Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. It is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both the state and in the

Kansas City Metropolitan Area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

Origin of name

The "Town of Strother" (not to be confused with a town of the same name in Monroe County) was founded by William B. Howard in October 1865. He named it for his wife, Maria D. Strother, the daughter of William D. Strother formerly of Bardstown, Kentucky. Howard came to Jackson County in 1842 from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, married Maria in 1844, and by 1850 he and Maria had and a homestead five miles (8 km) north of town. Howard was arrested for being a Confederate in October 1862, near the beginning of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, and after being paroled he took his family back to Kentucky for the duration of the war. After the war ended he returned and, knowing that the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

was surveying a route in the area, platted the town with in the fall of 1865 as the town of Strother. In November 1868, the town's name was changed to the "Town of Lee's Summit", most likely to honor early settler Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea, who had moved to Jackson County in 1849 from Bradley County, Tennessee. Lea was listed as the postmaster of nearby Big Cedar in the 1855 ''United States Official Postal Guide''. Dr. Lea was killed in August 1862 by Kansas Jayhawkers (or Redlegs). When the surveyors for the Missouri Pacific Railroad came through, the local people and the railroad wanted to name the town in Dr. Lea's honor. He had a farm on the highest point and near the path of the tracks, and his murder had taken place near the site of the proposed depot. So they chose the name of "Lea's Summit", the "summit" portion to reflect its highest elevation on the Missouri Pacific Railroad between St. Louis and Kansas City.''History of Jackson County''. Kansas City: Union Historical Company. 1881. pp. 341–343. But they misspelled the name "Lees Summit" (with two "e's"; "Lee" instead of "Lea"; and leaving out the apostrophe) on a boxcar that was serving as a station and donated by the Missouri Pacific, then a sign next to the tracks, and finally in the printed time schedule for the railroad.Historic Preservation Plan: City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Historic Preservation Services, LLC. September 1, 2002. (PDF.) Retrieved: 2008-07-06 Legend states that the name was spelled wrong on the side of the Missouri Pacific depot and has remained Lee's Summit ever since. Others claim that the town was named after famed Civil War General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...

after Southerners began moving north into Missouri after the war due to the timing of General Lee's death compared to Dr. Lea's death. This is attributed to a quote in the ''Louisville Journal'', January 3, 1866. Since the name was already being circulated and published with two "e's", the town petitioned the state legislature and incorporated its name in 1868 as: "Town of Lee's Summit". The spelling is unusual because apostrophes are typically not included in place names due to potential confusion regarding whether the place is owned by the namesake person. Most possessive place names lack an apostrophe, such as Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Boardmans Point, New Hampshire.

History

The growth of the town can be studied through historic

Sanborn maps Sanborn maps are detailed maps of U.S. cities and towns in the 19th and 20th centuries. Originally published by The Sanborn Map Company (Sanborn), the maps were created to allow fire insurance companies to assess their total liability in urbaniz ...

, which document building types and uses in the city during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1913, R. A. Long, the owner of a

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

company, began building his estate, named

Longview Farm Longview Farm in Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States was built by Robert A. Long. In planning the farm Long turned to Henry F. Hoit of Hoit, Price and Barnes, as he had designed Corinthian Hall and the R.A. Long Building. George Kessler wa ...

, on the western edge of the city and into part of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

. When complete, it had a mansion, five barns and 42 buildings in the . Harrison Metheny, grandfather of jazz legend

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

, was an electrician during Longview's construction. The farm also had a church, Longview Chapel Christian Church, which was completed in 1915. It soon became internationally known as a showplace farm. Today, one of the horse barns is home to Longview Farm Elementary, and the site of Longview Community College. The church and mansion are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Other parts of the farm have been turned into Longview Lake, Longview Community College, and a development called New Longview. Lee's Summit is also home to Missouri Town 1855 and Lee's Summit Historical Cemetery. In 2006, CNN/Money and ''Money'' magazine ranked Lee's Summit 44th on its list of the "100 Best Cities to Live in the United States". That ranking improved to 27th on the 2010 list.

Geography

Lee's Summit is located at (38.922607, −94.374127). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

According to a 2017 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $83,601, and the population was 95,270. The median property value was estimated at $200,300.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 91,364 people, 34,429 households, and 25,126 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 36,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 8.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.1% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population. There were 34,429 households, of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 22.8% were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 11.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 70,700 people, 26,417 households, and 19,495 families living in the city. The

was 1,188.0 people per square mile (458.7/km). There were 27,311 housing units at an average density of 458.9 per square mile (177.2/km). The racial makeup of the city was 93.17%

, 3.47%

, 0.36% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.52% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population. There were 26,417 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. Of all households, 22.0% were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $60,905, and the median income for a family was $70,702. Males had a median income of $49,385 versus $32,837 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $26,891. About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the town's Economic Development Council, the top employers in the city are:

City government

Lee's Summit is a charter form of government, represented by a Mayor and a city council. Each of the four districts are represented by two councilmembers whose terms are staggered and expire every four years. No councilmember may serve more than two consecutive terms. Theodore Harold Anderson

City council

* District 1: Diane Forte, Hillary Shields * District 2: Trisha Carlyle, Andrew Felker * District 3: Phyllis Edson, Beto Lopez * District 4: Fred DeMoro, Bob Johnson

Education

Lee's Summit is served by parts of three public school districts: Lee's Summit R-VII School District, Blue Springs R-IV School District, Raymore-Peculiar R-II School District. Lee's Summit has four religious private schools as well: Summit Christian Academy (formerly Lee's Summit Community Christian School), Our Lady of Presentation Catholic School, Lee's Summit Academy (formerly Libby Lane Academy), and St. Michael the Archangel Catholic High School. Longview Community College is located on the extreme western edge of Lee's Summit. The college is part of Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City) or MCC for short. It also is home to the Summit Technology Center which is a branch campus of the

University of Central Missouri The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profes ...

. Lee's Summit is also home to a branch of Baker University. Lee's Summit has three

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamen ...

, branches of the

Mid-Continent Public Library Mid-Continent Public Library, officially known as Consolidated Library District #3, is a consolidated public library system serving Clay, Platte, and Jackson Counties in Missouri, with headquarters in Independence, Missouri. Mid-Continent Public ...

, on Oldham Parkway, Colbern Road, and a new branch on Blue Parkway.

Climate

Lee's Summit experiences a four-season

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Dfa'') with cold days and nights during the winter, and hot days and muggy nights during the summer.

Infastructure

Transportation

The Historic

Jefferson Highway The Jefferson Highway was an automobile highway stretching through the central United States from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jefferson Highway was replaced with the new numbered US Highway system in the late 1920s. ...

(known as the "Palm to Pine" highway) runs through town.

Major roads

* I-470 is an

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

spur through Lee's Summit into southern Kansas City. *

US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes ...

: Forms half of Lee's Summit's northern border with

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

. * US 50: Follows

I-435 Interstate 435 (I-435) is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States. Route description I-435, a loop route of I-35, is long and in ...

from the west to I-470 then spurs off in Lee's Summit and becomes just US 50. * Route 150: A highway linking southern Lee's Summit, and Grandview to the Kansas suburbs at State Line Road. * Route 291: Formerly an eastern bypass route of US 71, the minor freeway connects

Harrisonville Harrisonville is a town in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,121 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Harrisonville was founded in 1837 u ...

and Lee's Summit to

, Sugar Creek,

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

KCI Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective December 30, 2021. The airport o ...

and northern Kansas City. It fuses with I-470 through parts of Lee's Summit. * Route 350: Connector highway that brings together

with I-470 and US 50.

Other

Lee's Summit (Amtrak station) Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both ...

Lee's Summit Municipal Airport Lee's Summit Municipal Airport is a public use airport in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is owned by the City of Lee's Summit and is located three nautical miles (6 km) north of its central business district. This facility ...

Healthcare

Two general medical and surgical hospitals which provide emergency services—Lee's Summit Medical Center and

Saint Luke's East Hospital Saint Luke's East Hospital is a 238-bed hospital located in Lee's Summit, Missouri. History Saint Luke's East first opened in 2006. In 2007, then President of the United States George W. Bush toured the hospital and participated in a roundtable d ...

—are both located in Lee's Summit.

Media

* ''Lee's Summit Journal'' * ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'' * ''The Lee's Summit Tribune''

In film

* The feature film '' All Roads Lead Home'' has parts filmed in Lee's Summit. * The film ''

Jesus Camp ''Jesus Camp'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a charismatic Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers being taught that they have "prophetic gifts" and can "take back America for ...

'' features footage of a children's prayer conference held at Christ Triumphant Church. * Appears in a news article in the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' episode, " The City on the Edge of Forever". * The Netflix Series '' Ozark'' mentions Lee's Summit in its third season.

Notable people

* Megan Anderson, Australian mixed martial artist in the UFC *

Evan Boehm Evan Boehm (born August 19, 1993) is a former American football center. He played college football at Missouri. Early years At Missouri, Boehm was teammates with Markus Golden and both served as team captains for the Tigers. As a Junior in hig ...

, NFL player for

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

* Paul Coverdell, former

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

* William S. Cowherd, former

Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri is the highest official in the Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Government. Since the 1920s the city has had a council-manager government in which a city manager runs most of the day-to-day operations of ...

Mark Curp Mark Curp (born January 5, 1959, in Chillicothe, Missouri) held the world record for the half marathon from 1985 until 1990. He continued holding the American record in the half marathon until a new record was set by Ryan Hall in 2007. Curp atte ...

, former half-marathon world record holder *

Robert K. Dixon Robert K. Dixon is an energy, environment, and economic expert at the Office of International Affairs, US Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, DC, USA. Biography Dixon is a native of Lee's Summit, Missouri. He graduated from Lee' ...

, Nobel Laureate, Presidential Adviser and Scientist *

Forrest Griffith Forrest Martin Griffith (February 15, 1928 – December 12, 2007) was an American football Halfback (American football), halfback who played two seasons with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Giants ...

, football player *

Monte Harrison Monte Fitzgerald Harrison ( ; born August 10, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. Career Amateur career ...

, MLB centerfielder for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

* James Krause - American mixed martial artist in the UFC * Alex Lange, Major League Baseball player, Pitcher for

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

* Angela Lindvall, model and actress * Audrey Lindvall, model *

Drew Lock Andrew Stephen Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round o ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

quarterback for

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

* Katherine McNamara, actress on TV series '' Shadowhunters'' on Freeform as Clary Fray *The

Merrell Twins Veronica Jo Merrell-Burriss and Vanessa Jo Merrell (born August 6, 1996), known as the Merrell Twins, are American identical twin YouTubers, actresses, musicians and singers. Early years The Merrell Twins are identical twin sisters born in Kan ...

, identical twin YouTubers, actresses, musicians and singers *

Mike Metheny Mike Metheny ( ; born August 28, 1949) is an American jazz musician and music journalist. He is the older brother of the jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. Mike Metheny studied music education at the University of Missouri School of Music and Nort ...

, jazz musician and journalist *

, jazz musician * Rick Roeber, expelled from the Missouri House of Representatives in a child abuse investigation *

Trevor Rosenthal Trevor Jordan Rosenthal (born May 29, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

Sam B. Strother Sam B. Strother (June 16, 1871 – January 19, 1929) was the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from January to May 1922. Early life Sam B. Strother was born on June 16, 1871, near Louisville, Kentucky. His family moved to Lee's Summit, Missouri, s ...

, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri (1922) *

Matt Tegenkamp Matthew "Teg" Tegenkamp (born January 19, 1982) is a retired professional runner from Lee's Summit, Missouri who specialized in various long-distance events. Tegenkamp represented the United States at two Summer Olympics, in 2008 and 2012. He tra ...

, long-distance runner, U.S. Olympian * Freddie Williams II, comic book artist * Bob Younger, member of the James–Younger Gang * Cole Younger, leader of the James–Younger Gang * Jim Younger, member of the James–Younger Gang *

John Younger John Harrison Younger (1851 – March 17, 1874) was an American outlaw, the brother of Cole, Jim and Bob. He was briefly a member of the James–Younger Gang, a band of outlaws who also included the infamous Jesse James. Origins He was ...

, member of the James–Younger Gang * Erik Palmer-Brown, soccer player

References

External links

*
Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Cass County, Missouri Cities in Jackson County, Missouri Cities in Kansas City metropolitan area Populated places established in 1865 Cities in Missouri 1865 establishments in Missouri