Lyme, Connecticut

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Lyme
Town of Lyme
First Congregational Church, Lyme CT.jpg
First Congregational Church
LymeCTseal.JPG
Lyme, Connecticut
Lyme, Connecticut
Lyme, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°24′N72°21′W / 41.400°N 72.350°W / 41.400; -72.350
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
U.S. state Flag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut
County New London
Region Lower CT River Valley
Settled1645
IncorporatedFebruary 13, 1667
Government
  Type Selectman-town meeting
  First selectmanDavid Lahm (R)
Area
  Total34.5 sq mi (89.4 km2)
  Land31.9 sq mi (82.5 km2)
  Water2.6 sq mi (6.8 km2)
Elevation
26 ft (8 m)
Population
 (2020) [1]
  Total2,352
  Density68/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 ID0213453
Website townlyme.org

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]

Contents

History

Marinas at Hamburg Cove in Lyme. HamburgCoveLymeCT07302022.jpg
Marinas at Hamburg Cove in Lyme.

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.

Geography

Moulson Pond on the Eightmile River. MMDA-Photos - 2022-02-02 - Moulson Pond, Lyme, CT.jpg
Moulson Pond on the Eightmile River.

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.

The Village of Hamburg in 1868. LYMECT-2023-01-27-LymeMapDetail.jpg
The Village of Hamburg in 1868.

Principal communities

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.

Principal bodies of water

Coves along the Connecticut River

  • Hamburg Cove.
  • Lord Cove (a brackish tidal marsh, fed in part by Lord, Deep, and Mack creeks).
  • Selden Cove.
  • Whalebone Cove (aka Hadlyme Cove or North Cove).

Lakes and ponds

  • Cedar Lake ( formed by the damming of Cedar Pond Brook).
  • Joshua Pond – a.k.a. Lower Pond (east of Brockways Ferry Rd; formed by the damming of Joshua Creek).
  • Moulsons Pond (formed by the damming of Eightmile River).
  • Norwich Pond (formed by the damming of Falls Brook).
  • Rogers Lake (partly in Lyme; formed by the damming of Mill Brook).
  • Uncas Pond (formed by the damming of Falls Brook).
  • Upper Pond (along Tantumorantum Rd; formed by the damming of Joshua Creek).

Rivers, creeks , and brooks

  • Eightmile River; a federally designated "Wild and Scenic River."
  • Beaver Brook (a tributary of Eightmile River).
  • Broad Swamp Brook (a tributary of Grassy Hill Brook).
  • Cedar Pond Brook (a tributary of Beaver Brook).
  • Cranberry Meadow Brook (a tributary of Eightmile River).
  • Deep Creek (a tributary of the Connecticut River).
  • East Branch Eightmile River (a tributary of Eightmile River).
  • Falls Brook (a tributary of Eightmile River and Hamburg Cove).
  • Grassy Hill Brook (mostly in Lyme, but crosses into Old Lyme before feeding into Rogers Lake).
  • Hemlock Valley Brook (a tributary of Whalebone Creek).
  • Hungerford Brook (a tributary of Whalebone Creek).
  • Joshua Creek – a.k.a. Rams Horn Creek (a tributary of the Connecticut River).
  • Lord Creek (a tributary of the Connecticut River).
  • Mack Creek (a tributary of the Connecticut River).
  • Mill Brook (enters Rogers Lake in Lyme and exits the lake in Old Lyme; a tributary of the Lieutenant River).
  • Roaring Brook (a tributary of Whalebone Creek).
  • Selden Creek (a tributary of the Connecticut River).
  • Whalebone Creek (mouth is located at the head of Whalebone Cove).

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.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 71731.3%
1950 85719.5%
1960 1,18338.0%
1970 1,48425.4%
1980 1,82222.8%
1990 1,9497.0%
2000 2,0163.4%
2010 2,40619.3%
2020 2,352−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [3]

2010 and 2020 censuses

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

Voter registration and party enrollment as of November 1, 2022. [5]
PartyActive votersInactive votersTotal votersPercentage
Republican 464647023.81%
Democratic 7421575738.35%
Unaffiliated 6992071936.42%
Minor Parties 280281.42%
Total1,933411974100%

The number of Lyme residents registering with the Democratic party has grown in recent years, from 541 in 2015 to 757 in 2022. [6]

Ancestry/Ethnicity

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 ancestry30.5%
Irish ancestry19.8%
German ancestry14.2%
Italian ancestry11.7%
American ancestry7.3%
Polish ancestry6.3%
Scottish ancestry4.9%
French-Canadian ancestry3.5%
Swedish ancestry2.4%
Norwegian ancestry1.6%
Swiss ancestry1.5%
Russian ancestry1.2%

Public facilities

Civic and fraternal

Governmental

Religious

Points of interest

State parks and forests

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.

On the National Register of Historic Places

Public 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.

Lyme in literature, art, and film

Notable people

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References

  1. 1 2 "Census - Geography Profile: Lyme town, New London County, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  2. Borchers AT, Keen CL, Huntley AC, Gershwin ME (February 2015). "Lyme disease: a rigorous review of diagnostic criteria and treatment". Journal of Autoimmunity . 57: 82–115. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2014.09.004. PMID   25451629.
  3. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. "Census.gov". Census.gov.
  5. "Party enrollment statistics" (PDF). CT Secretary of State. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  6. "General Elections Statement of Vote 1922". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website.
  7. "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2019.