can feel isolated — and that’s how residents like it. Properties here have acreage, and maple sugar production is the town’s main industry. Farming and country life in Leyden aren’t just a way to make a living, but a lifestyle. Living here means being a drive from essentials in other towns, but many residents happily trade convenience for being surrounded by nature, beautiful views and a quiet lifestyle.
Homes in Leyden have space for homesteading, internet for remote work
Leyden’s Cape Cods, colonials and log cabin-inspired homes usually sit on multiple acres. Properties almost always have space for livestock or farming, even if it’s for small-scale homesteading. “I think people move to Leyden for its beauty and its privacy, and certainly the ability to have more land,” says Carrie Duda, a Realtor at RE/MAX Connections Greenfield who has lived in the area for 22 years. She says Leyden’s right-to-farm laws help its farms thrive. “There’s a lot of horses, and everybody has chickens and goats. There’s a couple of alpaca farms around.” Leyden’s homes embody country living in many ways, including usually lacking air conditioning, but a project that completed in 2021 brought high-speed internet to the entire town. Duda says the new ability to work remotely has brought new people to the area from cities — even Boston — seeking space and lower home prices. But homes don’t hit the market often in this small community. Homes don’t hit the market often, but prices usually range between the high $400,000s and the high $500,000s.
Students attend Pioneer Valley schools or practice school choice
Leyden is served by the Pioneer Valley School District, where students attend Bernardston Elementary School and Pioneer Valley Regional School. While there are no magnet schools within Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts’s school choice program means parents can send their kids to charter schools or apply to schools in a nearby district.
Hiking, kayaking and snowshoeing in Leyden, more options in Charlemont
Where Leyden doesn’t have rolling farmland, woods and meadows make up protected spaces like the Leyden State Forest and Leyden Wildlife Management Area. Miles of hiking trails thread through the neighborhood, which people often use for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. Snowmobiling is also a favorite winter activity and several area clubs are dedicated to the activity. The Green River, which forms the border between Leyden and Colrain, is a popular swimming, kayaking and fishing spot, eventually connecting to the bigger Deerfield River in Charlemont. “We do a lot of tubing down the river,” Duda says. “Often the Charlemont area has lots of white water, so people do tubing, white water rafting, things like that.” It’s about 20 miles to Berkshire East Mountain Resort, but Duda says it’s a major year-round destination that offers skiing, mountain biking, ziplining and a mountain coaster.
Farm-to-table food is abundant, but most essentials are in Greenfield
With so much farmland, access to fresh produce and meat is easy even for those who don’t raise animals or plant gardens of their own. “It’s a lot more farm-to-table up here than most of the country, even most of the state,” Duda says, adding that several local farms allow residents to buy entire cows — or split one with a neighbor. “Everybody’s got eggs on the side of the road, there’s produce all summer long on the side of the road.” Pine Hill Orchard, which is known for its cider, cider donuts and apple picking, is in Colrain, about 8 miles away.
Leyden has a small library, but for all other essentials, residents make the 9-mile drive into Greenfield. Just under 20 minutes away, the county seat offers several grocery stores, shops and art galleries alongside a movie theater and the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, which holds music and comedy performances. Greenfield is also full of local restaurants, including:
Hope & Olive, known for its brunch and creative cocktails
Village Pizza, popular for pizza and subs
Namaste Indian & Nepalese Restaurant, a favorite takeout spot
Nearby Greenfield is a hub for music festivals
Leyden residents also enjoy being close to Greenfield for its music festivals, including the Green River Music Festival and Wormtown Music Festival. “They’re not like the big ones you’ve heard of; they’re pretty low key,” Duda says, adding that most attendees are locals from surrounding Franklin County communities. “But they’re like a whole weekend of music-type events.”
Country roads are the main transportation routes
Most of Massachusetts’ hill towns have at least one state route running through them, but Leyden is one of the few that doesn’t. Small country roads run through the area, which adds to the town’s quiet, isolated atmosphere. Leyden is about 20 minutes from Greenfield, where residents can connect to Interstate 91 and U.S. Route 5.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
View GreatSchools Rating Methodology
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Crime and Safety
1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime
Leyden
US
Homicide
1
4
Sexual Assault
1
4
Assault with Weapon
1
4
Robbery
2
4
Burglary
2
4
Motor Vehicle Theft
2
4
Larceny
1
4
Crime Score
1
4
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
Leyden Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in Leyden, Bernardston sell after 25 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Leyden, Bernardston over the last 12 months is $510,000, up 27% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
This 3 bedroom built in 1977 has many features. 2 pellet stoves, one in basement and one on first floor. Kitchen has been remodeled, new cabinets and stove. Living room has a open floor concept with a walk out to a over sized deck with a view of the Quiet surrounding of the woods. First floor bedroom. Upstairs has 2 bedrooms, bathroom and family room. Enjoy the quiet area, sitting on your deck or
Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
