Leland, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leland, North Carolina
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Town of Leland welcome sign
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| Nickname(s):
L.A.
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| Motto(s):
"Growing our future. Nourishing our roots."
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 Leland, North Carolina
Location in North Carolina
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | North Carolina | ||
| County | Brunswick | ||
| Township | Town Creek | ||
| Settled | February 10, 1898 | ||
| Incorporated | September 5, 1989 | ||
| Named for | Leland Adams | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council–manager | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 22.68 sq mi (58.73 km2) | ||
| • Land | 22.33 sq mi (57.83 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.35 sq mi (0.90 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 22,908 | ||
| • Estimate
(2022)
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28,591 | ||
| • Density | 1,280/sq mi (494.4/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP Code |
28451
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| Area code(s) | 910 and 472 | ||
| FIPS code | 37-37680 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2406002 | ||
| U.S. Routes |  ,  ,  |
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| Waterways | Brunswick River, Alligator Creek, Mallory Creek, Jackeys Creek, Sturgeon Creek, Piney Branch, Morgan Branch, and Bishop Branch | ||
Leland is the most populous town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,504 at the 2020 census, up from 13,527 in 2010. As of 2020, it is considered to be one of the fastest growing towns in North Carolina. It is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. and the Cape Fear Council of Governments. The town of Leland is in the northeastern part of Brunswick County, with the town of Navassa to the north, Belville to east, and Boiling Spring Lakes to the south. It is part of the Town Creek township, and Cape Fear region of North Carolina, a short distance north of the South Carolina state line. Leland is located five miles (8.0 km) west of Wilmington, 71 miles (114 km) north of Myrtle Beach, 84 miles (135 km) southeast of Fayetteville, and 135 miles (217 km) southeast of Raleigh.
History
Settlement
What is today known as Leland was once a small settlement built upon where Village Road crossed the Augusta, Columbia and Wilmington railroad lines. The town is named after (Joseph W. Gay) the first postmaster's nephew, Leland Adams. Leland benefited greatly from its proximity to the Brunswick River, allowing it to serve as an early transportation center, giving travelers the ability to traverse the Brunswick and Cape Fear rivers.
Incorporation
The citizens of Leland voted down an attempt at incorporation in 1979. Leland was ultimately incorporated as a town on September 5, 1989, in a passing vote of 472–42. After the ordinance passed to incorporate the town of Leland, Leland was governed by twelve members of the Leland Town Charter Commission until Election Day of 1989. Leland has been governed by a mayor-council government since its first general election.
Dispute with Belville
In March and April 1989, Belville made unsuccessful attempts to annex the area known as Leland. This, in turn resulted in the Leland civic association making proactive attempts to incorporate to avoid annexation. Belville's commissioners voted to annex a business district roughly an hour before Leland had finalized the vote to incorporate. Leland's first mayor, Russell Baldwin, when questioned about the matter, stated: "It was kind of a dirty trick. They made a mockery of the annexation laws."
Merger attempts
In 2012, according to Jack Batson, the mayor of Belville at the time, "It's something that's always on people's minds because you see the way the maps are laid out. It makes sense." Belville is effectively an enclave township surrounded by Leland's borders to the left and the Brunswick River to the right. In April 1996, during Leland mayor Franky Thomas' tenure, an unsuccessful attempt was made to merge the Leland sanitary district, Leland, Belville, and Navassa into one large town. In 2000, Leland made an unsuccessful attempt to merge with Navassa, Belville, and the North Brunswick sanitary district. Another attempt was made in 2012 to merge with Belville. Leland officials attempted to entice Belville officials, citing the town's contract issues with Urban Smart Growth that Belville had entered into years before to develop its downtown. If Leland and Belville were to merge, Belville would have the funds to buy out the contract, or fight it out in court. Jack Batson, the mayor of Belville at the time, faced heavy criticism for discussing the subject matter with Leland officials. One Belville resident stated; "When I voted for Mr. Batson, I thought I was voting for the position of mayor, not God."
Geography
Leland is located in northern Brunswick County to the west of the Brunswick River and directly west of downtown Wilmington. Leland surrounds the town of Belville on three sides (to the north, west, and south).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.68 square miles (58.74 km2), of which 22.33 square miles (57.83 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.91 km2) is water.
Green space
Leland has three officially designated parks: Founders Park, Cypress Cove Park, and Westgate Park. Founders Park, formerly known as Municipal Park, is Leland's first park. The eight acre park includes such features as a playground, disc golf courses, benches, community gardens, open green spaces and a paved multi-used path. Cypress Cove park, previously known as Sturgeon Creek Park, was donated by Mr. Kirby Sullivan to the town of Leland in 2005. Cypress Cove Park is made up of 27 acres of wetlands and 1.2 acres of uplands. Cypress Cove Park is the first water access site for Leland, and features a fixed overlook deck, outdoor classroom, a floating dock, and handicap accessible fishing area. Westgate Nature Park consists of approximately 150 acres of wetlands and uplands. Construction of the park was funded by a $500,000 grant provided by the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 1,801 | — | |
| 2000 | 1,938 | 7.6% | |
| 2010 | 13,527 | 598.0% | |
| 2020 | 23,504 | 73.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 30,542 | 125.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 18,250 | 79.67% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,887 | 8.24% |
| Native American | 98 | 0.43% |
| Asian | 314 | 1.37% |
| Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,014 | 4.43% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,339 | 5.85% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 22,908 people, 10,116 households, and 7,117 families residing in the town. There were 10,905 housing units.
Education
As of the year 2020, 94.5% of the Leland citizens older than twenty-five had a high school degree, and 37.8% of the Leland citizens older than twenty-five possessed a bachelor's degree.
Public schools
There are four public schools located within the Leland township: Belville Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Leland Middle School, and North Brunswick High School. The four schools operate under the Brunswick county school district system.
Charter schools
Leland has one charter school, a public charter school; Charter Day School that serves grades kindergarten through eight. Charter Day School garnered national attention in 2016 when the school was sued in the eastern district of North Carolina southern division by the ACLU and the ACLU of North Carolina; the law firm of Ellis & Winters LLP filed the challenge on Leland students. regarding the Charter school's dress code. The Charter Day School's uniform policy required female students to wear skirts, the only exception being gym class, which Charter Day's founder stated promoted chivalry, mutual respect, and traditional values. U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard ruled that the charter schools uniform policy engaged in unconstitutional sexual discrimination, citing the equal protection clause of the constitution, by prohibiting females from wearing pants or shorts, instead mandating skirts. A federal appeals court, on August 2, 2021, tossed out Judge Howard's decision, and ordered the lower district court to review the decision and to determine whether dress code is a violation of Title IX.
Infrastructure
Town services
Police department
As of 2020, the Leland Police Department had 30 trained officers. The Leland Police force is partitioned into six subdivisions: the board administrations, network and bolster administrations, key and strategic administrations, examinations, watch, and hold.
The Leland police department offers its citizens the use of a service called CrimeMapping, a product of TriTech Software Systems. CrimeMapping is an online interactive tool that allows users to access and analyze reports for the entire town limits, or the option to isolate their search to a certain block, street or neighborhood. Jeremy Humphries, Captain of Support Services for the Leland Police Department, said: "It gives them [Leland citizens] the ability to see what is going on within their neighborhoods and communities without ... requesting reports."
Fire/rescue department
The department was established in 1959 as non-profit volunteer organization. In 2017 the Fire/Rescue Department was incorporated as a part of the township of Leland. The fire department also responds to emergency calls regarding motor vehicle accidents, and rescue calls. It has over 40 paid career staff and a roster of part-time and volunteer employees. The department has one station at 1004 Village Road, a station located at 1379 River Road.
Emergency medical services
Brunswick County Emergency Services also provides emergency medical services to Leland and operates two paramedic level ambulances stationed in the Leland Industrial Park. The next closest ambulance is located in Town Creek Township located in Winnabow.
Emergency alert system
Leland offers its residents the ability to use a voluntary service called CodeRED. CodeRED is a free high-speed emergency mass notification system provided by OnSolve, LLC. At the date of its launch the town's emergency management directory John Grimes was quoted by WECT stating: "CodeRED’s system will provide Town staff with a reliable, easy-to-use interface to quickly deliver critical information to our residents during emergencies"
Trash and recycling
Leland does not have its own municipal waste system; instead, trash service is provided by Brunswick County through GFL Environmental, Inc. The town of Leland did once offer a curbside recycling service to its citizens; the service which was done through GFL environmental Inc., expired on June 30, 2021. Prior to cancellation of service, Leland transitioned its curbside recycling program to once a month, instead of twice, on July 1, 2020. According to town officials, the deciding factor was the dramatic increase in costs associated with the recycling program. In the fiscal year 2016–17, the town spent $390,000 on the recycling program, while the town was projected to spend $723,389 in the 2021-22 fiscal year, a potential 85% increase.
See also
In Spanish: Leland (Carolina del Norte) para niños
