Lee Massachusetts MA Warrant Search

Lee, Massachusetts Lee is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,985 which was determined in the 2000 census. Lee, which includes the villages of South and East Lee, is part of the Berkshires resort area. History This was once territory of the Mohegan Indians. It was first settled as Dodgetown in 1760, then incorporated in 1777 as Lee. Formed from parts of Great Barrington and Washington, it was named after General Charles Lee. In the autumn of 1786 during Shay's Rebellion, about 250 followers of Daniel Shays encountered state troops commanded by General John Paterson near the village of East Lee. The Shaysites paraded a fake cannon crafted from a yarn beam, and the troops fled.Early industries included agriculture and lumbering, with lime made in kilns. Operated by water power from the Housatonic River, mills produced textiles and wire. But papermaking became the principal business, with the first paper mill, called the Willow Mill, built in 1806 at South Lee by Samuel Church. The Columbia Mill was established in 1827, and would be the first to supply 100% groundwood newsprint to The New York Times. By 1857, there were 25 paper mills in Lee. The Smith Paper Company discovered how to manufacture paper solely from wood pulp in 1867, and through the 1870s was the largest producer of paper in the country. Today, Lee has 1 small papermaking facility owned by Onyx Specialty Papers,Inc. The plant produces specialty paper. Schweitzer-Mauduit announced in 2007 that the prior Smith Paper Company mills would close in 2008, putting nearly 170 people out of work.The town was also famous for the quality of its marble, with the first quarry established in 1852. Almost 500,000 cubic feet of marble was excavated and shipped in 1867 on the Housatonic Railroad. Buildings constructed of Lee marble include a wing of the Capitol in Washington and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.Lee's 19th-century prosperity left it with fine period architecture, including the town hall and library. South Lee has a historic district listed on the National Register. The former mill town is now a popular tourist destination, noted both for its considerable Victorian charm and number of bed and breakfast establishments. Lee was a filming location for Before and After (1996) and The Cider House Rules (1999). The Prime Outlets at Lee (a renowned outlet mall) has contributed to the town's growth and made Lee a popular shopping destination. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.0 square miles (70.0 km²), of which, 26.4 square miles (68.4 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (2.33%) is water. Lee is bordered by Lenox to the northwest, Washington to the northeast, Becket to the east, Tyringham in the southeast, Great Barrington to the southwest, and Stockbridge to the west. Lee is ten miles south of Pittsfield, 42 miles west-northwest of Springfield, and 125 miles west of Boston.Lee is located in the southern section of the Berkshires, in a valley along the Housatonic River. The town lies to the west of October Mountain State Forest, with two sections of the forest in Lee. In the southwest corner of town lies a portion of Beartown State Forest, where Burgoyne Pass crosses the northern end of the mountain. Hop Brook, a marshy brook which flows into Tyringham, flows into the Housatonic in the south, and other bodies of water include Laurel Lake to the north, and Goose Pond to the southeast. The Appalachian Trail skirts the eastern part of the town, passing through Tyringham, Becket and Washington.Lee is located along Interstate 90 (also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike), and is home to Exit 2, the westernmost full exit on the turnpike (Exit 1, in West Stockbridge, is only a turnaround exit) as well as the first service area along the Pike. (The exit is also well-known because if a driver misses Exit 3 in Westfield, it requires a 60-mile round trip through Exit 2 to get back to Westfield.) Lee lies along U.S. Route 20, the 'old Mass Pike,' which was the main route to New York State prior to the interstate. A small section of U.S. Route 7 crosses through the northwest corner of town before meeting Route 20 in Lenox. Additionally, Route 102's eastern terminus is located at Route 20 at the Exit 2 toll plaza.Lee lies along the Housatonic Railroad line, which travels between Pittsfield and Great Barrington. The town is also covered by the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) bus line, which travels between the same two communities. Regional bus services make regularly daily stops, and maintain year round schedules through Lee. Peter Pan and Bonanza Bus Lines each make scheduled stops at town hall, downtown.Regional air service can be reached at Pittsfield Municipal Airport. The nearest national and international air services can be reached at Albany International Airport in Albany, New York, about 55 miles away. Bradley International Airport, located near Hartford, Connecticut, is also a popular option for travellers, situated approximately 70 miles from Lee. Demographics See also: Lee (CDP), Massachusetts As of the census of 2000, there were 5,985 people, 2,442 households, and 1,606 families residing in the town. By population, Lee ranks seventh out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 227th out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 226.7 people per square mile (87.5/km²), which ranks sixth in the county and 241st in the Commonwealth. There were 2,927 housing units at an average density of 110.9/sq mi (42.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.93% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population.There were 2,442 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.The median income for a household in the town was $41,556, and the median income for a family was $49,630. Males had a median income of $35,565 versus $26,232 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,799. About 2.5% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over. Government Lee uses the representative town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen and a town administrator. Lee has its own police, fire and public works departments, as well as a post office. The town's library is a member of the regional library networks.On the state level, Lee is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is home to the First Station of Barracks 'B' of the Massachusetts State Police.On the national level, Lee is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by John Olver of Amherst since June 1991. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator John Kerry and junior senator Scott Brown. Education Lee operates its own school department, which also serves the town of Tyringham, and has an option to serve Becket, Otis, Sandisfield, and other surrounding towns. Lee Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grades, and the Lee Middle and High School serves students from seventh through twelfth grades. Lee's athletics teams are nicknamed the Wildcats, and their colors are black and orange. Additionally, Lee is home to Saint Mary's School, a school which serves students through eighth grade. Other private schools can be found in Great Barrington and other surrounding towns.The nearest community college is the South County Center of Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Westfield State College, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock. Sites of interest Animagic -- Museum of Animation, Special Effects & Art Festival Latino of the Berkshires October Mountain State Forest Notable residents Nathan B. Bradley, congressman Henry Billings Brown, justice Martha Coakley, attorney general Frank Dwyer, baseball pitcher Elisha Foote, judge, inventor and mathematician Henri Gosselin, politician Addison H. Laflin, congressman Wayne Larrivee, sportscaster Debra Jo Rupp, actress Augusta Read Thomas, composer