Jackson County · MO
Lake Lotawana, MO
Founded 1927 · 21.8 miles from downtown Kansas City · population 2,442
The market, last twelve months
Half of the homes that sold went under contract within 20 days. The median sale closed at 98.0% of asking - below list. 37% 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 1927 · where the name comes from · 4 dated events
The place exists because of the lake, and the lake is entirely artificial. It was conceived, bought, built and developed by Milton Thompson, owner of the neighboring Highland Farms, then described as the world's largest Hereford cattle breeding farm. Permission for the lake was sought on November 7, 1927; the Lake Lotawana Development Company was incorporated on December 30, 1927; surveying finished June 13, 1928; and the earthen dam was completed in the autumn of 1929, just before the stock market crash. source 1 source 2
The name. The developers took the name from a story of a Native American figure whose name was said to mean 'sparkling water'. This is the account carried by local and reference sources; no primary documentation of the etymology was located, and it should be presented as the traditional account rather than as established fact. source
Incorporated as a Missouri fourth-class city in 1958, thirty years after the lake was begun. It is governed by a mayor and six aldermen serving unpaid two-year terms. source
- 1927Milton Thompson of Highland Farms sought permission to build the lake on November 7, 1927; the Lake Lotawana Development Company was incorporated on December 30, 1927. source 1 source 2
- 1929The earthen dam was completed - 50.7 feet high above the valley floor with a crest roughly 1,900 feet long, impounding 480 acres. source
- 1935A Works Progress Administration project of the 1930s added a 200-foot-wide broad-crested weir spillway with a gated drawdown channel. source
- 1988An April 1988 inspection identified spillway deficiencies under the dam's Class I hazard classification, beginning a rehabilitation to raise spillway capacity from about 7,000 to about 30,000 cubic feet per second. The same period saw the Association take over ownership of the lake, road system and common areas from the development company. source 1 source 2
The housing stockmedian built 1963
The median home sold here was built in 1963. Most of what sells was built between 1938 and 2021. The Census puts the median year built for all housing at 1974, so the homes changing hands skew older than the stock as a whole. 53% 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.
By property type, sales broke down as Single Family (67), Other (1).
What's hereLake Lotawana and its dam
The lake is private and is owned and controlled by Lake Lotawana Association, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation - not by the City. A settlement reached in 1988 gave the Association ownership and complete control of the lake. The Association was incorporated on June 10, 1932, converted to not-for-profit perpetual status in 1982, and enacted its first official rules and regulations document on May 11, 1999. Lake access, docks and use are governed by the Association, and this is a factual attribute a buyer must understand before purchasing. source
The City handles the sewer system and most roadways; the roads around the lake itself are overseen by the Association. Responsibility for a given street therefore depends on where it sits. source
480 acres of surface water and 27 miles of shoreline, described by the City as the largest private lake in the Kansas City area. source
Neighborhoods with their own market data1 with enough sales to report
1 subdivision in Lake Lotawana had enough closed sales in the last twelve months to report on individually.
| Subdivision | Sold | Median price | $/sq ft | Days | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Lotawana | 60 | $667,500 | $550 | 17 | 1961 |
Practical detailschool district · highways and transit
- Schools
- Lee's Summit R-VII School District. boundaries do not follow city limits - the district covers over 117 square miles and serves Lee's Summit, Greenwood, Lake Winnebago and the whole of Lake Lotawana, plus unincorporated eastern Jackson County. The Lone Jack C-6 district boundary runs close to Lake Lotawana's eastern edge. Confirm the assigned school for any specific address before you rely on it. source 1 source 2
- Getting around
- US 50 runs along the north side of the community, connecting west to Lee's Summit and Interstate 470. source
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 Lake Lotawana.