Lyme | |
---|---|
Town of Lyme | |
Coordinates: 41°24′N 72°21′W / 41.400°N 72.350°W | |
Country | United States |
U.S. state | Connecticut |
County | New London |
Region | Lower CT River Valley |
Settled | 1645 |
Incorporated | February 13, 1667 |
Government | |
• Type | Selectman-town meeting |
• First selectman | David Lahm (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 34.5 sq mi (89.4 km2) |
• Land | 31.9 sq mi (82.5 km2) |
• Water | 2.6 sq mi (6.8 km2) |
Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) |
Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 2,352 |
• Density | 68/sq mi (26/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
ZIP code | 06371 (Old Lyme PO) and 06439 (Hadlyme PO) |
Area code(s) | 860/959 |
FIPS code | 09-44210 |
GNIS feature ID | 0213453 |
Website | townlyme |
Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 2,352 at the 2020 census.[1] Lyme is the eponym of Lyme disease.[2]
In February 1665, the portion of the territory of the Saybrook Colony east of the Connecticut River was set off as the plantation of East Saybrook, which included present-day Lyme, Old Lyme, and the western part of East Lyme. In 1667, the Connecticut General Court formally recognized the East Saybrook plantation as the town of Lyme, named after Lyme Regis, a coastal town in the south of England. The eastern portion of Lyme (bordering the town of Waterford) separated from Lyme in 1823 and became part of East Lyme. The southern portion of Lyme (along Long Island Sound) separated in 1855 as South Lyme (renamed Old Lyme in 1857). Both changes were consistent with the then-existing laws of the state of Connecticut.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 34.5 square miles (89 km2), of which 31.9 square miles (83 km2) are land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), or 7.63%, are water.
Other minor communities and geographic areas are Becket Hill, Bill Hill, Brockway's Ferry (also known as Brockway Landing), Brush Hill, Elys Ferry, Grassy Hill, Gungy, Joshuatown, Lord Hill, Mt. Archer, Pleasant Valley, Rogers Lake West Shore, and Sterling City.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1820 | 4,069 | — | |
1850 | 2,668 | — | |
1860 | 1,246 | −53.3% | |
1870 | 1,181 | −5.2% | |
1880 | 1,025 | −13.2% | |
1890 | 977 | −4.7% | |
1900 | 750 | −23.2% | |
1910 | 746 | −0.5% | |
1920 | 674 | −9.7% | |
1930 | 546 | −19.0% | |
1940 | 717 | 31.3% | |
1950 | 857 | 19.5% | |
1960 | 1,183 | 38.0% | |
1970 | 1,484 | 25.4% | |
1980 | 1,822 | 22.8% | |
1990 | 1,949 | 7.0% | |
2000 | 2,016 | 3.4% | |
2010 | 2,406 | 19.3% | |
2020 | 2,352 | −2.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[3] |
See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income |
As of the 2010 census, Lyme had a population of 2,406. Its racial and ethnic makeup was 96.5% non-Hispanic white, 0.1% non-Hispanic black, 0.1% non-Hispanic Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% non-Hispanic from some other race, 0.6% from two or more races and 1.7% Hispanic or Latino.[4]
Voter registration and party enrollment as of November 1, 2022.[5] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | |
Republican | 464 | 6 | 470 | 23.81% | |
Democratic | 742 | 15 | 757 | 38.35% | |
Unaffiliated | 699 | 20 | 719 | 36.42% | |
Minor Parties | 28 | 0 | 28 | 1.42% | |
Total | 1,933 | 41 | 1974 | 100% |
The number of Lyme residents registering with the Democratic party has grown in recent years, from 541 in 2015 to 757 in 2022. [6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2017 the largest (those over 1% of the population) self-identified ancestry/ethnic groups in Lyme were:[7]
Largest ancestries (2017) | Percent |
---|---|
English ancestry | 30.5% |
Irish ancestry | 19.8% |
German ancestry | 14.2% |
Italian ancestry | 11.7% |
American ancestry | 7.3% |
Polish ancestry | 6.3% |
Scottish ancestry | 4.9% |
French-Canadian ancestry | 3.5% |
Swedish ancestry | 2.4% |
Norwegian ancestry | 1.6% |
Swiss ancestry | 1.5% |
Russian ancestry | 1.2% |
Selden Neck State Park and Becket Hill State Park Reserve are wholly located in Lyme. Nehantic State Forest and Gillette Castle State Park are partly located in Lyme.
The Estuary Transit District provides public transportation throughout Lyme and the surrounding towns through its 9 Town Transit Service. Services include connections to Old Saybrook station, served by Amtrak and Shore Line East railroads.