The city of Leavenworth offers a friendly small town environment
and a full range of services to compliment your immediate needs when arriving in
the area and throughout your stay at Fort Leavenworth. Leavenworth
became nationally known in the mid-19th century as the jumping-off point for the
opening of the West. Buffalo Bill Cody spent part of his youth here and later
worked in the area as a Pony Express rider and Army scout. Another area landmark
is Leavenworth's U.S. Penitentiary which dates from 1906. It took more than 11
years to construct the penitentiary. Two special appeals of Leavenworth are its
excellent public library and the Riverfront Community Center, with its Olympic
size pool and indoor track. There is a small shopping mall, in
addition to the downtown shopping area. Cities in the local area
include: Lansing, Atchison, and Kansas City, KS; Platte City,
Parkville, Weston and St. Joseph, MO. Leavenworth and
Lansing are located in Leavenworth County, Kansas. The combined
population of Leavenworth, Lansing and Fort Leavenworth County is approximately
51,000. Leavenworth County has a population of approximately
72,000.