Leverett, Massachusetts
The New England Peace Pagoda is in Leverett, Massachusetts.
Location in Franklin County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°27′07″N 72°30′07″W / 42.45194, -72.50194
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Franklin
Settled	1713
Incorporated	1774
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
Area
- Total	23.0 sq mi (59.5 km²)
- Land	22.9 sq mi (59.2 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
Elevation	438 ft (134 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,663
- Density	72.8/sq mi (28.1/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01054
Area code(s)	413
FIPS code	25-35180
GNIS feature ID	0618168
Website: http://townhall.leverett.ma.us/

Leverett is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,663 at the 2000 census.

History

According to the Massachusetts FCCC, Leverett was first settled in the 1600s when pioneers developed the Swampfield Plantation.The first permanent settlement, however, was not established until 1750, and the settlers officially petitioned Sunderland to become their own town in 1774.

In 1985, a Buddhist monastic order called Nipponzan Myohoji erected a large monument in Leverett. This structure, known as the New England Peace Pagoda, is considered the first of its kind to be built in North America.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.0 square miles (59.5 km²), of which, 22.9 square miles (59.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.61%) is water. Leverett is located in eastern Franklin County in the central part of Massachusetts. Leverett is located near the Quabbin Reservoir, which provides drinking water to Boston and its suburbs. Leverett is about 75 miles west of Boston. The inhabitants of the town, along with all other towns, align themselves with the Boston sports teams. The local newspapers are the Daily Hampshire Gazette, The (Greenfield) Recorder, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the (Worcester) Telegram & Gazette. Most people in town are employed either in Amherst, Northampton, Springfield, Worcester or Boston.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,663 people, 632 households, and 448 families residing in the town. The population density was 72.8 people per square mile (28.1/km²). There were 648 housing units at an average density of 28.4/sq mi (10.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.31% White, 0.24% African American, 0.54% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 1.62% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 632 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $63,203, and the median income for a family was $73,333. Males had a median income of $45,078 versus $36,607 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,891. About 1.6% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Massachusetts
City	Greenfield
Towns	Ashfield | Bernardston | Buckland | Charlemont | Colrain | Conway | Deerfield | Erving | Gill | Hawley | Heath | Leverett | Leyden | Monroe | Montague | New Salem | Northfield | Orange | Rowe | Shelburne | Shutesbury | Sunderland | Warwick | Wendell | Whately
CDPs	Millers Falls | Northfield | Orange | Shelburne Falls | South Deerfield | Turners Falls
Village	Lake Pleasant