Lyme is a small, rural community with approximately 2,300 residents situated on the Eastern bank of the Connecticut River in New London County. Our community is roughly 30 square miles in size, with a very low population density.
We are part of a regional school district that includes Old Lyme, the neighboring town to the south of us. Aside from our school system, Lyme provides a limited amount of municipal services. There is a public library, a small highway department that maintains our 40 miles of local roads, a bulky-waste landfill, a volunteer fire company and a private, nonprofit ambulance association that receives minimal public funding.
The Lyme Town Hall staff includes a full-time First Selectman, Town Clerk, Tax Collector and Assessor. The Zoning Officer, Building Inspector and Sanitarian all serve in a part-time capacity. The Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Lyme is intensely committed to preserving our agricultural heritage and small-town quality of life. Our open-space acquisition priorities enjoy broad-based public support. We have forged important partnerships with the Lyme Land Conservation Trust and the Nature Conservancy’s Connecticut chapter to further our preservation and conservation goals. As a result, our residents enjoy the unspoiled beauty associated with an earlier time in New England, including the scenic Hamburg Cove and the federally designated Wild and Scenic Eight Mile River.
We have a longstanding policy of sharing our good fortune with our neighbors. Our parks and preserves with their miles of trails and passive recreation opportunities are open to all. We encourage their use and enjoyment by residents and good stewards of the land.