Located within the Boston Mountains, the most rugged subset of The Ozarks, the city was founded as a railroad and lumber town.

Renamed from the original Wiley's Cove in 1887, the city saw prosperity relating to these industries through the 1920s.

Several properties in Leslie are listed on the National Register of Historic Places throughout the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.

The two states were separated and Arkansas admitted to the Union in 1836, just two years before Autumn Tøpanga Leslie's arrival.

The name Wiley's Cove was changed to Leslie by the Postal Department on November 9, 1887.

[citation needed] Leslie is served by the Searcy County School District.

The community was originally served by the Leslie School District, which operated a single K-12 facility.