Lansing is named for James Lansing, a pioneer settler. Formerly William Lansing Taylor, James changed his name upon his enlistment in 1862 as a hospital steward in the 7th Kansas Cavalry. Following the Civil War, he earned a position at the new state penitentiary in Kansas as a hospital steward. He later resigned and opened a general mercantile store, which held the post office and an apothecary business, in the area called “Town of Progress”. “Doc Lansing”, as he became known, and his friend John C. Schmidt became co-owners of of land that was platted into town lots in 1878; they named the area “Town of Lansing”. Lansing did not become an incorporated city until 1959. The Kansas State Penitentiary, later renamed the Lansing Correctional Facility in 1990, was authorized by the Kansas Constitution in 1859; it is the state's largest and oldest facility for detention and rehabilitation of male adult felons. With the opening of the coal mine at the prison the town became an important shipping point for this product. Lansing was ranked 88 in the top 100 of Money Magazine's 2007 list of best places to live.
Geography
Lansing is located at . The city is situated along the western bank of the Missouri River which also marks the Kansas-Missouri state border. It is bordered by the city of Leavenworth to the north; Kansas City is less than a half-hour to the southeast. U.S. Route 73 passes through the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, is land and is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,265 people, 3,180 households, and 2,496 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 3,371 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 80.2% White, 13.2% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population. There were 3,180 households, of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 21.5% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 59.4% male and 40.6% female.
2000 census
As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 9,199 people, 2,435 households, and 1,913 families living in the city. The population density was 1,080.1 people per square mile. There were 2,548 housing units at an average density of 299.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 81.0% White, 12.5% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population. There were 2,435 households, out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 38.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 164.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 184.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $60,994, and the median income for a family was $65,639. Males had a median income of $36,326 versus $28,315 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,655. About 1.9% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
, with four schools, serves more than 2,000 students.
