Lee, New Hampshire

Lee, New Hampshire
Town
Lee Town Hall, listed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places
Location within Strafford County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°07′23″N71°00′41″W / 43.12306°N 71.01139°W / 43.12306; -71.01139
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Strafford
Settled	1657
Incorporated	1766
Government
•  Select Board	Rebecca Hawthorne, Chair Scott Bugbee David Benson
• Town Administrator	Andy Robertson
Area [1]
• Total	20.2 sq mi (52.3 km2)
• Land	20.0 sq mi (51.8 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation	190 ft (60 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	4,520
• Density	226/sq mi (87.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	03861
Area code	603
FIPS code	33-41460
GNIS feature ID	0873644
Website	www.leenh.org

Lee is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,520 at the 2020 census. ^[2] The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire.

History

Lee was first settled by Europeans in 1657 as part of the extensive early Dover 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. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

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. ^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.2 square miles (52.3 km²), of which 20.0 square miles (51.8 km²) are land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km²) are water, comprising 1.03% of the town. ^[1] The town is drained by the Lamprey River, North River and Oyster River. Lee lies fully within the Piscataqua River (Coastal) watershed. ^[7] The highest point in Lee is 272 feet (83 m) above sea level, atop an unnamed hill southwest of the town center.

Adjacent municipalities

• Madbury (north)
• Durham (east)
• Newmarket (southeast)
• Epping (southwest)
• Nottingham (west)
• Barrington (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	1,029		—
1800	978		−5.0%
1810	1,329		35.9%
1820	1,224		−7.9%
1830	1,009		−17.6%
1840	906		−10.2%
1850	862		−4.9%
1860	871		1.0%
1870	776		−10.9%
1880	715		−7.9%
1890	606		−15.2%
1900	545		−10.1%
1910	479		−12.1%
1920	475		−0.8%
1930	376		−20.8%
1940	481		27.9%
1950	575		19.5%
1960	931		61.9%
1970	1,481		59.1%
1980	2,111		42.5%
1990	3,729		76.6%
2000	4,145		11.2%
2010	4,330		4.5%
2020	4,520		4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [2] [8]

As of the census ^[9] of 2000, there were 4,145 people, 1,466 households, and 1,092 families residing in the town. The population density was 207.8 inhabitants 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.

Notable people

• Julian Barry (1930-2023), Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for the film Lenny , based on his Broadway hit play of the same name ^[10]
• Tom Bergeron (born 1955), ^[11] television personality
• Daniel Meserve Durell (1769–1841), US congressman; born in Lee ^[12]
• Robert Eggers (born 1983), director of The Witch (2015 film) ^[13]
• Ralph Fletcher (born 1953), author; currently lives in Lee
• Ethan Gilsdorf (born 1966), writer, poet, performer, editor, critic, teacher, journalist ^[14]
• Robert Parker Parrott (1804–1877), American soldier, inventor of military ordnance
• Charles L. Sawyer (1860-1918), lawyer and Minnesota state legislator ^[15]
• Henry Tufts (1748–1831), infamous 18th-century thief who grew up in Lee

Sites of interest

• Bedrock Gardens
• DeMeritt Hill Farm, home of Haunted Overload the winner of ABC's 2014 Great Halloween Fright Fight
• Lee Historical Society & Museum
• Lee USA Speedway, a short-track oval race track that has hosted NASCAR events

Gallery

• 
  First Congregational Church
• 
  Library
• 
  Jeremiah Smith Grange

References

• New Hampshire portal

1. "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files – New Hampshire". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
2. "Lee town, Strafford County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
3. Old East Parish Burying Ground: 1st Settlers Monument Archived January 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
4. Newton Centre Improvement Association (1911). A Comprehensive Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake in Newton Centre, Massachusetts (PDF). Boston, Massachusetts: Stetson Press. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
5. Samuel Francis Smith (1880). History of Newton, Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts: The American Logotype Company. p.  187 . Retrieved March 9, 2010. wiswall.
6. "New Zip Code for Lee, New Hampshire". Senator Gregg website. June 11, 2007. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
7. Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
10. Fosse, Bob (December 1974), Lenny, Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner, retrieved January 16, 2018
11. "New Hampshire People". NewHampshire.com. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
12. "DURELL, Daniel Meserve, (1769 - 1841)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
13. "'The Witch' Director Inspired by Southern New Hampshire Scenery". 102.1 & 105.3 The Shark. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
14. Gilsdorf, Ethan (December 20, 2007). "Ethan's walk: The homecoming". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
15. Minnesota Legislators: Past & Present-Charles L. Sawyer

External links

• Official website
• Lee Public Library
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
• History of Lee, New Hampshire (1882)