Leicester, North Carolina
Unincorporated community in North Carolina, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leicester (/ˈlɛstər/ ⓘ LEST-ər) is an unincorporated community in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States.[1] Named for 19th-century merchant Leicester Chapman, it was incorporated as a town from 1859 to 1905. Reincorporation was proposed in 2007[2][3] and an incorporation bill was filed in the North Carolina General Assembly in 2011,[4] but no measure has been adopted. Leicester is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Leicester Township, the surrounding county subdivision, had a population of 21,335 at the 2020 census.[5]
History
A post office began operating in the area, then called Turkey Creek, in April 1829.[6] Around 1850, Leicester Chapman, a British-born merchant, moved to the area with his wife Sarah and opened a store.[7] Chapman was postmaster of Turkey Creek from March 1, 1852, to October 30, 1856.[6] In 1859, residents petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly to incorporate the community as a town named Leicester, after Chapman,[8] and the new town held a celebration on July 4, 1859. The community was also home to Bascom College, a now-defunct school of which Chapman was a trustee. For decades the area was one of Buncombe County's most important agricultural sections.[7] The town's charter was repealed in 1905.[8]
Camp Academy was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[9] The two-story brick building was completed in 1897 as a private subscription school and housed the academy until 1913. A. C. Reynolds, a western North Carolina educator, was its first principal.[8]
Residents began discussing reincorporation with Asheville City Council in 2007.[3] In March 2011, a bill was filed in the North Carolina House of Representatives to incorporate the Town of Leicester, subject to a referendum.[4][10]
Education
Leicester's public schools are part of Buncombe County Schools. Leicester Elementary is the only school in the community.[11] Clyde A. Erwin High School in Asheville draws students from Leicester.[12]
Geography
Leicester is located at 35°39′18″N 82°41′47″W,[13] about 10 miles northwest of Asheville. The elevation of Leicester is roughly 2,100 ft.[14] The ZIP Code for Leicester is 28748.[15]