Leavenworth, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. It is home to University of Saint Mary (Kansas), operated by the Sisters of Charity.
Leavenworth is a sister city to the New South Wales city of Wagga Wagga in Australia.
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[edit] Geography
Leavenworth is located at (39.308248, -94.922740)GR1.
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.
[edit] 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.
| 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. | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 7,429 |
|
|
| 1870 | 17,873 | 140.6% | |
| 1880 | 16,546 | -7.4% | |
| 1890 | 19,768 | 19.5% | |
| 1900 | 20,735 | 4.9% | |
| 1910 | 19,363 | -6.6% | |
| 1920 | 16,912 | -12.7% | |
| 1930 | 17,466 | 3.3% | |
| 1940 | 19,220 | 10.0% | |
| 1950 | 20,579 | 7.1% | |
| 1960 | 22,052 | 7.2% | |
| 1970 | 25,147 | 14.0% | |
| 1980 | 33,656 | 33.8% | |
| 1990 | 38,495 | 14.4% | |
| 2000 | 35,420 | -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.
[edit] Notable Natives
- Ron Logan, former Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Entertainment
- Melissa Etheridge, musician
- Randy Sparks, singer, musician and founder of the band The "New Christy Minstrels"
- Wayne Simien, basketball player
- Tim O'Reagan, drummer/vocalist with the band Jayhawks
- Neil Dougherty, Basketball coach
- Anthony Miller, Entrepreneur, Founder of Hope Center which consist of (HAMM Center - Helen Amie Miller Medical center - a Brain and Spinal Cord Injury, Heart and Lung Injury, Sports Injury and Pediatric Center) (a Five Star and Five Diamond rated Hotel) and Hope Foundation a not - for - profit foundation
[edit] Notable Residents
- Buffalo Bill Cody, soldier, buffalo hunter and wild west showman
- Robert E. Davis, Kansas Supreme Court Justice
- Fred Harvey, prolific restauranteur
- Wild Bill Hickok, soldier, lawman, gunfighter
- Richard Sanders, actor
[edit] Notorious Inmates (Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary)
- Robert Stroud, "The Bird Man"
- Manuel Noriega, ousted Panamanian dictator
- George "Machine Gun" Kelly, prohibition-era gangster
- George "Bugs" Moran, prohibition-era gangster
- Leonard Peltier, Native American activist, convicted murderer of two FBI agents
- Tom Pendergast, Kansas City mob boss
[edit] See also
- Freeedom's Frontier, NE Kansas National Heritage Area
- Kansas Sampler, shares insights on community character
[edit] 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
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
| Metropolitan area of Kansas City |  |
|---|---|
| Central City: Kansas City, Missouri Largest cities (over 100,000 in 2000): Independence • Kansas City, Kansas • Olathe • Overland Park Medium-sized cities (10,000 to 100,000 in 2000): Blue Springs • Belton • Excelsior Springs • Gladstone • Grandview • Lansing • Leawood • Leavenworth • Lee's Summit • Lenexa • Liberty • Merriam • Ottawa • Prairie Village • Raymore • Raytown • Shawnee Counties: Jackson • Clay • Cass • Platte • Lafayette • Ray • Clinton • Bates • Caldwell • Johnson • Wyandotte • Leavenworth • Miami • Franklin • Linn |
