A settler by the name of Aaron Norton Hart, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania played a key role in directing the construction of the roadway and drainage infrastructure in Dyer back in the 1860’s and 70’s, subsequently opening the area up to agriculture and other commercial use in the surrounding predominantly marshy region. Understandably the town adopted its name from something as near and dear to Hart’s heart as the town itself. The town’s namesake is Hart’s wife, Martha Dyer Hart. That same sense of community and spirit is what placed Dyer at number 97 on CNN and Money Magazine’s 2005 list of “100 Best Places to Live in the US.”