Everything You Need to Know About Leawood, Kansas
With more than 70 years of tradition, Leawood, set in northeast Johnson County, is both a premier residential community and a prestigious business address. Leawood is home to Kansas’ wealthiest zip code. The City features an inviting mix of elegant established neighborhoods, new high-profile developments, and distinctive office buildings. With a population of 35,000 and 15 square miles, it resembles an elongated rectangle running north and south, and is bordered on three sides by the cities of Overland Park and Prairie Village, Kansas and on the fourth by Kansas City, Missouri. Lively retail communities, beautiful parkland, water features and public art provide something for everybody to enjoy in Leawood.
Blake’s Favorite Things About Leawood
About Leawood
Premier suburban city, elegant established neighborhoods, lively retail, beautiful parkland, model city for arts programming, and top-ranking school district.
Distance to Downtown
20 miles / 24 minutes
Outdoor Spaces
Ironwoods Park, The Tomahawk Creek Greenway, City Park, Ironhorse Golf Club
Distance to Airport
35 miles / 35 minutes
School District
Blue Valley 229 USC, Shawnee Mission School District, or Private
Amenities
Leawood Stage Company, Ironwood Ampitheatre, Hallbrook Country Club, The Country Club of Leawood
Walk Score
20
Gym
Anytime Fitness, Orange Theory Fitness, The Bar Method, Fitness and Sports at the J
Bar
Conroy's Public House
Closest Hospital
St. Luke's South, Menorah, Children's Mercy Hospital Overland Park
Shopping
Park Place, Town Center Plaza, Town Center Crossing, Hawthorne Plaza, Prariefire, Mission Farms
Events
Eggstravaganza, Labor Day Run, Fall Festival, Daddy & Daughter Date Night, Breakfast with Santa, Holiday Lighting, A Taste of Leawood
Fun Facts About Leawood
Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the area. In the early 1700s Daniel Boone explored the land with French and American traders. Leawood was named for Oscar G. Lee, a retired police officer and an original owner of the townsite who arrived in Johnson County in 1922 from Oklahoma. Oscar Lee’s purchase became the foundation of present-day Leawood.
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Leawood include the co-founder of Garmin Corporation Min Kao, romance novelist Julie Garwood, baseball pitcher Dan Quisenberry, and founder of Hallmark Cards, Joyce C. Hall.
Best Restaurants in Leawood
Rye
Rye is farm-to-table American fare in a stylish, urban-farmhouse setting. Many wines, spirits and beers are sourced locally and classic cocktails, along with regionally-inspired beverages such as moonshine cocktails are available.
Andres
Andres is a family-owned business rooted in three generations of Swiss-trained confiseurs, handcrafting Swiss-style confections and more in Kansas City since 1955.
Burg & Barrel
Burg & Barrel in south Leawood, serves gourmet burgers (THE BURG) made with fresh, local, quality ingredients as well as rotating craft beer taps and 60+ bottled and canned beers (THE BARREL).
The Roasterie Café
The Roasterie Café is a long-running hangout serving air-roasted coffees, top line teas and syrups, pastries and bagels in a bright, artsy setting in the Town Center Plaza.
The Mixx
The Mixx is Kansas City’s original healthy, quick-casual restaurant. Offered is a full-service juice bar, coffee bar and an in-house bakery which includes alternative, vegan, vegetarian and items with gluten free ingredients.
Blue Valley School District has grown to encompass five high schools, nine middle schools, twenty-one elementary schools, an alternative high school, the Center for Advanced Professional Studies, and Hilltop Campus, all serving 23,000 students. The graduation rate is 96.6 percent, and teaching staff with a master’s degree or higher is 73 percent. The five Blue Valley high schools were named to the U.S. News & World Report’s best high schools list.
The Tomahawk Creek Greenway
The Tomahawk Creek Greenway is a perfect place to exercise while taking in a peaceful afternoon in the woods. Walk, jog, or bike down the trail as it winds along Tomahawk and Indian Creeks. You can stop to fish at any of the three lakes stocked with channel catfish, green sunfish, and largemouth bass. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks stock it every month between April and September.
City Park
With 66 acres, City Park is the hub of Leawood’s recreational activities. Residents take part in formal and informal sports programs that utilize the park’s soccer fields, lighted tennis courts, youth baseball fields, and basketball and sand volleyball courts. There is also a loop-jogging trail that serves as a trailhead for the main path along the Tomahawk Greenway Trail. After a run, take a dip at The Aquatic Center. It features a zero-depth pool, a 145-foot water slide, a baby pool with water toys and fountains, and a sprayground. Canine friends also have a place to play on the far eastern side of City Park, just over the bridge. Leawoof Off-Leash Dog Park opened in October 2014 and provides ample room for dogs of all sizes to romp and play.
Ironhorse Golf Club
Play a round at Ironhorse Golf Club – it is a favorite among golf lovers. This par 72 upscale public golf course is situated on 189 wooded acres and features an 18-hole championship course, with a layout enhanced by natural waterways and prairie grasslands, supported by an extensive practice facility. Other top golf spots in Leawood are Hallbrook Country Club and The Country Club of Leawood.
Park Place
A community surrounded with charm, Park Place offers retail, dining, office, and residential. With the charm of main street, Park Place offers one-of-a-kind boutiques, restaurants, fresh flowers, saltwater fish, a hip hotel, home décor, and more. In the middle of it all sits the beautiful Barkley Square, a community green space featuring year-round activities. In summer, enjoy lively concerts while sipping a refreshing drink on one of the surrounding restaurant patios or rooftop decks. In the winter, the area transforms into “The Ice,” Johnson County’s only outdoor ice skating rink. Throughout the year, various activities add to the vibrant community, such as an annual street fair, an outdoor market expo with 90 vendors, and a family-friendly summer concert series.
Ironwoods Park
Ironwoods Park is home to Outdoor Recreation & Education Programs. Amenities include the Prairie Oak Nature Center, Alpine Towers Challenge Course, and four cabins for overnight camping. A wide variety of programs are offered such as team-building opportunities on the challenge course, scout merit badge programs taught by the outdoor education staff, classes for adults such as bird watching, and rain garden construction.
From the start, the residents of Leawood hoped and planned for a tightly knit community with the convenience of a big city and the peacefulness of a small town. Today, with picturesque parks and streets, highly rated schools, the best of shopping and dining, Leawood is all that the founders had envisioned. Leawood is continuing to progress as an exciting city with a prospering business climate and quality of life. Leawood is widely recognized as a desirable place to live and work.
