Carlisle's earliest settlers lived in the northernmost part of Concord c. 1650. This community, firmly rooted in agricultural soil, became a town in 1805. In 1900, the population was four hundred eighty, comprised mostly of farm families. By 1960, only five large farms remained, and the population had soared to fifteen hundred. Although Carlisle's agricultural days are over, three working farms, many historic barns scattered through town, and the area's only cranberry bog echo its rural past. With its town meeting government, town common, steepled churches, and vast conservation lands, Carlisle reflects the best of New England small-town life.