Colrain is a New England town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area.

History
Colrain was first settled in 1735 as'Boston Township No. 2'', organized into an independently governing town body in 1745, and was officially incorporated on June 30th, 1761.

Although originally named Colrain in 1745, and officially incorporated under that name in 1761, the town spelled its name (and appeared on maps) as'Colraine'for over 112 years until in 1873 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts insisted...

Colrain is a New England town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area.

History
Colrain was first settled in 1735 as'Boston Township No. 2'', organized into an independently governing town body in 1745, and was officially incorporated on June 30th, 1761.

Although originally named Colrain in 1745, and officially incorporated under that name in 1761, the town spelled its name (and appeared on maps) as'Colraine'for over 112 years until in 1873 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts insisted that the town begin to spell its name as it was officially incorporated.

Colrain has six historic village areas: Elm Grove, Lyonsville, Foundry Village, Shattuckville, Griswoldville, Colrain City, Catamount Massachusetts, Stewartville, Gimletville. Much of the town's land area lies outside of these villages.

Colrain City (which constitutes the town center), was originally named as a joke during the mid 19th-century, since the small village was clearly anything but a city. Located in the valley at the base of Chandler Hill, a contemporary satirical poem suggested that the inexplicable grouping of houses was populated by people who had failed to climb the road leading over the hill. The center has remained almost completely unchanged over the last 150 years, and was declared a state historic district in 2006.