Lee, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Lee is a town
in Strafford County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 4,330 at the 2010 census. The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire
.
township. It includes Wheelwright Pond, named for the Reverend John Wheelwright
, the founder of Exeter
.
Wheelwright Pond was the site of a noted early battle during King William's War
. Indians
, incited by the government of New France
, attacked Exeter on July 4, 1690. They were pursued by two infantry companies raised for the purpose, who overtook them at Wheelwright Pond on July 6, 1690. Fierce fighting on that day would leave 3 officers and 15 soldiers dead, together with a large number of Indians. Among the dead were Captain Noah Wiswall, Lieutenant Gershom Flagg, and Ensign Edward Walker of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
.
In 1735, Durham
, which included Lee, separated from Dover. Then Lee, in turn, would separate from Durham on January 16, 1766 when it was established by Colonial
Governor Benning Wentworth
. It was among the last of 129 towns to receive a charter during his administration, and named for British
General Charles Lee
, who later joined the American Revolution.
Lee is hometown for numerous faculty of the University of New Hampshire
in Durham. In 2007 the U.S. Postal Service
assigned the town its own ZIP code
– 03861.
, the town has a total area of 20.2 square miles (52.3 km²), of which 20 sq mi (51.8 km²) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.517997622 km²) is water, comprising 1.04% of the town. The town is drained by the Lamprey River
, North River
and Oyster River
. Lee lies fully within the Piscataqua River
(Coastal) watershed
. The highest point in Lee is 272 feet (82.9 m) above sea level
, atop an unnamed hill southwest of the town center.
of 2000, there were 4,145 people, 1,466 households, and 1,092 families residing in the town. The population density
was 207.8 people per square mile (80.2/km²). There were 1,534 housing units at an average density of 76.9 per square mile (29.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.02% White, 0.55% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races
, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 1,466 households out of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $57,993, and the median income for a family was $62,330. Males had a median income of $41,354 versus $29,651 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $23,905. About 4.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Strafford County
Strafford County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 112,233 people, 42,581 households, and 27,762 families residing in the county. The population density was 304 people per square mile . There were 45,539 housing units at an average density of 124 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,330 at the 2010 census. The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
.
History
Settled in 1657, Lee was originally part of the extensive early DoverDover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
township. It includes Wheelwright Pond, named for the Reverend John Wheelwright
John Wheelwright
John Wheelwright was a clergyman in England and America.-Early life:...
, the founder of Exeter
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
.
Wheelwright Pond was the site of a noted early battle during King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
. Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, incited by the government of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, attacked Exeter on July 4, 1690. They were pursued by two infantry companies raised for the purpose, who overtook them at Wheelwright Pond on July 6, 1690. Fierce fighting on that day would leave 3 officers and 15 soldiers dead, together with a large number of Indians. Among the dead were Captain Noah Wiswall, Lieutenant Gershom Flagg, and Ensign Edward Walker of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
.
In 1735, Durham
Durham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
, which included Lee, separated from Dover. Then Lee, in turn, would separate from Durham on January 16, 1766 when it was established by Colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
Governor Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
. It was among the last of 129 towns to receive a charter during his administration, and named for British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
General Charles Lee
Charles Lee (general)
Charles Lee was a British soldier who later served as a General of the Continental Army during the American War of Independence. Lee served in the British army during the Seven Years War. After the war he sold his commission and served for a time in the Polish army of King Stanislaus II...
, who later joined the American Revolution.
Lee is hometown for numerous faculty of the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
in Durham. In 2007 the U.S. Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
assigned the town its own ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
– 03861.
Notable inhabitants
- Tom BergeronTom BergeronTom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
, television personality - Daniel Meserve DurellDaniel Meserve DurellDaniel Meserve Durell was a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire.Born in Lee, Durell graduated from Dartmouth College in 1794. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1797, and commenced practice in Dover....
(1769–1841), congressman
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 20.2 square miles (52.3 km²), of which 20 sq mi (51.8 km²) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.517997622 km²) is water, comprising 1.04% of the town. The town is drained by the Lamprey River
Lamprey River
The Lamprey River is a 50.2 mile long river in southeastern New Hampshire, the United States. It rises in Meadow Lake in Northwood, and flows south, then generally east past Raymond, Epping, Lee and finally Newmarket...
, North River
North River (New Hampshire)
The North River is a 15.1 mile long river located in southeastern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Lamprey River, part of the Great Bay and Piscataqua River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean....
and Oyster River
Oyster River (New Hampshire)
The Oyster River is about 17 miles long and located in Strafford County, southeastern New Hampshire, United States. It rises in Barrington, flows southeast to Lee, then east-southeast in a serpentine course past Durham to meet the entrance of Great Bay into Little Bay...
. Lee lies fully within the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
(Coastal) watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. The highest point in Lee is 272 feet (82.9 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, atop an unnamed hill southwest of the town center.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,145 people, 1,466 households, and 1,092 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 207.8 people per square mile (80.2/km²). There were 1,534 housing units at an average density of 76.9 per square mile (29.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.02% White, 0.55% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 1,466 households out of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $57,993, and the median income for a family was $62,330. Males had a median income of $41,354 versus $29,651 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $23,905. About 4.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Bedrock GardensBedrock GardensBedrock Gardens is a garden located on a property in Lee, New Hampshire, notable for its landscape design, its horticulture and its sculpture.-History:...
- Lee Historical Society & Museum
- Lee USA Speedwayhttp://www.leeusaspeedway.com/, a NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
track where several scenes of Days of ThunderDays of ThunderDays of Thunder is a 1990 American auto racing film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances...
(starring Tom CruiseTom CruiseThomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
) were filmed