Sunderland is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States, part of the Pioneer Valley.

[4] Sunderland is located in the Pioneer Valley on the east bank of the Connecticut River, which drains the town.

Mount Toby, a prominent conglomerate mountain with a firetower lookout, stands at the east border of the town and is traversed by the 47-mile (76 km) Robert Frost Trail.

The mountain, surrounded by Mount Toby State Forest, is known for its waterfalls, scenic vista, and biologically diverse ecosystem.

Sunderland is bordered by Montague to the north, Leverett to the east, Amherst and Hadley to the south, and Whately and Deerfield to the west.

The town is served by a route of the Greenfield-based Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) bus line, traveling south from parts of Montague to a southern terminus near the Sunderland Bridge, and two routes of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) bus line, on a corridor with service between Amherst and South Deerfield.

The vote was required by state law because towns are not allowed to raise taxes by more than 2.5% a year without voter approval.

[18] Sunderland is a member of the Frontier Regional and Union 38 School Districts, which also includes Conway, Whately and Deerfield.

A study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition rated Massachusetts as being the least affordable state in which to rent an apartment in 2003.

[23] The town, however, has a significant number of rental housing units that are home to many students from the neighboring colleges.

[citation needed] According to the 2007 Annual Report, upwards of 40 programs and events were made available to the residents of Sunderland through the support of the Recreation Department.

The town holds annual fall festivals in mid-October and a Memorial Day parade and ceremony.

[24] The Mount Toby state reservation is on the northern edge of Sunderland, hosting a large trail network that is open to hiking, jogging, mountain biking, skiing, snowmobiling, and hunting.