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 25 mi northwest of Kansas City, Missouri. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. There were 35,251 people living in Leavenworth in 2010.

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 39.31111°N, -94.9225°W (39.3111112, -94.9224637). The city is 840 ft above sea level. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 24.06 mi2. It covers 24.04 mi2 of land and 0.02 mi2 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 25 mi northwest of Kansas City, Missouri. Omaha, Nebraska is 145 mi to the northeast. Wichita, Kansas is 165 mi 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 55 °F.

The average low temperature in the winter is 19 °F in January. The average high temperature is 90 °F in July. Usually the temperature only gets hotter than 90 °F on 43 days every year. The temperature gets hotter than 100 °F about four days ever year. The low temperature goes below freezing (32 °F) 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 42.97 in of precipitation. It also gets about 16.1 in 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 110 °F in 1954. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -27 °F in 1989.

Demographics
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