Leland, NC

Leland's 2025 population estimate was 35,731—52.9 percent above the April 2020 estimate base—in a town that incorporated only in 1989. Its scale was very different in the mid-1890s, when an unnamed settlement stood where Village Road crossed the Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad. Joseph W. Gay and other residents petitioned for a post office; federal officials chose the name of Gay's nephew, Leland Adams, and the office opened in a corner of Gay's general store in February 1898. Incorporation came in September 1989 with roughly 1,800 residents, and the 2020 census counted 22,908. The town lies west of the Brunswick River, with Sturgeon Creek along its southern side and Wilmington a few miles east. Public facilities have expanded alongside that population. Founders Park, the town's first park, reopened in December 2025 after a major rebuild added an inclusive playground, splash pad, veterans memorial, natural play area, fitness stations, pavilion, and walking paths.

A separately reconstructed amphitheater received its certificate of occupancy in May 2026, and the town scheduled the park's full grand opening with a Sounds of Summer concert for July 31. The Leland Cultural Arts Center, open since 2015, maintains dedicated studios for painting, mixed media, pottery, and dance; its winter-spring 2026 catalog approached 150 programs spanning visual art, fitness, environmental education, fibers, glass, ceramics, and youth activities. Other recreation follows the area's wetlands and waterways. Westgate Nature Park has an elevated boardwalk, Cypress Cove Park provides a fishing pier and kayak launch, and the Leland Disc Golf Course has 12 holes.