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.^[10]

Sample ballot of the vote for Leland to incorporate.

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.^[11]

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."^[12]

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.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[13] 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."^[15]

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.^[17][18][19] 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.^[20][21] 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.^[22]

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,908 people, 8,366 households, and 5,964 families residing in the town.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 1,938 people, 781 households, and 549 families living in the town. The population density was 483.8 inhabitants per square mile (186.8/km²). There were 871 housing units at an average density of 229.4 per square mile (88.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.71% White, 16.20% African American, 1.24% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 2.53% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.44%.^[4]

Of the 781 households 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 22.3% of households were one person and 7.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.85. The age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.

The median household income was $32,574 and the median family income was $38,077. Males had a median income of $27,379 versus $22,961 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,462. About 15.1% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

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.^[26]

Charter schools

Leland has one charter school, a public charter school; Charter Day School that serves grades kindergarten through eight.^[27] 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.^[28] 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.^[29] 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.^[30] 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.^[31]

Town services