19th Century

After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the area east of present day Leawood opened for settlement. The Santa Fe Trail which ran through the area also contributed to the development of the area. The Border Ruffian War (1855-1857), part of a larger conflict known as Bleeding Kansas, damaged the local economy as pro-slavery activists from the slave state of Missouri, attacked settlers, traders, and those traveling along the Santa Fe Trail. Conditions improved with the founding of Oxford, Kansas, the predecessor of Leawood. The township was destroyed by the American Civil War, and there was little left by 1865.

20th Century

Modern Leawood was established in the 1920s, after Oscar G. Lee, a retired police chief from Oklahoma, moved to Johnson County. He supervised the construction of Lee Boulevard for public use.

In 1948, a housing development by the Kroh brothers led to the incorporation as a city. On November 30, 1948, Leawood became a city of the third class with a population of less than 2,000.

By 1959, it had become a city of the second class.

As of 2014, Leawood is a city of the first class with approximately 32,800 residents.

-Wikipedia