The Town of Leland is located on the scenic Brunswick River, just five minutes west of the historic river city of Wilmington, North Carolina. Leland, which has emerged as one of the fastest growing municipalities in the Cape Fear region, is home to a number of beautiful championship golf courses, over fifty places of worship, and a vibrant business community. As the Town of Leland grows, we are committed to maintaining our down-home, small-town atmosphere. Leland... the Gateway to Brunswick County... a great place to put down roots
The Town of Leland, North Carolina is located on the scenic Brunswick River, just five minutes west of the historic river city of Wilmington. Leland has emerged as one of the fastest growing communities in Southeastern North Carolina and is the centerpiece of northern Brunswick County’s continuing economic expansion.
Leland’s strategic location, warm climate, low tax rate and friendly atmosphere make our town an ideal place to put down roots. Our town offers convenient access to Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, the coastal town of Southport, and the New Hanover and Brunswick County Beaches. Leland and Brunswick County are home to a number of beautiful championship golf courses. When the planned US 17 Bypass is completed, travelers will be able to conveniently access Leland from Interstate 40 without traveling through Wilmington. Leland… the Gateway to Brunswick County.
Leland NC Recent History, Future Growth
Leland first incorporated in 1989 with a population of approximately 1,800. Our town grew slightly over the next ten years and had a population of 1,938 in 2000. In recent years our town has experienced explosive growth. By July of 2002 our population had reached 4,216, and was 4,703 by the end of 2003.
Leland is poised for even greater growth in the years to come. In late 2004, our town doubled its geographic size by completing the voluntary annexation of a 4,900-acre tract of land commonly known as Brunswick Forest. The landowners who requested the voluntary annexation have asked that the property be zoned for mixed-use development. The build-out of this property should result in an additional 10,000 residential units and will likely push our population to well over 20,000, making us the largest municipality in Brunswick County. We are committed to maintaining our small-town atmosphere and quality of life as Leland enters this new era of growth and prosperity. Source: Leland NC
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Leland North Carolina
Hampstead North Carolina
The Village of Hampstead NC is in the area of Pender County north of Wilmington on US Hwy. 17. Just a few years ago, it was just a “wide spot” in the road with a couple of fish houses and a small grocery store. Bordered on the south by New Hanover County and Wilmington , on the west by Holly Shelter Game Preserve, on the north by Onslow County and on the east by the sound and Topsail Island. Today it is a place that has become very attractive to those who come to visit and those searching for a new start.
Because of lower taxes and inexpensive property, Hampstead is an up-and-coming place to live where many retirees have moved from places such as Pennsylvania , New York and New Jersey . In fact, there are families from all over the nation that have found Hampstead to be a good place to raise a family or to spend the latter years of their lives.
Hampstead NC is now home to four of the top golf courses in southeastern North Carolina : Castle Bay Golf Club, Olde Point Golf Club, Belvedere Plantation Golf Club, and Topsail Greens Golf Club. Each of these is centered in residential developments where you can live in the same area you play golf. Just recently, there have been plans revealed by a Wilmington developer for the development of a large commercial/ residential area on US Hwy. 17. Included in this are two commercial areas and 500 lots for single-family homes.
Hampstead is home to schools that serve the eastern part of Pender County , including part of Topsail Island . There are two elementary schools: North Topsail Elementary and South Topsail Elementary. There are approved plans for a third school, Central Topsail Elementary, in the near future. There is one middle school, Topsail Middle School and one high school, Topsail High School . Presently, there are approved plans for a new high school to replace the present one because of the tremendous growth of the area. All of these schools have received the highest honors available in the State of North Carolina
Because it is not incorporated, Hampstead is served by a branch of the Pender County Library, the Pender County Health Department and Pender County Animal Control.
The Hampstead area is served by two of the top volunteer fire departments in southeastern North Carolina , Hampstead Volunteer Fire Department and Sloop Point Volunteer Fire Department. The area is also served by Pender EMS for emergencies and the Pender County Sheriff’s Department.
Pender County is presently developing a county water system for the Hampstead area and is planning to add a sewer system in the future. This will spur more growth in the area and bring in more commercial development as well as residential. To add to the growth in the area and to alleviate traffic problems, the NCDOT has approved the development of a bypass around Hampstead that will tie in to the new I-140 bypass around Wilmington to the south and west. This will greatly improve infrastructure for more growth in the area.
Every year, there are events where Hampstead comes together such as the Spot Festival, the Relay For Life and the Hampstead Expo. The Spot Festival is a long held tradition that celebrates one of the most abundant and favorite fish found in the area. The Relay For Life is a walkathon sponsored by local groups to raise support for the American Cancer Association. The Hampstead Expo is an event sponsored by the Greater Hampstead Chamber of Commerce that brings local businesses together with the people of the community, encouraging local people to support their local businesses.
Whether it’s gathering for a fish fry, a pig pickin’ or to help a neighbor in need, the people of Hampstead create the feel of a real community where your neighbors really care about you.
If you talk to those who have either moved here or have lived here all of their lives, they all will tell you that they wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
George Washington passed through here in 1791, and spent the night at a tavern not too far from here. The monument at its base was placed there by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1925.
Hampstead NC was once a small fishing village and a whistle stop alongside the Atlantic Coast Line RR. Now it is probably the fastest growing area in the state, as more and more folks are choosing to live here. Many neighborhoods front the waterway, more are along the numerous creeks and even more line the area's four golf courses.
The land side of the sound is officially referred to as Topsail Township, and includes many small unincorporated communities, and the larger community of Hampstead.
There are still quaint fishing shacks on the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway, though most are being replaced by much larger homes as new people * move into the area.
Highway 17 is being widened to a four lane coastal highway from Virginia to Florida, and offers convenient access to Wilmington, Jacksonville, and Interstate 40.
Now we have it all - a hamburger place, gas and taco place, take out pizza and take out Chinese, grocery store, drug store, hardware store, doctors and dentists and lawyers, a nice library, an oil change place, a few shopping strips and some excellent nurseries.
There are two wholesale-only fresh fish dealers, a very nice marina, and full service boat yard **, and lots of golf courses.
Every September, J. H. Lea & Sons contributes about 5,000 lbs. of fish to the yearly Spot Festival, the event of the year in the town.
History is everywhere, mostly related to marauders, both pirates and Yankees. Topsail Inlet was a frequently used entrance to Topsail Sound, a hideout for Blackbeard, Steede Bonnett and Captain Kidd, and Union raiders found it strategic to raid the salt works nearby, and generally disrupt waterborne commerce.
The bottom picture shows breastworks from the Civil War days. Breastworks were earthen walls piled up around gun emplacements, and these are near the entrance to Virginia Creek. There are more near Topsail Inlet.
Hampstead NC, and in fact all of Pender County, is seeing growth and change come quickly, and farmlands once used for blueberries and tobacco are growing houses and neighborhoods as development of the area increases.
Source: Hampstead NC
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Nags Head North Carolina
Nags Head, an area of North Carolina's Outer Banks known for its beaches yet rich in history and steeped in tradition. The Town of Nags Head is working to build a community populated by diverse groups whose common bond is a love of the Outer Banks.
The mission of the Town of Nags Head is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens, property owners and visitors of the town, to fulfill the requirements placed on it by the State of North Carolina and to facilitate the achievement of community goals by providing municipal services in a flexible, cost effective, customer friendly manner and to achieve this through an open, consensus driven process that treats all with respect.
The Town of Nags Head NC is working to build a community with an economy based on family vacation tourism. The base of that economy is a high quality beach experience. Important elements in developing and maintaining this economy are:
* A relaxed-paced beach community comprised primarily of low-density development and open spaces
* A diverse supply of accommodations, including single-family homes, hotels, and multi-family dwelling units, that attract and are accessible to visitors from a wide range of economic and social strata
* A natural environment typified by clean water and a landscape of sand dunes and non-invasive, salt tolerant vegetation
* A group of friends soak in the beautiful Nags Head sunshine.
healthy, well-maintained oceanfront beach that is accessible and usable; not blocked by large structures
* A carefully managed sound front that preserves the natural and beneficial functions of the estuarine environment while balancing respect for private property rights and the need to provide public access.
* A built environment that reflects the heritage of “Old Nags Head”
* A well-organized pattern of land uses that, when combined with a transportation system that accommodates a variety of travel modes, promotes an active and accessible community
* Commercial services provided by locally owned and operated businesses that share in the building of our community
* Recreational amenities and attractions, both commercial and non-commercial that are wholesome and appeal to a broad spectrum of family members, age groups and interests.
Early maps of the area show Nags Head as a promontory of land characterized by high sand dunes visible from miles at sea. Tales of land pirates that lured ships ashore in stormy weather may be the possible origin of the town's name. Or it may have been carried across the sea by English explorers who were reminded of a similar location of the English coast, a high point on the Scilly Islands, the last sight of old England that the earlier explorers were to see on their voyage to the New World.
We'll never know the true origin, but legend and lore insists that early 18th century ''Bankers,'' realizing how profitable piracy was for sea-going scoundrels such as Blackbeard, developed their own unique method as land-based pirates. Horses with lanterns tied to their necks were walked up and down the beach at night. Merchant skippers in the off-shore waters would mistakenly think the lights were of other ships closer to shore. They would then change course and run aground, with the Bankers pillaging their cargoes.
Around 1830, Nags Head became known as a plush resort area and remains so today, with a wealth of activities nearby to please a variety of tastes. Jockey's Ridge is the last vestige of the giant moving sand dunes that once towered over the beaches and greeted the first explorers. Surrounding Jockey's Ridge State Park, thousands of vacation homes beckon travelers of a different sort to the wide sandy beaches and relaxed atmosphere of an Outer Banks vacation. Modern day Bankers no longer need a lantern tied around a horse to lure visitors. With plenty of beaches and world-record fishing, golfing and shopping to nature trails, wildlife refuges, shipwreck remains and historic sites, its all here!
Source: Nags Head NC
Kitty Hawk North Carolina
Once a remote area, Kitty Hawk NC has grown into a summer resort area and provides some of the best beach recreation on the North Carolina Coast.When Orville Wright stepped ashore in Kitty Hawk Village in the fall of 1900, he probably already knew that he and his brother were destined to make history as discoverers of flight. After all, they had chosen this remote fishing village on the Outer Banks partly for privacy from prying eyes. Three years later, they would indeed break the bonds of earth for the first time in their heavier than air flying machine. From that moment forward, Kitty Hawk would forever be associated with the Wright Brothers as the birthplace of aviation -although the actual flight took place four miles south from the base of Kill Devil Hill.
Source: Kitty Hawk NC
Kill Devil Hills North Carolina
The name Kill Devil Hills can be dated back to the colonial era. Shipwrecks were common at the time, and many of the ships were transporting barrels of rum. Upon a shipwreck, locals would scavenge the ship and hide the rum they found behind the same large sand dunes where the Wright brothers later flew the first plane. The locals said that the rum was strong enough to "kill the devil," so the dunes where they would hide the rum were nicknamed 'Kill Devil Hills
