Mayland Community College (MCC) is located in the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina on the Avery/Mitchell county line, just outside the town of Spruce Pine. MCC is chartered to serve Mitchell, Avery, and Yancey counties (hence the name MAYland). The College began as Mayland Technical Institute upon approval by the 1971 session of the North Carolina General Assembly and upon recommendation of the State Board of Education, the Advisory Budget Commission, and Governor Robert Scott. Operations began in September 1971 in the Boardroom of the Northwestern Bank in Spruce Pine. The Institution occupied rented space in downtown Spruce Pine until January 3, 1977, when it moved to a location four miles from the town on its present site, containing fifty-seven acres.

MCC currently offers curriculum programs including college transfer options, numerous economic and workforce development/continuing education offerings, Adult Education and high school completion programs, two (2) off-campus Learning Centers in Newland and Burnsville, Corrections Education at Avery/Mitchell and Mountain View Correctional Facilities, and distance education opportunities in most curriculum programs as well as in continuing education. MCC serves more than 10,000 individuals each year.