Greenleaf was founded in 1876. It was incorporated in 1880. Greenleaf was named for A. W. Greenleaf, the treasurer of the Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad. The post office at Round Grove, Kansas; which had been known at various times as Prospect Hill and Hopper, was moved to Greenleaf when the railroad missed the settlement. The Greenleaf school was gutted by fire in 1966. A tornado hit Greenleaf on September 25, 1973. The tornado demolished 42 homes, 26 businesses and took the lives of two children.
Geography
Greenleaf is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all of it land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 331 people, 171 households, and 82 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 199 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.9% White, 0.9% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population. There were 171 households of which 18.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couplesliving together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.0% were non-families. 48.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age in the city was 46.5 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.0% male and 48.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 357 people, 171 households, and 81 families residing in the city. The population density was 770.1 people per square mile. There were 202 housing units at an average density of 435.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 99.44% White, 0.28% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 171 households out of which 18.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.6% were non-families. 50.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 29.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,750, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $16,635 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,084. About 8.3% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.
