Once a quiet rather faceless suburb that had been searching for a new identity for more than a decade, Leland, North Carolina, is now embracing its unique identity—a place where urban vibrancy meets natural beauty. We diligently researched and prepared a five-year Economic Development and Tourism Strategic Plan transforming the community with a new identification as an “Urban Nature Haven,” an identification that residents can celebrate. Visitors are delivering economic development using Leland as a home base while they enjoy the natural areas and explore the region. Leland’s new advantages include:
A series of blueway waterways and greenways are being connected into a nature experience unique within the highly commercialized surroundings.
Other communities in the area have changed their marketing to emphasize only beaches, leaving Leland with another wide open field to promote the unique heritage of the area found in the 104 surrounding applicable attractions.
A new strategy for community beautification includes planting more trees, grants for murals, and art installations.
New residents are arriving from the locations where Visit North Carolina placed advertising, generating a whole new thrust for diversifying the tax base, resident profile, and marketing and promotion.