Leyden is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Lewis County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 1,785 at the 2010 census. The town is in the southern part of the county and is north of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

History

Settlement began around 1794. Leyden was formed from the town of

Steuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to: Places *Steuben Township, Marshall C ...

(in Oneida County) in 1797. Leyden formed part of a tract called the "Inman Triangle". The town of Leyden gave up much of its territory to form new towns such as Watson (1821) and

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

(1852). Leyden was also partitioned to form the towns of Brownville ( Jefferson County in 1802) and Boonville (Oneida County in 1805), and part of the town of

Wilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(Jefferson County in 1813). Port Leyden in the town was a port on the former

Black River Canal The Black River Canal was a canal built in northern New York in the United States to connect the Erie Canal to the Black River. The canal had 109 locks along its length. Remains of several of the canal's former locks are visible along New York ...

. The town is named after the Dutch city

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Leyden has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.66%, are water. The Black River marks the eastern town line, and the southern town boundary is the border of Oneida County.

New York State Route 12 New York State Route 12 (NY 12) is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in New York, U.S. Route 11 (U ...

and New York State Route 12D are principal north-south highways in the town. NY-12 runs closer to the Black River.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,792 people, 676 households, and 488 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 807 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.22%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.17% of the population. There were 676 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.07. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,489, and the median income for a family was $33,512. Males had a median income of $27,424 versus $20,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,252. About 13.9% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Leyden

*Leyden Hill – A former community in the northern part of Leyden. *Locust Grove – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

southwest of Port Leyden and on NY-12D. *The Narrows – A narrow part of the Black River channel. * Port Leyden – Most of the village of Port Leyden is at the eastern town line at the Black River and NY-12. * Talcottville – A hamlet west of Port Leyden and on NY-12D.

Notable people

* Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey, ornithologist; born in Locust Grove in 1863 * Wallace B. Douglas, Minnesota jurist, lawyer, and politician; born in LeydenMinnesota State Law Library-Wallace B. Douglas

References

{{authority control Towns in Lewis County, New York Towns in New York (state)