Lyme, Connecticut


Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,406 at the 2010 census. Lyme and its neighboring town Old Lyme are the namesake for Lyme disease.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 7.63%, is water.

Principal communities

Other minor communities and geographic areas are Becket Hill, Brockway's Ferry, Brush Hill, Elys Ferry, Grassy Hill, Gungy, Joshuatown, Lord Hill, Mt. Archer, Pleasant Valley, Rogers Lake West Shore, Sterling City, and Tuttles Sandy Beach.

History

The portion of the territory of the Saybrook Colony east of the Connecticut River was set off as the plantation of East Saybrook in February 1665. This area 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 Southern England. The eastern portion of Lyme separated from Lyme and became East Lyme in 1823, and the southern portion of Lyme separated as South Lyme in 1855. These two changes were consistent with the then-existing laws in the state of Connecticut.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census Lyme had a population of 2,406. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population 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.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,016 people, 854 households, and 613 families residing in the town. The population density was 63.3 people per square mile. There were 989 housing units at an average density of 31.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.05% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.
There were 854 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 34.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $73,250, and the median income for a family was $82,853. Males had a median income of $56,188 versus $44,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $43,347. None of the families and 1.2% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005
PartyPartyActive votersInactive votersTotal votersPercentage

Ancestry/Ethnicity

As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Lyme, Connecticut were:
Largest ancestries Percent
English30.5%
Irish19.8%
German14.2%
Italian11.7%
"American"7.3%
Polish6.3%
Scottish4.9%

Transportation

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.

On the National Register of Historic Places

Some of the earlier notables were residents of the portion of the town that later became Old Lyme.