Leavenworth

 

(lĕv'ənwûrth') , city (1990 pop. 38,495), seat of Leavenworth co., NE Kans., on the Missouri River; inc. 1855. It is the commercial center of a farm and livestock region, with flour mills and plants making automobile batteries, machinery, furniture, and metal products. Nearby Fort Leavenworth, with its various institutions (including the federal penitentiary), is central to the city's economy. The oldest city in Kansas, Leavenworth was the first city in the state to be incorporated. It was settled (1854) near the fort by proslavery Missourians but supported the Union during the Civil War. It flourished as a supply point on westward travel routes. The state's first newspaper was printed there in 1854. St. Mary College is nearby.

Leavenworth, Kansas
Location of Leavenworth, Kansas
Coordinates: 39°18′30″N 94°55′22″W / 39.30833, -94.92278
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Leavenworth
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	66043, 66048
Area code(s)	913
FIPS code	20-390002
GNIS feature ID	04784113

Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and is located near (about 30 miles from) Kansas City, Missouri. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is situated on the west bank of the Missouri River. The population was 35,420 at the 2000 census. Leavenworth, founded in 1854, was the first incorporated city in Kansas.

It sprang up south of Fort Leavenworth, the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi, which was established in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth. Leavenworth became the first city in Kansas when it was founded in 1854. Leavenworth's main industry is prisons. It is the site of a large federal prison and several smaller prisons, including the military's primary prison, the United States Disciplinary Barracks.

Leavenworth is a conservative community with a large Catholic population.^{[citation needed]} It is home to University of Saint Mary (Kansas), operated by the Sisters of Charity.[1]

Leavenworth is sister city to the city of Wagga Wagga in the Australian state of New South Wales as well as the city of Omi Hachiman, Japan.

Geography

Leavenworth is located at 39°18′30″N, 94°55′22″W (39.308248, -94.922740)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.9 km² (23.5 mi²). 60.9 km² (23.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.09%) is water.

Climate

Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of about 16°F in January to an average high of nearly 90°F in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90°F an average of 44 days per year and reaches 100°F an average of 4 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32°F) an average of 114 days per year. Typically the first fall freeze occurs between the last week of September and the first day of November, and the last spring freeze occurs between the last day of March and the final week of April.

The area receives nearly 41 inches of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received in May and June—the April–June period averages 31 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 29 to 54 inches. There are on average 93 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall averages about 10 inches, but the median is less than 3 inches. Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 4 days per year with at least an inch of snow being received on three of those days.

Source: Monthly Station Climate Summaries, 1971-2000, U.S. National Climatic Data Center

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Temperatures (°F)
Mean high	36.7	43.8	54.5	65.4	75.6	84.6	89.8	87.9	79.9	69.1	53.2	40.7	65.1
Mean low	16.4	21.4	30.8	41.9	54.1	63.0	68.4	65.2	56.2	44.7	31.5	21.3	42.9
Highest recorded	73 (1967)	81 (1972)	87 (1966)	93 (1987)	97 (1956)	106 (1980)	110 (1954)	108 (1984)	104 (2000)	95 (1963)	84 (1980)	70 (2001)	110 (1954)
Lowest recorded	−17 (1982)	−19 (1979)	−10 (1978)	4 (1975)	27 (1963)	42 (1983)	45 (1972)	41 (1967)	30 (1984)	18 (1993)	−2 (1977)	−27 (1989)	−27 (1989)
Precipitation (inches)
Median	0.96	1.29	2.43	3.49	5.18	4.11	4.21	3.69	4.29	3.72	2.75	1.28	39.94
Mean number of days	5.1	5.2	8.0	10.0	11.2	9.8	8.2	8.3	7.6	7.0	7.3	5.0	92.7
Highest monthly	2.77 (1979)	4.23 (1997)	9.24 (1973)	8.52 (1983)	11.06 (1995)	12.53 (1996)	14.53 (1986)	8.92 (1977)	13.43 (1977)	9.67 (1977)	6.14 (1992)	4.77 (1980)
Snowfall (inches)
Median	1.2	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.5
Mean number of days	1.2	1.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.7	4.3
Highest monthly	9.0 (1983)	15.3 (1993)	7.0 (1990)	trace (1992)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	7.0 (1996)	4.5 (1991)	6.8 (1989)
Notes: Temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation includes rain and melted snow or sleet in inches; median values are provided for precipitation and snowfall because mean averages may be misleading. Mean and median values are for the 30-year period 1971–2000; temperature extremes are for the station's period of record (1948–2001). The station is located in Leavenworth at 39°16′N 94°55′W, elevation 870 feet.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860			—
1870			140.6%
1880			-7.4%
1890			19.5%
1900			4.9%
1910			-6.6%
1920			-12.7%
1930			3.3%
1940			10.0%
1950			7.1%
1960			7.2%
1970			14.0%
1980			33.8%
1990			14.4%
2000			-8.0%

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,420 people, 12,035 households, and 8,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 581.7/km² (1,506.8/mi²). There were 12,936 housing units at an average density of 212.4/km² (550.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.77% White, 16.32% African American, 0.76% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.08% of the population.

There were 12,035 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 112.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,681, and the median income for a family was $48,836. Males had a median income of $36,953 versus $24,235 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,785. About 6.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Leavenworth is the home of a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States.

Notable natives and residents

• Buffalo Bill Cody, soldier, buffalo hunter and wild west showman
• Robert E. Davis, Kansas Supreme Court Justice
• Neil Dougherty, basketball coach
• Melissa Etheridge, musician
• Fred Harvey, prolific restaurateur
• Wild Bill Hickok, soldier, lawman, gunfighter
• Ron Logan, former Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Entertainment
• Wayne Simien, basketball player
• Richard Sanders, actor

See also

• Freeedom's Frontier, NE Kansas National Heritage Area
• Kansas Sampler, shares insights on community character

External links

• Official City of Leavenworth Website
• C. W. Parker Carousel Museum
• Visit historic Fort Leavenworth
• Leavenworth Area Development Corporation
• Leavenworth Convention and Visitors Bureau
• US Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth

Coordinates: 39.308248° N 94.92274° W

Places in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States
Basehor • Bonner Springs • Easton • Lansing • Leavenworth (county seat) • Linwood • Tonganoxie

Kansas City Metropolitan Area's Cities and Counties
Central City	Kansas City, Missouri
Largest cities (over 100,000 in 2000)	Independence • Kansas City, Kansas • Olathe • Overland Park
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Counties	Jackson • Clay • Cass • Platte • Lafayette • Ray • Clinton • Bates • Caldwell • Johnson • Wyandotte • Leavenworth • Miami • Franklin • Linn

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