About Old Lyme
What it's like to live here
Old Lyme is a shoreline town of about 7,700 people where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound, directly across the river from Old Saybrook. I-95 runs through the middle of town, the Amtrak and Shore Line East station in Old Saybrook is about 5 miles away, and downtown New London is about 20 minutes east. The south end of town is flat beach and tidal marsh, while the north end rises into rocky, wooded hills around Rogers Lake.
Old Lyme was the southern part of Lyme until 1855, when it became South Lyme, and it took the name Old Lyme in 1857 because it held the oldest settled part of the Lymes. Sea captains built many of the homes on Lyme Street, now the Old Lyme Historic District. In the early 1900s Florence Griswold's boarding house hosted the Lyme Art Colony, where painters such as Childe Hassam and Willard Metcalf worked, and the house is now the Florence Griswold Museum. The Lyme Art Association and the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts keep that tradition going.
Our Colchester office at 392 South Main Street is about 35 minutes north, and our headquarters is at 40 West High Street in East Hampton. Our agents live and sell here.
Old Lyme Highlights
- The Florence Griswold Museum, home of the Lyme Art Colony
- Sound View Beach and the Hartford Avenue carousel
- The Great Island marshes at the mouth of the Connecticut River
- Lyme Street, a National Register historic district of sea captains' homes
Old Lyme market at a glance
Old Lyme real estate market
Year to date through August 2026, single-family homes in Old Lyme sold for a median of $676,000, closed at a median of 99.6% of list price, and spent a median of 45 days on the market. At the end of August, 31 single-family homes were for sale (3.9 months of supply). Condos and townhouses sold for a median of $527,500.
Written figures: SmartMLS Local Market Update, single-family, year to date through August 2026. Charts update automatically from SmartMLS, include all property types, and show rolling 12-month data.
Neighborhoods
Getting to know Old Lyme
Lyme Street and the Historic District
The Old Lyme Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1971, runs along Lyme Street from Shore Road to Sill Lane and includes the Florence Griswold Museum.
Sound View
The beach neighborhood at the ends of Hartford and Swan Avenues, with Sound View Beach on Long Island Sound, small shops and a carousel.
South Lyme
The eastern shoreline section of town, where Route 156 turns northeast past the beach communities toward East Lyme.
Point O' Woods
A seasonal beach community on Long Island Sound with its own beach association.
White Sand Beach
A shoreline neighborhood around White Sand Beach, where Old Lyme residents can buy beach parking passes.
Rogers Lake
The 265-acre lake shared with Lyme, with a lakeside neighborhood off Rogers Lake Trail and Hains Park on its shore.
Buying or selling
Why Old Lyme?
Why buy in Old Lyme
- I-95 runs through town, Old Saybrook's Amtrak and Shore Line East station is about 5 miles away, and downtown New London is about 20 minutes
- Lyme-Old Lyme Schools (Regional School District 18): Center School (preschool), Mile Creek School (K-5), Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School and Lyme-Old Lyme High School
- Time outdoors at Sound View Beach, White Sand Beach, Hains Park on Rogers Lake and the Great Island marshes, part of the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve
- An arts scene anchored by the Florence Griswold Museum, the Lyme Art Association and the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts
- The Old Lyme Congregational Church, painted by Childe Hassam, and the colonial and Federal homes along Lyme Street
Why sell in Old Lyme now
- Single-family homes are selling in a median of 45 days (year to date through August 2026)
- Sellers are getting a median of 99.6% of list price
- The single-family median sale price is $676,000 year to date
- About 3.9 months of supply, still a seller's market
Questions
Old Lyme real estate FAQ
What is the median home price in Old Lyme, CT?
For single-family homes, $676,000 year to date through August 2026, according to the SmartMLS Local Market Update. Condos and townhouses: $527,500. The live charts above show the latest trend.
What is the property tax rate in Old Lyme?
The mill rate for fiscal year 2026-27 is 16.86 for real estate, per the Town of Old Lyme. That is $16.86 in tax per $1,000 of assessed value, and Connecticut assesses homes at 70% of market value.
How far is Old Lyme from New London and New Haven?
Downtown New London is about 15 miles east, roughly 20 minutes via I-95. New Haven is about 34 miles west, roughly 45 minutes, and Old Saybrook is just across the Connecticut River, about 5 miles away.
What schools serve Old Lyme?
Old Lyme shares Lyme-Old Lyme Schools (Regional School District 18) with Lyme: Center School (preschool), Mile Creek School (K-5) in Old Lyme, Lyme Consolidated School (K-5) in Lyme, Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (6-8) and Lyme-Old Lyme High School (9-12).
Does Carl Guild & Associates have an office near Old Lyme?
Yes. Our Colchester office at 392 South Main Street is about 35 minutes away, and our headquarters is at 40 West High Street in East Hampton. Call 860-474-3500.
Currently on the market
Homes for sale in Old Lyme
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