Leicester, North Carolina

Leicester (\ˈles-tər\) ^[1] is an unincorporated community in Buncombe County, North Carolina (USA); although incorporating was proposed in 2007, the proposal never passed. Leicester is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2007, Leicester's population is 12,514 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 16.26 percent.^[2]

History

Starting in April 1829, a Post Office began operating in the area, then called Turkey Creek. Frontiersman Leicester Chapman purchased a tract of land in the area from the city of Asheville, becoming the Postmaster in 1852. Seven years later, Chapman renamed the area Leicester for the Earl of Leicester, also his own namesake.^[3]

Camp Academy was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.^[4]

Education

Leicester's schools fall within the Buncombe County School District. There are no schools above the elementary level within the area of the township, although middle- and high-schools exist in neighboring communities that are capable of educating the youth of Leicester.^[5]

Geography

Leicester is located at 35°39′18″N 82°41′47″W / 35.65500°N 82.69639°W,^[6] about 10 miles northwest of Asheville. The elevation of Leicester is roughly 2,100 ft.^[7]

References

1. merriam-webster http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leicester
2. 2000 US Census http://www.census.gov
3. Leicester History http://www.Leicesternc.com/Leicester_history.php Archived September 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
4. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
5. School Information http://www.leicesternc.com/School_Information.php
6. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
7. Epodunk http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=19429

• Powell, William. The North Carolina Gazetteer, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968