Retiring in Leland, North Carolina

Retiring in Leland: overview

Leland is in Brunswick, North Carolina, within the Wilmington & Cape Fear region.

Leland is the largest municipality in Brunswick County. The Town of Leland's community profile gives a State Demographer certified 2024 count of 33,065, up 44.33% from 22,908 in 2020, and reports Brunswick County at 169,448 residents as of July 1, 2024, a 24% increase since April 1, 2020, which the town says the Census Bureau recognizes as the fastest-growing county in North Carolina. For a retiree, that growth is both the draw and the drawback: new shops, medical offices and amenities arrive with construction and traffic.

The town's profile describes Leland as central to major highways (US 74/76, Interstate 40 and Interstate 140), about 10 minutes from downtown Wilmington, 11 miles from Wilmington International Airport, 90 minutes from Myrtle Beach and about 2 hours from Raleigh. This page covers what living in Leland costs and exposes you to; for the city across the river, see Wilmington.

Cost of living in Leland

Del Webb advertises homes at Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory Creek starting at $379,990 in its Scenic collection, from $471,990 in its Distinctive collection and from $541,990 in its Echelon collection, with floor plans of 1,223 to 2,712 square feet (Del Webb, September 2026). Directory pages for Brunswick Forest and Compass Pointe list homes from the upper $300,000s and from the mid $400,000s respectively, as described on those community pages; these are asking prices from marketing pages, not sales data.

The Town of Leland's profile also notes North Carolina's individual income tax rate of 4.25%, scheduled to decrease to 3.99% for taxable years after 2025; see the NC retirement taxes guide for how that applies to retirement income.

Property taxes in Leland

Brunswick County's property tax rate for fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026) is 34.20 cents per $100 of value, according to the county tax page, and the NC Department of Revenue's 2025-26 table lists Brunswick at .3420, the same as in 2024-25 and 2023-24 and down from .4850 in 2022-23 and 2021-22. The state table shows the county's latest revaluation as 2023 and its next as 2027, so the county rate will likely be reset when 2027 values are set; Brunswick County maintains a 2027 revaluation section on its tax pages.

The Town of Leland contracts with Brunswick County to send tax bills and collect payment, according to the town's Taxes & Fees page. The county's rate table lists Leland at 0.27, 0.27 and 0.25 per $100; ask the town or county for the current town rate. Not every community with a Leland address is inside the town limits, so confirm whether a specific home is in the town.

For example, on a home assessed at $400,000 the county's 34.20 cents gives $1,368 a year before any town, fire or other district charges (our arithmetic, for illustration only). On the New Hanover side, the same assessed value at the county's 30.6 cents and the City of Wilmington's .3315 would come to $2,550 (our arithmetic; see Wilmington). Both counties' rates depend on revaluation timing, so compare current bills, not just rates.

Insurance and risk in Leland

Brunswick County is among the 21 North Carolina counties with Know Your Zone evacuation zones. Brunswick County's hurricane page says an evacuation order can be issued by the county for unincorporated areas, by a town or city for its own jurisdiction, or by the Governor, usually based on the predetermined zones, and that a mandatory evacuation is a warning that individuals must leave, while a voluntary one is advice. It tells residents to follow the blue evacuation route signs and to check flood hazard areas along their route. The Town of Leland's site lists CodeRed alert registration and a Hurricane Expo among its emergency resources.

Brunswick County's flood page describes Flood Zone X and shaded X as low risk and not regulated by ordinance, while VE (coastal high hazard with wave action), Coastal A, AE and A zones have mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements and floodplain management standards. The county's Flood Zone Viewer lets you look up a property. The NC Department of Insurance notes that windstorm and hail coverage may be excluded from the primary policy and written separately, and the NCIUA procedures document dated July 2019 includes Brunswick in its Coastal Area; NCIUA says it does not provide flood insurance. Verify zone and get quotes for the specific address and read the coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide.

Healthcare access in Leland

Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center is in Bolivia, on Highway 17 in the heart of Brunswick County, and has been part of the county since 1977; its current Bolivia facility opened in 2011 and replaced a smaller, older building in Supply. The hospital lists 24/7 emergency care, heart and vascular care and maternity, and cites a 2026 U.S. News & World Report High Performing Hospital for Maternity recognition, which is the hospital's own statement. Test the drive from Leland.

Across the river, Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center is the region's Level II Trauma Center according to its health system's page. Del Webb's Mallory Creek page lists Waterford Medical Center at 5 miles and the New Hanover Regional Medical Center of Brunswick Forest at 11 miles from that community; these are developer-stated distances. Directory pages also say a Novant medical facility operates inside the Villages at Brunswick Forest; confirm services and hours with Novant. See the healthcare access guide.

Climate in Leland

A directory page for Brunswick Forest says winter daytime temperatures average 57 degrees and summer averages run mid to high 80s, but that is a marketing statement, not a weather record. The sourced climate exposure is tropical weather: Brunswick County plans for hurricane evacuations and has a flood hazard page for exactly that reason.

Lifestyle and recreation in Leland

Leland's retirement lifestyle centers on master-planned communities such as Brunswick Forest, Compass Pointe and Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory Creek. Their developers and directories describe golf, pools, fitness centers, tennis and pickleball; Brunswick Forest's directory listing cites about 65 social clubs, and Del Webb lists an onsite lifestyle director and social clubs at Mallory Creek.

The Town of Leland lists a parks, recreation and cultural resources department with events named in its site menu, including a Leland Fall Festival, an In Bloom Festival and a Social Dance Series, and its planning menu includes an Age-Friendly Plan. The town's profile says residents are within an hour of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Brunswick Community College and Cape Fear Community College, which matters if you want continuing education.

Housing in Leland

Housing includes 55+ single-family ranch homes at Mallory Creek, where Del Webb describes 800 new ranch homesites, and larger mixed communities with townhomes and detached homes such as Brunswick Forest, where a directory lists one-level townhomes and single-family homes, and Compass Pointe, where a directory lists townhomes and single-family homes by multiple builders. The age-restriction status of Brunswick Forest and Compass Pointe is discussed on their own pages.

Buyers should compare what the homeowners association covers in each section of a community: directory pages say some neighborhoods include lawn care and exterior maintenance while others do not, which changes the real monthly cost. See Wilmington for the city across the river.

Retirement communities in and near Leland

• Brunswick ForestA large master-planned community in Leland, Brunswick County, centered on the 18-hole Cape Fear National golf course, with pools, fitness centers, courts and trails.
• Compass PointeA gated resort-style community in Leland, minutes from downtown Wilmington, with the Grand Lanai amenity center, a private golf club, wellness center and custom-built homes.
• Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory CreekA Del Webb 55+ community of ranch-style single-family homes in Leland, with an amenity clubhouse, indoor and outdoor pools and pickleball courts.

Comparisons with Leland

• Leland vs Wilmington: Master-Planned Brunswick County or the Cape Fear City

Places near Leland

• WilmingtonThe port city and county seat of New Hanover County on the Cape Fear River, whose retirement housing includes resale-only active-adult neighborhoods such as the Del Webb neighborhood at Riverlights.

Guides relevant to Leland

• 55-Plus Community vs. Conventional Neighborhood in the Carolinas
• Healthcare Access Across the Carolinas: Hospitals, Trauma Centers and Medicare
• Hurricane, Flood and Wind Insurance on the Carolina Coast: What Retirees Should Know
• North Carolina Retirement Taxes: Income, Property, Sales and Estate