Leavenworth, Kansas

**Leavenworth** is a city in the state of Kansas in the United States. It is the county seat of Leavenworth County. It is also the biggest city in the county. Leavenworth is about  northwest of Kansas City, Missouri. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. There were 37,351 people living in Leavenworth in 2020.

## History

The city of Leavenworth was started in 1854. It was the first incoporated city in Kansas. The city is south of Forth Leavenworth. The fort is the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi River. Fort Leavenworth was started in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth. At first, the fort was outside of the city. On April 12, 1977, the city took over the fort and it became part of the city.

There are many jails, prisons, and detention centers in Leavenworth. The most famous prison is the Leavenworth federal prison. The United States military also has a maximum security prison in Leavenworth. This prison is called the United States Disciplinary Barracks. The Kansas State Penitentiary and the state medium security prison are also close to the city.

One of the famous people who was in Leavenworth prison was Ricardo Flores Magon. Flores Magon was an anarchist from Mexico. (An _anarchist_ is someone who thinks that there should be no government.) He was an important person during the Mexican Revolution (1910). He died in Leavenworth prison in 1922. Some people think that the guards killed him. Other people think he died of natural causes.

There are some vaults underneath the city. These are big rooms underground. The vaults were found very recently. Historians (people who study history) think that the vaults were used for slaves, fugitives (people hiding from the law), or commerce (buying and selling things.)

The University of Saint Mary is in Leavenworth. The University is run by the Sisters of Charity.

## Location

The coordinates for Leavenworth are  (39.3111112, -94.9224637). The city is  above sea level. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . It covers  of land and  of water.

Leavenworth is on the west bank (side) of the Missouri River. It is in the Dissected Till Plains region of the Central Lowlands of North America. Four tributaries of the Missouri River go through the city. These tributaries are Quarry Creek, Corral Creek, Three Mile Creek, and Five Mile Creek.

Leavenworth is in the northeastern part of Kansas. U.S. Route 73 and Kansas Highway 92 (K-92) intersect (cross) at the city. It is about  northwest of Kansas City, Missouri. Omaha, Nebraska is  to the northeast. Wichita, Kansas is  to the southwest.

The north half of the city is Fort Leavenworth. Both Leavenworth city and Leavenworth County are a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. To the south of Leavenworth is another city: Lansing, Kansas.

### Weather

Leavenworth is in a part of North America where the climate (weather) changes from humid subtropical (Köppen _Cfa_) to humid continental (Köppen _Dfa_). The summer is hot and humid. The winter is cold and dry. The average temperature for the whole year is .

The average low temperature in the winter is  in January. The average high temperature is  in July. Usually the temperature only gets hotter than  on 43 days every year. The temperature gets hotter than  about four days ever year. The low temperature goes below freezing () for 107 days every year. The first frost usually happens in October. The last frost usually happens by April.

Every year, there are about 89.7 days of precipitation. (Precipitation is any kind of water falling from the sky. Snow, hail, and rain are kinds of precipitation.) The city usually gets about  of precipitation. It also gets about  of snow every year. It usually snows for eight days every year.

The coldest month of the year is usually January. The hottest month is usually July. The most rain usually falls in June. The hottest temperature ever recorded was  in 1954. The coldest temperature ever recorded was  in 1989.

### 2020 census

The 2020 census found there were 37,351 people, 13,143 households, and 8,369 families living in Leavenworth. The population density was 1,540.7 people per square mile (594.9/km²). Of the households, 47.9% owned their home and 52.1% rented their home.

The people living in Leavenworth were 71.0% White, 13.8% African-American, 1.1% Native American, 1.8% Asian American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 10.0% from more than one race.

The median age was 35.4 years.

### 2010 census

The 2010 United States Census found there were 35,251 people living in Leavenworth. They made up 12,256 households and 8,129 families. The population density was 1,466.2 people per square mile (566.1/km²). The people living in Leavenworth were 75.4% white, 15.1% African-American, 0.9% Native American, 1.8% Asian American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 4.6% from more than one race.

### Religion

From the middle to late 19th century (1850-1900), there were many Jewish people in Leavenworth. It was one of the biggest Jewish communities in all of Kansas. By 1870, there were many Orthodox congregations in Leavenworth.

## Sister cities

Leavenworth has two sister cities:
- Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
- Ōmihachiman, Japan

## Other websites

- City of Leavenworth

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Leavenworth, Kansas
- **settlement type**: City and County seat
- **motto**: First City of Kansas
- **image skyline**: Downtown Leavenworth, Kansas.jpg
- **image caption**: Downtown Leavenworth (2014)
- **image seal**: FOR-WEB-Official-City-LogoRGB.png
- **image map**: Leavenworth_County_Kansas_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Leavenworth_Highlighted.svg
- **map caption**: Location within Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County and Kansas
- **image map1**: Map of Leavenworth Co, Ks, USA.png
- **map caption1**: Kansas Department of Transportation, KDOT map of Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County (:File:Kansas official transportation map legend.png, legend)
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision name1**: Kansas
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Kansas, County
- **subdivision name2**: Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth
- **subdivision type3**: List of townships in Kansas, Township
- **established title**: Founded
- **established date**: 1854
- **established title1**: Platted
- **established title2**: Municipal corporation, Incorporated
- **established date2**: 1855
- **government type**: Council–manager government, Commission-Manager
- **leader title**: Mayor
- **leader title1**: City Manager
- **area total sq mi**: 24.31
- **area land sq mi**: 24.24
- **area water sq mi**: 0.06
- **area total km2**: 62.95
- **area land km2**: 62.79
- **area water km2**: 0.16
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **elevation ft**: 840
- **population as of**: 2020 United States census, 2020
- **population total**: 37351
- **population density sq mi**: auto
- **population density km2**: auto
- **timezone**: Central Time Zone, CST
- **utc offset**: -6
- **timezone dst**: CDT
- **utc offset dst**: -5
- **postal code type**: ZIP codes
- **postal code**: 66043, 66048
- **area code type**: North American Numbering Plan, Area code
- **area code**: Area code 913, 913
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS ID
- **blank1 info**: 485610