Lyme, Connecticut
Lyme, Connecticut | |
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Town | |
![]() First Congregational Church | |
Seal | |
![]() Location within New London County, Connecticut | |
Coordinates: 41°24′N 72°21′W / 41.400°N 72.350°WCoordinates: 41°24′N 72°21′W / 41.400°N 72.350°W | |
Country | ![]() |
U.S. state | ![]() |
County | New London |
Metropolitan area | New London |
Settled | 1645 |
Incorporated | February 13, 1667 |
Government | |
• Type | Selectman-town meeting |
• First selectman | Steven Mattson (D) |
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 (2010)[1] | |
• Total | 2,406 |
• Density | 70/sq mi (27/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
ZIP code | 06371 (Old Lyme) |
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 population was 2,406 at the 2010 census.[1] Lyme and the neighboring town of Old Lyme are the namesake for Lyme disease.
Geography[]
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) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), or 7.63%, is water.
Principal communities[]
- Hadlyme
- Hamburg (town center)
- North Lyme
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, Sterling City, and Tuttles Sandy Beach.
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.
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Emerson_Cemetery%2C_Lyme%2C_Connecticut.jpg/400px-Emerson_Cemetery%2C_Lyme%2C_Connecticut.jpg)
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.
Demographics[]
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
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% | |
2014 (est.) | 2,389 | [2] | −0.7% |
U.S. Decennial Census[3] |
2010 census[]
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]
2000 census[]
As of the 2000 census,[5] there were 2,016 people, 854 households, and 613 families residing in the town. The population density was 63.3 people per square mile (24.4/km2). There were 989 housing units at an average density of 31.0 per square mile (12.0/km2). Of the 854 households, 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. 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 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 was $43,347. 1.2% of the population was living below the poverty line.
Voter registration[]
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 27, 2020[6] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | |
Republican | 504 | 3 | 507 | 25.3% | |
Democratic | 740 | 5 | 745 | 37.2% | |
Unaffiliated | 709 | 11 | 720 | 35.9% | |
Minor Parties | 29 | 0 | 29 | 1.4% | |
Total | 1,982 | 19 | 2,001 | 100% |
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]
hideLargest ancestries (2017) | Percent |
---|---|
English | 30.5% |
Irish | 19.8% |
German | 14.2% |
Italian | 11.7% |
American | 7.3% |
Polish | 6.3% |
Scottish | 4.9% |
French-Canadian | 3.5% |
Swedish | 2.4% |
Norwegian | 1.6% |
Swiss | 1.5% |
Russian | 1.2% |
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.
On the National Register of Historic Places[]
- Cooper Site (added November 15, 1987)
- Gillette Castle (added July 31, 1986)
- Hadlyme Ferry Historic District (added December 21, 1994): 150, 151, 158, 159, 162-1, 162-2 Ferry Rd. and ferry slip
- Hadlyme North Historic District (added December 8, 1988): Roughly bounded by CT 82, Town St., Banning Rd., and Old Town St.
- Hamburg Bridge Historic District – Joshuatown Road and Old Hamburg Road (added April 10, 1983)
- Hamburg Cove Site (added November 15, 1987)
- (added November 15, 1987)
- Selden Island Site (added November 15, 1987)
Notable people[]
Note: Some of the earlier notables on this list were residents of the part of Lyme that is now Old Lyme.[8]
- Robert Ballard (born 1942), oceanographer
- Joan Bennett (1910–1990), film and television actress.
- Hiel Brockway (died 1842), founder of Brockport, New York
- Zebulon Brockway (1827–1920), a penologist who some have called the "Father of prison reform" in the United States
- Daniel Chadwick (1825–1884), politician
- Donald Barr Chidsey (1902–1981), novelist and historian
- Wequash Cooke, Native American leader, buried in Lyme in 1642
- Dominick Dunne, author, had a house in Hadlyme for many years until his death
- Matthew Griswold (1714–1799), governor of Connecticut (1784–1786)
- Roger Griswold (1762-1812), son of Mathew, US congressman (1785-1805), governor of Connecticut (1811-1812)
- Roger Hilsman, (1919-2014), World War II hero, post-war diplomat and author
- Harry Holtzman (1912–1987), abstract artist
- Stephen Johnson (1724–1786), minister and pamphleteer
- Ezra Lee (1749–1821), commander of the Turtle submarine during the Revolutionary War, and world's first submariner
- Beatrice Lillie, Canadian-born actress, who had a house on Grassy Hill Road in the 1970s
- Abijah Perkins Marvin (1813–1889), minister, writer, and teacher; member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853, and of the New England Historic Genealogical Society
- Dudley Marvin, former US Congressman
- William Brown Meloney (1905–1971) and Rose Franken (1895–1988), husband-wife writing and play production team
- Robert Mulligan (1925–2008), film director, most notable work To Kill a Mockingbird
- Jonathan Parsons (1705–1776), prominent "New Light" clergyman who was influenced by Jonathan Edwards when Edwards taught at Yale
- Samuel Holden Parsons (1737–1789), active Patriot before and during the American Revolution and brigadier general in the Continental Army
- Jedediah Peck (1748–1821), called the "Father of the Common School System" of the state of New York
- Sewell Sillman (1924 – 1992) painter, educator, and art print publisher.
- Ansel Sterling (1782–1853), congressman from Connecticut, brother of Micah Sterling
- John Sill Rogers, politician
- David Ruggles, Abolitionist
- Micah Sterling (1784–1844), congressman from New York, brother of Ansel Sterling
- Allen Tucker (1838-1903), Medal of Honor recipient in the American Civil War
- Henry Matson Waite (1787-1869), Chief Justice of Connecticut Supreme Court, Father of Morrison Waite
- Morrison Remick Waite (1816–1888), Chief Justice of the United States (1874–1888)
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Lyme town, New London County, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ 2010 census report on Lyme
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 27, 2020" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2019-05-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Burton, K. Old Lyme, Lyme, and Hadlyme. Arcadia Publishing,Charleston, SC, 2003 pp. 7–8.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lyme, Connecticut. |
- Lyme, Connecticut
- Towns in New London County, Connecticut
- Connecticut populated places on the Connecticut River
- Towns in Connecticut
- 1667 establishments in Connecticut
- Populated places established in 1645