Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
m →See also: Bullet point |
||
Line 1:
{{short description|City in Missouri, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info -->| name = Lee's Summit, Missouri
| settlement_type = [[City]]
<!-- Images -->| image_skyline = Historic Sites 037.JPG
| image_caption = Downtown Lee's Summit (2013)
| image_flag = Flag of Lee's Summit, Missouri.svg
| image_seal = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map = Jackson_County_Missouri_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Lee's_Summit_Highlighted.svg
| map_caption = Location within [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson County]] and [[Missouri]]
| map_alt = A map of cities in Jackson County, with the ___location of Lee's Summit highlighted.
| image_map1 =
| map_caption1 = <!-- Location -->
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="GNIS"/>
| coordinates = {{coord|38|55|02|N|94|22|54|W|region:US-MO_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Missouri]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Missouri|Counties]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson]], [[Cass County, Missouri|Cass]]
<!-- Established -->| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1860s
| established_title1 = [[Platted]]
| established_date1 =
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2 = October 28, 1865<ref name="hist1">{{cite web |title = Lee's Summit History |url = https://cityofls.net/city-of-lees-summit/history-of-lees-summit |access-date = September 3, 2021 |publisher = City of Lee's Summit}}</ref>
| named_for = Pleasant Lea<ref name = "hist1"/>
<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes =
| government_type = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
| leader_title = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name = William A. Baird<ref name = "mayor">{{cite web |title = Mayor's Office |url = https://cityofls.net/mayors-office|publisher=City of Lee's Summit |access-date = April 27, 2016}}</ref>
| leader_title1 = [[City manager]]
| leader_name1 = Mark Dunning<ref name = "citymanag">{{cite web |title = City Manager's Office |url = https://cityofls.net/city-managers-office |publisher = City of Lee's Summit |access-date = March 23, 2023}}</ref>
<!-- Area -->| area_footnotes = <ref name= "GR1">{{cite web |title=2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Places in Missouri |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_place_29.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 18, 2025}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi = 65.91
| area_land_sq_mi = 63.90
| area_water_sq_mi = 2.02
| area_total_km2 = 170.71
| area_land_km2 = 165.49
| area_water_km2 = 5.22
| unit_pref = Imperial
<!-- Elevation -->| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="GNIS"/>
| elevation_ft = 1027
<!-- Population -->| population_footnotes = <ref name = "census quick">{{Cite web |title = QuickFacts: Lee's Summit city, Missouri |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/leessummitcitymissouri |access-date = March 3, 2023 |publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total = 101108
| pop_est_footnotes = <ref name = "census quick"/>
| pop_est_as_of = 2024
| population_est = 106419
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank = [[List of cities in Missouri|6th]] in Missouri<br/>[[List of United States cities by population|314th]] in the United States
<!-- General information -->| timezone = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset = −6
| timezone_DST = CDT
| utc_offset_DST = −5
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code = 64015, 64063, 64064, 64081, 64082, 64083, 64086
| area_code_type = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code = [[Area codes 816 and 975|816, 975]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = {{FIPS|29|41348}}<ref name="GNIS"/>
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS ID]]
| blank1_info = 2395669<ref name="GNIS">{{cite gnis2|2395669|Lee's Summit, Missouri}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|https://cityofls.net/|cityofls.net}}
}}
'''Lee's Summit''' is a city in the U.S. state of [[Missouri]] and a [[suburb]] of the [[Kansas City metropolitan area]]. It resides in [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson County]] (predominantly) as well as [[Cass County, Missouri|Cass County]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], its population was 101,108, making it the [[List of cities in Missouri|sixth most populous city]] in both [[Missouri]] and the [[Kansas City metropolitan area]]. It is the most populous city in the state that is not also a county seat.
In 1865, the town was incorporated as Strother until three years later when it was renamed to Lee's Summit. The city was likely named in honor of Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea, a prominent local citizen killed during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].
Lee's Summit began as an [[Agriculture|agricultural]] community and persisted as such until the mid-twentieth century. Upon the conclusion of [[World War II]], the city began to rapidly [[Suburbanization|suburbanize]] and grow in population, transitioning into a [[commuter suburb]] of Kansas City. Lee's Summit developed a well-funded [[School district|public school district]] during this period of growth. The school district has consistently ranked as a top employer in the city, alongside a few federal government offices, a few healthcare facilities, and several retail shopping areas. The city has a historic downtown with an [[Amtrak]] station, several human-made lake reservoirs, and several parks.
==History==
===Early history===
{{See also|History of Missouri}}Humans have occupied the region which includes present-day Lee's Summit for at least 10,000 years.<ref>Schwenk, p. 2</ref> [[Archeological]] evidence indicates that humans have occupied settlements within the present-day boundaries of Lee's Summit during all periods as far back as roughly 9,000 years ago. For example, [[archaeologists]] have discovered stone [[arrowhead]]s characteristic of the [[Dalton tradition]] in Lee's Summit, indicating that humans occupied the area at least 9,000 years ago.<ref>Schmits et al., p. 225</ref>{{Efn|Schmits et al. says of site 23JA160, "early occupations are indicated by the recovery of Dalton points". Schmits et al., p. 10, figure 3. shows that site 23JA160 is located in Lee's Summit, near the intersection of U.S. Route 40 and S Powell Avenue.}} At another site in the city, [[arrowhead]]s and ceramics characteristic of the Kansas City [[Hopewell culture]] were discovered, indicating that humans had temporary campsites in the area roughly 2,000 years ago.<ref>Schmits et al., p. 14</ref>{{Efn|Schmits et al. says of site 23JA115, "Projectile point styles from these sites are predominantly expanding-stemmed forms characteristic of the middle Kansas City Hopewell period. Ceramics are plain-surfaced and more typical of late Kansas City Hopewell ceramics." Schmits et al., p. 10, figure 3. shows that site 23JA115 is located in Lee's Summit, near the intersection of Lee's Summit Road and NW Anderson Drive.}} Stone tools and organic remains suggest that temporary campsites in what is now Lee's Summit were used to hunt for deer, bison, and other small mammals, roughly 700 years ago.<ref>Schmits et al., p. 244</ref>{{Efn|Schmits et al. says of site 23JA43, "The lithic assemblage indicates that the site represents a residential extractive camp focused on the manufacture and use of chipped stone tools for hunting, butchering and hide preparation. Faunal remains indicate that subsistence was based on white-tailed deer. Bison and a number of small mammals such as raccoon, woodchuck and cottontail were of lesser importance." Schmits et al., p. 10, figure 3. shows that site 23JA43 is located in Lee's Summit, near Lee's Summit Road and NW Anderson Drive.}}
At the time of first contact between indigenous Missourians and Europeans, in the 1670s, present-day Lee's Summit represented part of the northwestern border of the territory occupied by the [[Osage people|Little Osage people]]. Other nearby groups included the [[Missouria]]s to the north and the [[Kansa people|Kanzas]] to the west.<ref>Olson, pp. 86-87</ref><ref>Schmits et al., p. 16</ref> The area was likely used as hunting grounds by [[Osage Nation|the Osage]].<ref>Schwenk, pp. 2-3</ref><ref>Wood, p. 17</ref>
In 1682, [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]] claimed for France the [[Mississippi River]] basin as the territory of Louisiana, which included present-day Lee's Summit.<ref>Olson, pp. 89-90</ref><ref>Wood, p. 8</ref> In 1762, France secretly ceded the territory to Spain by the [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]].
===19th century===
In 1803, the United States acquired the territory which included the area of present-day Lee's Summit from France in the [[Louisiana Purchase]].<ref>Olson, pp. 110, 134</ref>
[[Osage Nation|The Osage]], weakened by encroaching indigenous groups and American settlers from the east, and under pressure from the United States, ceded the last of their territory in Missouri by treaty in 1825. This included present-day Lee's Summit.<ref>Olson, p. 183</ref><ref>Wood, pp. 17-18</ref>
When commissioners were deciding on where to establish the [[county seat]], they described southern Jackson County as "useless" prairie.<ref>Shortridge, p. 11</ref> At that time in 1827, southern Jackson County, including the area of present-day Lee's Summit, was the rural counterpart to the urbanizing north county. Beginning in the 1830s, Americans from eastern [[Slave states and free states|slave states]] came to settle what is now Lee's Summit, attracted by "its rolling prairie, fertile soil, numerous streams, and stands of timber".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |first= |title=Lee's Summit, Missouri Past and Present |url=https://www.flipbookpdf.net/web/site/2de9e82a8671e46263348dbdbad2bd6b197a3bad202005.pdf.html#page/1 |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=Flipbook |publisher=Lee’s Summit Historical Society}}</ref><ref>Schwenk, p. 8</ref> In 1844, [[William Bullitt Howard|William Bulitt Howard]], the eventual founder of Lee's Summit, arrived from Kentucky with his family and slaves.<ref name=":1" /> Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea, the eventual namesake of the city, was a resident of the area according to the [[1850 United States census|1850 census]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Horner |first=John Arthur |date=November 8, 2013 |title=Here a Lea, There a Lea - Everywhere a Lea, a Lea! Part 1 |url=https://kchistory.org/blog/here-lea-there-lea-everywhere-lea-lea-part-1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118123658/https://kchistory.org/blog/here-lea-there-lea-everywhere-lea-lea-part-1 |archive-date=January 18, 2025 |access-date=May 7, 2025 |website=[[Kansas City Public Library]]}}</ref> By 1853, settlers had purchased from the federal government all of the land which now constitutes Lee's Summit. In 1860, [[Prairie Township, Jackson County, Missouri|Prairie Township]] was incorporated in Jackson County, and the community which would later become Lee's Summit was the largest in the new township.<ref>''The History of Jackson County'', pp. 130, 342</ref>
Congress passed the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act|Kansas-Nebraska Act]] in 1854, thereby starting the [[Missouri-Kansas Border War]]. Many of the residents of [[Prairie Township, Jackson County, Missouri|Prairie Township]] held pro-slavery attitudes, and some even fought in [[Bushwhacker|pro-slavery bands of guerrillas]].<ref name=":1" /> The [[Little Blue River (Missouri)|Little Blue River]] valley was an important place of refuge for these [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla forces]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwenk |first=Sarah F. |last2=Parisi |first2=John M. |last3=Weston |first3=Donald E. |date=August 1986 |title=The Cultural Resources of Blue Springs, Missouri |url=https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Blue%20Springs%201986%20Report.pdf |access-date=May 7, 2025 |publisher=Archaeological Associates |page=77 |type=Submitted to the [[Blue Springs, Missouri|City of Blue Springs]], funded by [[National Park Service]] Grant No. 29-85-93l0-020-B of the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]], and administered by the Office of Historic Preservation of the [[Missouri Department of Natural Resources]] |publication-place=Grandview, Missouri}}</ref>{{Efn|Significant portions of Lee's Summit and the Little Blue River valley overlap. See, Shortridge, p. 3, Map 1.}} [[William Bullitt Howard|Howard]], the eventual founder of Lee's Summit, was arrested by a [[Union army|Union]] officer and then spent one month in jail in 1859.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faces of the Jail |url=https://www.jchs.org/faces-of-the-jail |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=Jackson County Historical Society}}</ref> In July 1862, Irvin Walley, a captain in the [[Union army]], shot and killed Henry Washington Younger, an early settler of Lee's Summit.<ref name=":2">''The History of Jackson County'', p. 342</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Croy |first=Homer |url=https://archive.org/details/coleyoungerlasto00home |title=Last of the Great Outlaws |publisher=[[Duell, Sloan and Pearce]] |year=1956 |___location=New York |pages=16–17 |access-date=April 16, 2025}}</ref> Less than two months later, [[Jayhawker|anti-slavery guerrillas from Kansas]] killed Dr. Lea in his home. After these men's deaths, their sons joined up with [[William Quantrill|William Quantrill's]] pro-Confederate gang and participated in the [[Lawrence Massacre]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horner |first=John Arthur |date=November 15, 2013 |title=Here a Lea, There a Lea - Everywhere a Lea, a Lea! Part 2 |url=https://kchistory.org/blog/here-lea-there-lea-everywhere-lea-lea-part-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215135344/https://kchistory.org/blog/here-lea-there-lea-everywhere-lea-lea-part-2 |archive-date=December 15, 2024 |access-date=May 7, 2025 |website=[[Kansas City Public Library]]}}</ref> Most notable among them was [[Cole Younger]], a life-long resident of Lee's Summit and outlaw who would become "Jesse James's right hand".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Croy |first=Homer |url=https://archive.org/details/coleyoungerlasto00home |title=Last of the Great Outlaws |publisher=[[Duell, Sloan and Pearce]] |year=1956 |___location=New York |pages=ix, 32–37 |access-date=April 16, 2025}}</ref><ref>McCullough, p. 24</ref> In response to the [[Lawrence Massacre]], Union General [[Thomas Ewing Jr.|Thomas Ewing, Jr.]], in 1863, issued [[General Order No. 11 (1863)|General Order No. 11]] which forced all residents living outside of Union-occupied towns in Jackson County to prove allegiance to [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]] within fifteen days or else evacuate. This resulted in the desertion of the area of present-day Lee's Summit, with many residents fleeing back to their homes in the east. [[Union army|Union troops]] then burned and razed many of the abandoned farms.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Schwenk, p. 10</ref>
=== Incorporation ===
Upon the end of the [[American Civil War]] in 1865, [[William Bullitt Howard]] returned to his home in Jackson County. He reached a deal with the [[Missouri Pacific Railroad Company]] to plat a town of {{convert|70|acre|km2}} along the path of the tracks south of Kansas City and on the way to [[St. Louis]]. Lots in the center of the town would be reserved for a [[train depot]]. The town was founded as "Strother", named after Howard's wife's family name, in October 1865.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Schwenk, p. 11</ref><ref>''The History of Jackson County'', p. 952</ref>[[Image:LS Platt 1877.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A map plat of Lee's Summit c. 1877, showing the [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]] depot and William Bullitt Howard's land]]
In 1868, the town was officially renamed "Lee's Summit". A flier from 1865 refers to the town as "Strother, formerly known as Lee's Summit", indicating that the town was colloquially known as Lee's Summit prior to its founding by [[William Bullitt Howard|Howard]].{{Efn|1=Also see a petition from the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company filed in St. Louis County and published in the [https://shsmo.newspapers.com/image/571042004/?match=1&terms=%22Lee%27s%20Summit%22 December 24, 1864 edition] of ''The Daily Missouri Democrat'' which refers to "Lee's Summit".}} It is very likely that Lee's Summit was named in honor of Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea, who was killed nearby in 1862. Workers for the [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]] may have painted "Lees Summit" on the side of a boxcar to serve as a temporary [[Train depot|depot]] in the city.<ref name=":3">Schwenk, pp. 11-12</ref> That they wrote "Lee" instead of "Lea" is assumed to be a spelling error, while "Summit" comes from the fact that the city contains the highest point along the railroad between Kansas City and [[St. Louis]].<ref name = "hist1"/><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Contrary to this account, in 1969 Howard's grandson claimed that the town was named in honor of [[Confederate General]] [[Robert E. Lee]] and that [[William Bullitt Howard|Howard]] used the story about Dr. Lea as a cover. Local historians, however, have dismissed this claim.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Winkler |first=Elijah |date=June 3, 2023 |title=Where did the city of Lee's Summit get its name? The history and legacy is complicated |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/your-kcq/article276058136.html |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=[[The Kansas City Star]]}}</ref>
In 1877, Lee's Summit was incorporated as a fourth-class city, and by then it was the "commercial center for the surrounding agricultural community".<ref>Schwenk, pp. 14-15</ref> The primary occupation in Lee's Summit was farming—in particular, raising hogs, growing corn, and fruit orchards.<ref>Schwenk, pp. 19, 22</ref> In 1885, a fire destroyed much of downtown Lee's Summit.<ref name="hist1" /><ref name=":1" />
===20th century to 21st century===
In the early 20th century, Lee's Summit persisted as a small and rural agricultural community. The city's population growth was stunted by its proximity to Kansas City and Independence. Still, the city boundaries were expanded in 1905, and some residential development occurred in the 1900s and 1910s. Property development slowed and then ceased in Lee's Summit during the 1920s and through the [[Great Depression]] and [[World War II]].<ref>Schwenk, pp. 16-17, 31-32</ref>
In 1912, lumber baron and Kansas City civic leader [[Robert A. Long]] began building his estate, [[Longview Farm]], on {{convert|1780|acre|km2}}, much of which was in southwestern Lee's Summit. It took eighteen months to complete with the work of over two thousand laborers. At the time of building, it was considered the largest construction project in the country. At the time of completion, the farm employed over two hundred people who lived on the property. Long's daughter, Loula Long Combs, made a lifelong career of raising champion [[show horse]]s on the farm.<ref name="hist1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Joanna |date=January 14, 2021 |title=KCQ: The History of Longview Farm |url=https://kclibrary.org/news/2021-01/kcq-history-longview-farm |access-date=May 5, 2025 |website=[[Kansas City Public Library]]}}</ref> In 2004, part of the farm was developed into the New Longview neighborhood.<ref name=":4">Shortridge, p. 196</ref>
In March 1922, at the Veterans Memorial Hall in downtown Lee's Summit (now the Third Street Social restaurant), [[Harry S. Truman]] announced he was running for election as County Court judge of the eastern district of Jackson County—the first political candidacy of his career.{{Efn|According to McCullough, the County Court judge was not a judicial position, but an administrative one involving county government spending and contracting. The eastern district included towns such as Independence, Grandview, and Lee's Summit. Mike Pendergast, brother of Kansas City political boss [[Tom Pendergast]], had "responsibility for" this position.}} Years later, in 1956, [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] said of his first political speech that it "was a flop for me". "I was more scared then than I was at any time later, even when I was on the front in the first world war in France.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burnes |first=Brian |date=November 7, 2022 |title=Truman's First Campaign |url=https://www.jchs.org/jchs-e-journal/2022/11/7/trumans-first-campaign |access-date=May 5, 2025 |website=Jackson County Historical Society}}</ref><ref>McCullough, pp. 153-154</ref> During the [[Primary election|primary]] campaign, [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] briefly pursued [[Ku Klux Klan]] membership thinking it would help him secure more votes, in part because of prominent [[cross burning]]s in Lee's Summit.<ref>McCullough, pp. 156-157</ref> Two years later, during his reelection campaign, he faced public opposition from Jackson County [[treasurer]] and Lee's Summit mayor, Todd George, who may have been affiliated with the [[Ku Klux Klan|Klan]].{{Efn|McCullough refers to George as "the local head Klansman". George's family disputes this characterization, saying that they "had independent research conducted, and it found there is no evidence of any such affiliation" and that "in a 1959 memoir, George stated he wanted nothing to do with the KKK". The editorial board of The Kansas City Star points out, however, that "While reports that George was a local leader of the Ku Klux Klan were a matter of some debate, his belief in a racist ideology was indisputable." See Dicus, Todd C. (July 17, 2020). [https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article244272432.html "Discussion about Todd George's name on Lee's Summit roads requires context"]. ''[[Kansas City Star]]''. Retrieved May 5, 2025. See also, [https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article244264797.html "'A memorial to hatred': Lee's Summit should rename streets honoring racist former mayor"]. ''[[Kansas City Star]]''. July 16, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2025.}} [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] claimed that the [[Ku Klux Klan|Klan]] threatened to kill him, and in response he disrupted a [[Ku Klux Klan|Klan]] rally in Lee's Summit, shaming the roughly one thousand attendees for their [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] and [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] views.<ref>McCullough, p. 162</ref> In 1928, [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] as the presiding judge of the County Court undertook the construction of many roads, connecting Lee's Summit to the rest of the [[Kansas City metropolitan area|metro area]], and of a hospital just outside Lee's Summit (later named Truman Medical Center-East, now [[University Health Lakewood Medical Center]]).<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=David W. |date=Spring 2004 |title=Jackson County's Poor Farm Transformed into a Rich Healthcare Center |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51181e81e4b04512ec820440/t/5150f49ee4b00303002f5b18/1364259998819/Vol45-1.pdf |journal=Jackson County Historical Society Journal |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=9–10}}</ref><ref>McCullough, pp. 167-168</ref>
Upon the conclusion of [[World War II]] in 1945, there was enormous demand for [[single-family housing]] across the United States. This demand, combined with the recently built roads, [[Federal Housing Administration]] policy, and the [[G.I. Bill]] initiated the rapid [[suburbanization]] of Lee's Summit. Developers began building entire neighborhoods in the city, but were interrupted from 1950 to 1953 because of the [[Korean War]]. After the war, however, the number of people living in and around Lee's Summit grew significantly. According to the [[1950 United States census|1950 census]], about 2,500 people lived in Lee's Summit, but by 1960 over 8,000 people did. This population growth was a consequence of white Kansas City residents relocating to the suburbs as well as large [[annexation]]s by the city. By the late 1950s, Lee's Summit was no longer an agricultural community, but instead a [[commuter suburb]]—nearly sixty percent of residents worked outside the city, and almost no farming took place.<ref>Schwenk, pp. 140-146</ref>
In 1961, [[Western Electric]] opened a factory in Lee's Summit and within a year employed about three thousand people. The [[Western Electric]] plant, which was in operation until 2002, encouraged the further growth of the city by providing a tax base for additional [[annexation]]s and a well-funded [[public school district]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.westernelectric.com:80/history.html#expand |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819100135/http://www.westernelectric.com:80/history.html#expand |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |access-date=May 7, 2025 |website=[[Western Electric]]}}</ref><ref>Schwenk, pp. 46-48</ref><ref name=":5">Shortridge, p. 154</ref> The city's rapid growth continued through the 1970s and 1980s, reaching over 46,000 residents by 1990. John Knox Village, a long-term care facility, was completed in 1970 and has remained a top employer for the city since. In 1985, the [[Little Blue River (Missouri)|Little Blue River]] was dammed, creating [[Longview Lake]], the site of other amenities such as the Fred Arbanas Golf Course and the [[Longview Community College|MCC-Longview]] community college.<ref name=":5" /> In 2001, the [[Summit Woods Crossing]] retail center was developed in Lee's Summit, and in 2007 the [[Summit Fair]] retail center was built nearby.<ref name=":4" /> Construction of the Downtown Market Plaza, which will include a farmer's market and event space, began in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Annual Report |url=https://cityofls.net/annual-reports/2023-annual-report |access-date=May 8, 2025 |website=City of Lee's Summit}}</ref>
According to criteria set forth by [[Sociology|sociologists]] [[Douglas Massey]] and [[Nancy Denton]], the Kansas City metro area was "hypersegregated" between white and Black residents as recently as the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Massey |first=Douglas S. |title=[[American Apartheid]] |last2=Denton |first2=Nancy A. |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=1993 |isbn=9780674018211 |___location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages=75–77}}</ref> Lee's Summit, as a [[Inner suburb|second-ring]] [[white flight]] suburb,<ref name=":4" /> contributed to a dynamic of [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] between Kansas City and its outlying region. The government policies which helped [[Suburbanization|suburbanize]] the city in the [[Post WWII|post-war period]] excluded Black people from participating in them, effectively making Lee's Summit available exclusively to white people. The [[Federal Housing Administration]] even encouraged suburban developers to include legally unenforceable [[Shelley v. Kraemer|racially restrictive deed covenants]] with the sale of their homes.<ref>Schwenk, p. 41</ref> According to [[sociologist]] Kevin Fox Gotham, residents of Lee's Summit successfully resisted efforts to locate federally [[Subsidized housing in the United States|subsidized housing]] in the suburb, meant to integrate the metro area, in the 1970s and up through the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gotham |first=Kevin Fox |date=October 1998 |title=Suburbia Under Siege: Low-Income Housing and Racial Conflict in Metropolitan Kansas City, 1970-1990 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02732173.1998.9982207 |journal=[[Sociological Spectrum]] |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=459 |via=Taylor & Francis}}</ref> In 1988, 134 Black students in the [[Kansas City Public Schools|Kansas City public school district]] sued the Lee's Summit school district for racial discrimination. In 1990 this case was made part of ''[[Missouri v. Jenkins]]'', which resulted in the creation of the Kansas City [[magnet school]] system and an unprecedented court order doubling the local tax rate, only to be overturned by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] in 1995.<ref>{{Cite court|litigants=Lee's Summit Reorganized School District v. Naylor|opinion=89-1957|court=8th Cir.|date=May 23, 1990|url=https://archive.org/details/micro_IA40385020_2763/micro_IA40385020_2763%201.%20Petition%20for%20Writ%20of%20Certiorari/page/n40/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Connor |first=Tim |date=October 30, 1990 |title=Court opens way for blacks |url=https://kansascity.newspapers.com/image/681517838/ |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |pages=1, 7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 8, 2016 |title=Kansas City's Magnet Schools Were A Dream Realized, Then Gone In A Generation |url=https://www.kcur.org/community/2016-08-08/kansas-citys-magnet-schools-were-a-dream-realized-then-gone-in-a-generation |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=[[KCUR-FM|Kansas City Public Radio]]}}</ref>
==Geography==
Lee's Summit is located near Missouri's western border with [[Kansas]] and is in the northern half of the state. The city borders [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] to the west and northwest, [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]] to the north, [[Unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated]] Jackson County to the east, [[Greenwood, Missouri|Greenwood]] to the southeast, and [[Lake Winnebago, Missouri|Lake Winnebago]] as well as [[Unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated]] [[Cass County, Missouri|Cass County]] to the south.<ref name="city map">{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=City Map of Lee's Summit |url=https://www.modot.org/sites/default/files/documents/CityMap_LEESSUMMIT.pdf |access-date=March 23, 2023 |publisher=[[Missouri Department of Transportation]]}}</ref><ref>Shortridge, p. 192</ref> It is part of the [[Kansas City metropolitan area|Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area]].
Lee's Summit resides partially within and to the south and east of the [[Little Blue River (Missouri)|Little Blue River]] valley.<ref name=":5" /> The north-westernmost boundary of the city follows the course of the [[Little Blue River (Missouri)|Little Blue River]].<ref name="city map" /> There are six major human-made [[reservoir]]s in and around Lee's Summit: [[Lake Jacomo]] (1959), [[Lake Winnebago, Missouri|Lake Winnebago]] (1960s), Raintree Lake (1970s), Lakewood Lakes (1976), [[Longview Lake]] (1986), and [[Blue Springs Lake]] (1989).<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.makeyourdayhere.com/About-Us/History |access-date=May 8, 2025 |website=Jackson County MO Parks + Rec}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 6, 1963 |title=Big Private Lake Plan on Cass Site |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/648125301/?match=1&terms=%22lake%20winnebago%22%20-wisconsin%20-wis%20-wisc |access-date=May 8, 2025 |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |pages=88}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Raintree Lake |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/676258083/?match=1&terms=%22raintree%20lake%22 |access-date=May 8, 2025 |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |pages=40}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2024 |title=Our History |url=https://lpoa.com/about-us/our-history/ |access-date=May 8, 2025 |website=Lakewood Property Owners Association}}</ref> Bethany Falls, a 20-foot-thick [[limestone]] formation, runs underneath Lee's Summit, resulting in bluffs near [[Longview Lake]].<ref>Shortridge, p. 3</ref>
=== Climate ===
Lee's Summit experiences a four-season [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'') with cold days and nights during the winter, and hot days and muggy nights during the summer. No physical features obstruct the flow of air, allowing moist currents from the [[Gulf of Mexico]], dry currents from the semiarid southwest, and cold polar continental currents to interact and affect the weather in the area. This causes the weather to be highly variable, sometimes producing tornadoes and storms. Spring is the season when variation is the highest. Spring is also characterized by high precipitation and moderate temperatures. Summer has warm to hot temperatures and is humid. Precipitation is also high during the summer. Fall has mild days and cool nights, with low precipitation. Winters are dry and moderately cold.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hasan |first=Syed E. |last2=Moberly |first2=Richard L. |last3=Caoile |first3=John A. |date=1988 |title=Geology of Greater Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, United States of America |url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/aeg/eeg/article-abstract/xxv/3/277/137356/Geology-of-Greater-Kansas-City-Missouri-and-Kansas?redirectedFrom=PDF |journal=Bulletin of the [[Association of Engineering Geologists]] |volume=XXV |issue=3 |pages=284–285}}</ref>{{Weather box
| width = auto
| ___location = [[Lee's Summit Municipal Airport]]{{efn|Data used to calculate the average daily high temperatures, the average daily low temperatures, and the overall daily average temperatures of each month are from the Lee's Summit Municipal Airport (1991 to 2020).<ref name = "noaa1">
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00053879&format=pdf
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|title = Station: LEES SUMMIT MUNI AP
|work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
|access-date = October 6, 2023}}</ref>}} and James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area{{efn|
Record high temperatures, record low temperatures, and the data used to calculate the mean monthly high temperatures, the mean monthly low temperatures, the average monthly precipitation and snowfall, the average days with precipitation of each month, and the average days with snowfall of each month are from the James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area (1962 to 2011).<ref name = "noaa2">{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=eax
|title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = October 6, 2023}}
</ref>}}
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 73
| Feb record high F = 80
| Mar record high F = 87
| Apr record high F = 91
| May record high F = 91
| Jun record high F = 103
| Jul record high F = 108
| Aug record high F = 107
| Sep record high F = 107
| Oct record high F = 95
| Nov record high F = 82
| Dec record high F = 73
| year record high F = 108
| Jan avg record high F = 59
| Feb avg record high F = 65
| Mar avg record high F = 77
| Apr avg record high F = 83
| May avg record high F = 88
| Jun avg record high F = 93
| Jul avg record high F = 98
| Aug avg record high F = 98
| Sep avg record high F = 92
| Oct avg record high F = 85
| Nov avg record high F = 73
| Dec avg record high F = 63
| year avg record high F = 99
| Jan high F = 39.0
| Feb high F = 44.3
| Mar high F = 55.4
| Apr high F = 65.5
| May high F = 74.8
| Jun high F = 84.0
| Jul high F = 88.3
| Aug high F = 86.9
| Sep high F = 79.0
| Oct high F = 67.1
| Nov high F = 54.0
| Dec high F = 43.2
| year high F =
| Jan mean F = 30.6
| Feb mean F = 35.1
| Mar mean F = 45.4
| Apr mean F = 55.5
| May mean F = 65.3
| Jun mean F = 74.7
| Jul mean F = 79.0
| Aug mean F = 77.3
| Sep mean F = 69.0
| Oct mean F = 57.2
| Nov mean F = 45.1
| Dec mean F = 34.7
| year mean F =
| Jan low F = 22.1
| Feb low F = 25.9
| Mar low F = 35.4
| Apr low F = 45.5
| May low F = 55.9
| Jun low F = 65.4
| Jul low F = 69.7
| Aug low F = 67.6
| Sep low F = 59.0
| Oct low F = 47.2
| Nov low F = 36.2
| Dec low F = 26.3
| year low F =
| Jan avg record low F = -3
| Feb avg record low F = 2
| Mar avg record low F = 13
| Apr avg record low F = 27
| May avg record low F = 39
| Jun avg record low F = 50
| Jul avg record low F = 56
| Aug avg record low F = 54
| Sep avg record low F = 40
| Oct avg record low F = 28
| Nov avg record low F = 16
| Dec avg record low F = 2
| year avg record low F = -6
| Jan record low F = −19
| Feb record low F = −15
| Mar record low F = −5
| Apr record low F = 11
| May record low F = 28
| Jun record low F = 35
| Jul record low F = 48
| Aug record low F = 43
| Sep record low F = 29
| Oct record low F = 7
| Nov record low F = 0
| Dec record low F = −25
| year record low F = −25
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 0.96
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.43
| Mar precipitation inch = 2.14
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.19
| May precipitation inch = 5.70
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.95
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.57
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.54
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.07
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.39
| Nov precipitation inch = 2.05
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.35
| year precipitation inch =
| Jan snow inch = 2.7
| Feb snow inch = 2.8
| Mar snow inch = 1.3
| Apr snow inch = 0.2
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.5
| Dec snow inch = 1.8
| year snow inch = 4.5
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 5
| Feb precipitation days = 5
| Mar precipitation days = 8
| Apr precipitation days = 10
| May precipitation days = 12
| Jun precipitation days = 10
| Jul precipitation days = 9
| Aug precipitation days = 9
| Sep precipitation days = 8
| Oct precipitation days = 9
| Nov precipitation days = 7
| Dec precipitation days = 6
| year precipitation days =
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 2
| Feb snow days = 2
| Mar snow days = 1
| Apr snow days = 0
| May snow days = 0
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 0
| Nov snow days = 0
| Dec snow days = 2
| year snow days = 9
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name = "noaa1"/><ref name = "noaa2"/>
}}
== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 693
| 1880n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Francis A. |last2=Seaton |first2=Chas. W. |date=June 1, 1880 |title=Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-11.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]] Census Office |page=242}}</ref>
| 1890 = 1369
| 1890n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Robert P. |last2=Wright |first2=Caroll D. |date=1895 |title=Report on Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1890/volume-01/1890-population-part-1-section-2.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]] |page=216}}</ref>
| 1900 = 1453
| 1900n = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Twelfth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1900 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/volume-1/volume-1-p9.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |page=460}}</ref>
| 1910 = 1455
| 1910n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Durand |first=E. Dana |last2=Harris |first2=WM. J. |date=1913 |title=Thirteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1910 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/volume-2/volume-2-p10.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=1077}}</ref>
| 1920 = 1467
| 1920n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Sam L. |last2=Steuart |first2=W. M. |date=1921 |title=Fourteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1920 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1920/volume-1/41084484v1ch3.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=246}}</ref>
| 1930 = 2035
| 1930n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Lamont |first=R. P. |last2=Steuart |first2=W. M. |date=1931 |title=Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/population-volume-1/03815512v1ch06.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=611}}</ref>
| 1940 = 2263
| 1940n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jesse H. |last2=Capt |first2=J. C. |last3=Austin |first3=William Lane |date=1942 |title=Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch06.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=590}}</ref>
| 1950 = 2554
| 1950n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Sawyer |first=Charles |last2=Peel |first2=Roy V. |date=1952 |title=A Report of the Seventeenth Decennial Census of the United States, Census Population: 1950 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-28.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=25-16}}</ref>
| 1960 = 8267
| 1960n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Mueller |first=Frederick H. |last2=Burgess |first2=Robert W. |date=December 2, 1960 |title=1960 Census of Population, Advance Reports Final Population Counts: Missouri |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-pc-a1/15611126ch3.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |___location=Washington D.C. |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=11}}</ref>
| 1970 = 16230
| 1970n = <ref>{{Cite web |date=December 1970 |title=1970 Census of Population, Advance Reports Final Population Counts: Missouri |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1970/pc-v1/26084397v1ch2.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=10}}</ref>
| 1980 = 28741
| 1980n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Baldrige |first=Malcolm |last2=Brown |first2=Clarence J. |last3=Kincannon |first3=C. L. |date=December 1983 |title=1980 Census of Population, General Social and Economic Characterisitcs |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/missouri/1980a_moabc-01.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=27-17}}</ref>
| 1990 = 46418
| 1990n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Franklin |first=Barbara Hackman |last2=Schnabel |first2=Rockwell A. |last3=Villamil |first3=J. Antonio |last4=Bryant |first4=Barbara Everitt |title=1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Missouri |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-27.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=4}}</ref>
| 2000 = 70700
| 2000n = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Donald L. |last2=Price |first2=J. Lee |last3=Barron Jr. |first3=William G. |date=May 2000 |title=2000 Census of Population and Housing, Profiles of General Demographic Characteristics: Missouri |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2001/dec/2kh29.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2025 |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] [[Bureau of the Census]] |page=953}}</ref>
| 2010 = 91364
| 2010n = <ref name = "census quick"/>
| 2020 = 101108
| 2020n = <ref name = "census quick"/>
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 106419
| estref = <ref name = "census quick"/>
| footnote = [[United States Census Bureau]]
}}
[[File:Census Dots, Race and Ethnicity Map Lee's Summit, MO.png|thumb|333x333px|Map of racial distribution in Lee's Summit, [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]]. Each dot is one person: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(115, 178, 255)|White}}
{{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(159, 212, 0)|Black}}
{{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(255, 0, 0)|Asian}}
{{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(255, 170, 0)|Hispanic}}
{{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(140, 81, 181)|Multiracial}}
{{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(153, 102, 51)|Native American/Other}}]]
=== 2020 census ===
The [[2020 United States census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov| access-date=2023-12-17 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> counted 101,108 people, 37,664 households, and 27,316 families in Lee's Summit. The population density was 1,582.3 per square mile (611.0/km{{sup|2}}). There were 39,495 housing units at an average density of 618.1 per square mile (238.7/km{{sup|2}}). The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 78.64% (79,516) [[White (U.S. Census)|white]], 8.92% (9,019) [[African American (U.S. Census)|black or African-American]], 0.32% (321) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.37% (2,401) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.15% (147) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.7% (1,714) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 7.9% (7,990) from two or more races.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race was 5.3% (5,398) of the population.<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Lee's Summit, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br /><small>{{nobold|''Note: the U.S. census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Lee's Summit city, Missouri |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US2941348&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web |title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lee's Summit city, Missouri |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2941348&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web |title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lee's Summit city, Missouri |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2941348&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|64,991
|76,502
|style='background: #ffffe6; |78,003
|91.93%
|83.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |77.15%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|2,437
|7,508
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,886
|3.45%
|8.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.79%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|244
|248
|style='background: #ffffe6; |232
|0.35%
|0.27%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|691
|1,521
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,372
|0.98%
|1.66%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.35%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|43
|109
|style='background: #ffffe6; |142
|0.06%
|0.12%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|37
|138
|style='background: #ffffe6; |379
|0.05%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|863
|1,809
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,696
|1.22%
|1.98%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.63%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|1,394
|3,529
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,398
|1.97%
|3.86%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.34%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''70,700'''
|'''91,364'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''101,108'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
Of the 37,664 households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18; 58.6% were married couples living together; 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 22.9% consisted of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.1.
25.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 88.5 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year [[American Community Survey]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov|access-date=2023-12-17|website=data.census.gov}}</ref> estimates show that the median household income was $93,295 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,679) and the median family income was $108,397 (+/- $3,999). Males had a median income of $61,941 (+/- $2,306) versus $41,989 (+/- $1,903) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $50,625 (+/- $1,528). Approximately, 3.5% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.2% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those ages 65 or over.
===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]]<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-07-08}}</ref>{{Deep link needed|date=March 2023}}, there were 91,364 people, 34,429 households, and 25,126 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1442.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 36,679 housing units at an average density of {{convert|579.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 8.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.7% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.1% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|married couples]] 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 sex makeup of the city was 47.9% [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|male]] and 52.1% [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|female]].
===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]],{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} there were 70,700 people, 26,417 households, and 19,495 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,188.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 27,311 housing units at an average density of {{convert|458.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 93.17% [[White Americans|White]], 3.47% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.36% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.99% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.06% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.52% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.42% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|married couples]] 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, 29.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.6% was from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|females]], there were 91.9 [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|males]]. For every 100 [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|females]] age 18 and over, there were 87.4 [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|males]].
The median income for a household in the city was $60,905, and the median income for a family was $70,702. [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|Males]] had a median income of $49,385 versus $32,837 for [[Sex and gender distinction#U.S. Census|females]]. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $26,891. About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], 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,<ref name="2020 Lee's Summit Major Employers">{{cite web|url=https://www.leessummit.org/site-selection/major-employers/|title=Lee's Summit Economic Development Council Workforce Major Employers |access-date=September 21, 2020}}</ref> the top employers in the city are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of employees
|-
|1
|[[Lee's Summit R-VII School District]]
|2,886
|-
|2
|[[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]]
|2,200
|-
|3
|National Benefits Center
|1,500
|-
|4
|[[GEHA|Government Employees Health Association]]
|1,313
|-
|5
|[[University Health Lakewood Medical Center]]
|1,206
|-
||6
|John Knox Village
|1,000
|-
|7
|[[Saint Luke's Health System]]
|780
|-
|8
|ReDiscover
|708
|-
|9
|City of Lee's Summit
|660
|-
|10
|[[CVS Caremark]] Call Center
|400
|}
== City government ==
Lee's Summit is a [[charter]] and [[Council-manager government|council-manager]] form of government, represented by a [[mayor]] and a [[Municipal council|city council]]. The city council appoints a city manager. Each of the four districts are represented by two [[Councillor|councilmembers]] whose terms are staggered and expire every four years. No [[Councillor|councilmember]] may serve more than two consecutive terms.<ref name = "mayor"/><ref name = "council">{{cite web |title = City Council |url = https://cityofls.net/city-council |publisher = City of Lee's Summit |access-date = March 23, 2023}}</ref>
=== Mayor ===
* William A. Baird
==Education==
Portions of Lee's Summit in Jackson County are served by parts of four public [[school district]]s: [[Lee's Summit R-VII School District]],<!--UNI 18300--> [[Blue Springs R-IV School District]],<!--UNI 05310--> [[Grandview C-4 School District]],<!--UNI 13140--> [[Hickman Mills C-1 School District]]<!--UNI 14340-->.<ref name=JacksonCoCensusSDmap2020>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29095_jackson/DC20SD_C29095.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722214546/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29095_jackson/DC20SD_C29095.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Jackson County, MO|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|date=January 12, 2021|access-date=2025-06-15}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29095_jackson/DC20SD_C29095_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> Almost all of the portion in Cass County is in the [[Raymore-Peculiar R-II School District]]<!--UNI 23730-->. The remainder in Cass County is in the Lee's Summit district<!--UNI 18300-->.<ref>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29037_cass/DC20SD_C29037.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722215545/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29037_cass/DC20SD_C29037.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Cass County, MO |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|date=2025-06-15|accessdate=July 22, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29037_cass/DC20SD_C29037_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
Lee's Summit has four [[Christian school|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]].
[[Metropolitan Community College (Missouri)|Metropolitan Community College]] has the Blue Springs, Grandview Hickman Mills, and Lee's Summit school districts in its in-district taxation area. The Raymore-Peculiar district is in the college's service area, but not its in-district taxation area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mcckc.edu/maps/docs/MCC_Service_Area_District_Map.pdf|title=MCC SERVICE AREAS|publisher=[[Metropolitan Community College (Missouri)|Metropolitan Community College]]|access-date=2025-06-15}}</ref> Longview Community College is located on the western edge of Lee's Summit and is part of the MCC system. It also is home to the Summit Technology Center which is a branch campus of the [[University of Central Missouri]].
Lee's Summit has three [[public library|public libraries]], branches of the [[Mid-Continent Public Library]], on Oldham Parkway, Colbern Road, and Blue Parkway.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mymcpl.org/locations | title=Locations | publisher=Mid-Continent Public Library | access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>
==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
The Historic [[Jefferson Highway]] (known as the "Palm to Pine" highway) runs through Lee's Summit.
===
* [[Image:I-470 (MO).svg|25px]] [[Interstate 470 (Missouri)|I-470]] is an [[Interstate 70 (Missouri)|Interstate 70]] spur through Lee's Summit into southern Kansas City.
* [[Image:US 40.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 40 (Missouri)|US 40]]: Forms half of Lee's Summit's northern border with [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]].
* [[Image:US 50.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 50 (Missouri)|US 50]]: Follows [[Interstate 435 (Missouri)|I-435]] from the west to [[Interstate 470 (Missouri)|I-470]] then spurs off in Lee's Summit and becomes just US 50.
* [[Image:MO-150.svg|25px]] [[Missouri Route 150|Route 150]]: A highway linking southern Lee's Summit, and [[Grandview, Missouri|Grandview]] to the Kansas suburbs at [[State Line Road]].
* [[Image:MO-291.svg|25px]] [[Missouri Route 291|Route 291]]: Formerly an eastern bypass route of [[U.S. Route 71 (Missouri)|US 71]], the minor freeway connects [[Harrisonville]] and Lee's Summit to [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]], [[Sugar Creek, Missouri|Sugar Creek]], [[Liberty, Missouri|Liberty]], [[KCI Airport]] and northern Kansas City. It fuses with [[Interstate 470 (Missouri)|I-470]] through parts of Lee's Summit.
* [[Image:MO-350.svg|25px]] [[Missouri Route 350|Route 350]]: Connector highway that brings together [[Interstate 435 (Missouri)|I-435]] with [[Interstate 470 (Missouri)|I-470]] and [[U.S. Route 50 (Missouri)|US 50]].
====Other====
* [[Lee's Summit (Amtrak station)]]
* [[Lee's Summit Municipal Airport]]
===Healthcare===
Two general medical and surgical hospitals which provide emergency services—Lee's Summit Medical Center and [[Saint Luke's East Hospital]]—are both located in Lee's Summit.
==Media==
* ''[https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/lsjournal/ Lee's Summit Journal]''
* ''[https://lstribune.net/ Lee's Summit Tribune]''
* ''[[The Kansas City Star]]''
== See also ==
{{Portal|Missouri}}
* [[List of people from Lee's Summit, Missouri]]
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
===
* {{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028846505 |title=The History of Jackson County, Missouri |publisher=Union Historical Company |year=1881 |___location=Kansas City, Missouri |access-date=May 7, 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last=McCullough |first=David |title=[[Truman (book)|Truman]] |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |year=1992 |isbn=9780743260299 |___location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |last=Olson |first=Greg |title=Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present |publisher=[[University of Missouri Press]] |year=2023 |isbn=9780826222824 |___location=Columbia}}
* Schmits, Larry J.; Mandel, Rolfe D.; Brooks, Ralph E.; Kost, Ed; Neas, John; Bailey, Bruce C. (1989). [https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA216614.pdf "Prehistory of the Little Blue River Valley, Western Missouri: Archaeological Investigations at Blue Springs Lake"] (PDF) (Report submitted to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], Kansas City District). Shawnee Mission, Kansas: Environmental Systems Analysis, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Schwenk, Sally F. (June 30, 2005). [https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Historic%20Resources%20of%20Lee%27s%20Summit%2C%20MO.pdf "Historic Resources of Lee's Summit, Missouri"] (PDF) (This Multiple Property Documentation Form was prepared for the [[National Register of Historic Places]]). Kansas City, Missouri: Historic Preservation Services LLC. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* {{Cite book |last=Shortridge |first=James R. |title=Kansas City and How It Grew, 1822-2011 |publisher=[[University Press of Kansas]] |year=2012 |isbn=9780700618828 |___location=Lawrence}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Wood |first=W. Raymond |date=December 2013 |title=Ethnohistory and Euro-American Contact in Missouri |url=https://www.academia.edu/15306373/Ethnohistory_and_Euro_American_Contact_in_Missouri |journal=The Missouri Archaeologist |volume=74 |via=Academia.edu}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Lee's Summit}}
* {{Official website|https://cityofls.net/}}
* [http://www.lschamber.com Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce]
{{Kansas City MSA}}
{{Cass County, Missouri}}
{{Jackson County, Missouri}}
{{Missouri}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Lee's Summit, Missouri| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Cass County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Cities in Jackson County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Cities in Kansas City metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1865]]
[[Category:Cities in Missouri]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
| |||