Leslie is a city in Ingham County in the State of Michigan. The city is located 28 miles south of Lansing, and 17 miles directly north of Jackson. Leslie was first settled by Elijah Woodworth in 1836, who built the first log cabin in the city. It was originally named Meekerville after a famous pioneer to the area, Benjamin Meeker. Jerry G. Cornell named the town after a prominent Leslie family in eastern New York, his home state. The name Leslie adopted officially when a post office was assigned to the area in 1841. As of the Census of 2000 there were 2,044 people, 734 households, and 518 families residing in the city.

The new Leslie High School was built in 1996 at 4141 Hull Road to replace the first Leslie Public Schools building on Woodworth Street, which was over 100 years old. Every year the town holds numerous parades and festivals. Memorial Day Parade in the Spring, Blackhawk Day in the late Summer, Homecoming Parade, and Christmas Light Parade are some of the events that take place.