Leavenworth County · KS
Lansing, KS
Founded 1878 · 19.8 miles from downtown Kansas City · population 11,246
The market, last twelve months
Half of the homes that sold went under contract within 13 days. The median sale closed at 100.0% of asking - at list. 51% closed at or above the original list price, which is the better measure of how much room a buyer actually has.
Aggregated from Heartland MLS closed sales, twelve months to July 2026. Individual sale prices are not shown - Kansas and Missouri are non-disclosure states and MLS rules do not permit their public display. Ask for the full report if you need them.
How it came to befounded 1878 · where the name comes from · 7 dated events
James Lansing - known locally as 'Doc' Lansing - and John C. Schmidt became co-owners of 90 acres that were platted into town lots in 1878 and recorded as the 'Town of Lansing'. Lansing had worked at the state penitentiary before opening a mercantile store. source 1 source 2
The name. Named for James William Lansing, born William Lansing Taylor in New York. Captured and paroled by Confederate forces during the Civil War, he changed his name so that he could re-enlist - joining the 7th Kansas Cavalry as a hospital steward in 1862. source
Although platted in 1878, Lansing did not incorporate as a city until 1959 - more than eighty years later. source
- 1859The Kansas Constitution authorises the state penitentiary at this site. source
- 1868The Kansas State Penitentiary, built using prison labor, opens in July. source
- 1878James 'Doc' Lansing and John C. Schmidt plat 90 acres as the Town of Lansing. source
- 1879Shaft sinking begins on the penitentiary coal mine (26 November); coal is reached 18 January 1881. source
- 1959Lansing incorporates as a city. source
- 1990The facility is renamed Lansing Correctional Facility by legislation on June 18. source
- 2020A new 2,432-bed complex opens on the grounds, replacing the original stone-walled buildings. source
The housing stockmedian built 1988
The median home sold here was built in 1988. Most of what sells was built between 1955 and 2012. That closely matches the Census figure of 1986 for all housing, so sales are broadly representative of the stock. 71% of sales included finished basement space beyond the above-grade footprint - which matters here, because square footage quoted above grade can understate a house considerably.
What's hereLansing Historical Society and Museum
Lansing Correctional Facility, operated by the Kansas Department of Corrections, is the state's oldest and largest correctional complex for adult male residents. It was authorised by the Kansas Constitution in 1859 and opened in July 1868 as the Kansas State Penitentiary; it was renamed Lansing Correctional Facility by legislation on June 18, 1990. It is a defining land use in the city and a major state employer. source 1 source 2
A 2,432-bed replacement complex, built under a twenty-year lease arrangement between the Kansas Department of Corrections and CoreCivic, opened on the Lansing grounds in 2020, superseding the nineteenth-century stone buildings. source
Coal. A mine at the penitentiary made the town an important shipping point: excavation of the 720-foot shaft began on November 26, 1879, and coal was reached on January 18, 1881. source 1 source 2
- Lansing Historical Society and Museum
- Local museum at 115 East Kansas Avenue. source
Practical detailschool district · highways and transit · 1 employers
- Schools
- Lansing USD 469. boundaries do not follow city limits - the district operates four schools organized K-3, 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12 Confirm the assigned school for any specific address before you rely on it. source
- Getting around
- US Route 73 runs through the city; Leavenworth adjoins to the north and Kansas City, Kansas is under half an hour to the southeast. source
- Employers located here
- Kansas Department of Corrections - Lansing Correctional Facility. Listed as present in the city, which is not a statement about hiring.
People from herePaul Ranous Greever
- Paul Ranous Greever
- United States Representative from Wyoming, born in Lansing source
More images5 more from the archives
Thinking about buying or selling here?
The numbers above describe the market. What they cannot tell you is what your own house is worth in it, or which of these streets fits what you need. Ask me about Lansing.