Lyme is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in the Western part of Grafton County and encompasses a total area of 54.7 square miles, .9 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town was home to 1,716 people.
The land that comprises Lyme was first granted in 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth. It name is taken from “Old Lyme,” a town located in Connecticut at the mouth of the Connecticut River. In the 1770s, Lyme was one of 16 local towns that petitioned to join Vermont, a then-independent state. Vermont ultimately joined the Union in 1791, and these petitions were unsuccessful.
Less than 2 percent of Lyme’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to the Hewes Brook, Grant Brook, Trout Brook, Post Pont, Pout Pond, Trout Pond, Cummins Pond, Reservoir Pond and parts of the Connecticut River. Its highest point lies at Smarts Mountain, where elevation reaches 3,238 feet above sea level.
Lyme is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Dartmouth Skiway, Town of Lyme, Dowd?s Country Inn, Lyme School District, Loch Lyme Lodge, Estates & Gallup, Lyme Inn, CrossRoads Academy and Wagner Forest Management.
Children in the area attend Lyme Elementary School for grades kindergarten through eighth. For ninth through 12th grades, they can transfer to a number of nearby options, including Hanover High School, Hartford High School, Lebanon High School, Rivendell Academy, St. Johnsbury Academy, Thetford Academy or Stevens High School. The majority of students attend Hanover High School.
For entertainment, Lyme residents can enjoy the town’s municipal parks, tennis courts, youth organizations, sports leagues, fishing and hunting areas, snowmobile trails, cross country skiing and more.