What feedback do you have about Fort Leavenworth (best areas to live, on or off post, crime, etc.)?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 14:19:08 -0400

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2017 8:56 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 08:56:53 -0400

I lived on post when I was there (2012 - 2014). I lived on 7th Cavalry Road. That neighborhood is mixed rank-wise, with everyone from junior enlisted to senior NCOs. Lots of neighborhood drama!

The post is nice, reminded me of a college campus, because, well you have the CGSC right there. I didn't feel that crime was an issue there. Then again, with 3 separate prisons there, I guess they are a constant reminder to those who might be inclined to commit crime, that it's a bad idea.

Wal-Mart is a bit of a drive, but not too bad, and is relatively nice. The shopping is a bit of a drive too, but is a great area that has pretty much everything to could want.

In town, you have to visit Tampico. It's a Mexican restaurant that has great food for reasonable prices, and they give Military discounts. They also make their tortilla chips on site, so they are usually still warm when they are brought out to you. There is also Marlow White, who make the best uniforms going. If you don't have ASUs or want a better set, go visit them.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2017 10:48 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 10:48:45 -0400

We were the from 2011-2012 and loved the area. We lived off post, but the post itself is really nice and has decent enough facilities, i.e. PX, commissary, golf course, MWR facilities, etc., but there is no hospital. There is a clinic on post, but there is no emergency room. As far as the town itself, it is pretty small, but you are fairly close to great shopping and entertainment in KC and the surrounding area. We did not experience any crime while we were there, but there are definitely some sketchy places to avoid, both in Leavenworth and KC, but al in all, it was a very enjoyable year and we would definitely return if the opportunity presented itself.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2017 1:01 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 13:01:43 -0400

I was a 1SG there from 2012-2015. Loved it enough that we are looking at retiring in the area.

Crime: Divide Leavenworth proper horizontally along Limit Street and vertically on 10th St. most of the crime happens in the top right quadrant (it is the quadrant that has the front gate, so it is no different than Killeen or Fayetteville) I lived in the bottom left, never locked my car, never lost anything to theft. There is some crime everywhere, but if you pay attention to the neighborhood watch pages on Facebook, top right is the worst. We are looking west of 20th street ourselves. Don't write off places like Platte City either, Lansing has some good statistics, but their traffic cops are very...active? and they have BSLs that ban pit bulls.

Speaking of Facebook, find and friend Heather Mason Baker, I informally call her the godmother of Leavenworth, she is on the pulse for most things in the area. You can invoke my name when you send the request. I made a job search page and asked her to admin it, she is that helpful.

When you look at houses online, take the "Great Schools" ratings with a grain of salt. My son attended Henry Leavenworth Elementary, which got a 2 out of 10 on Great Schools because it was new, but the teachers were awesome and the administration smooth.

Of course this is all opinion, but the best Mexican food places 1. My favorite is Tampico downtown 2. La Carreta in Lansing is great too 3. Acapulco right outside the gate does not look like much, but I've never had bad food there. Other places come and go and there are a few places that are not bad but not great. All Slabbed Up has awesome barbecue and is pretty cheap.

Join the Kansas City Zoo friends of the Zoo if you have kids. we paid 190 dollars and we got free entry for the four of us for like 19 months. We also got the year combo pack for the aquarium and Lego discovery museum, worth it if you go more than 3 times.

Sagasu Family Martial Arts right outside the front gate on 7th Street is a great family run dojo and had awesome children's programs and a crazy discount when two or more members join. If you check them out tell them I said hi and hope to see them in a year. There is another dojo in Leavenworth, I can't endorse it.

If you're going to go TDY a lot, learn the southern route to the airport, the big blue bridge goes out for construction pretty often, you don't want to learn the other way when you are due for a flight.

Response by SFC Jeff Diaz made Mar 14 at 2017 9:18 AM

SFC Jeff Diaz — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 09:18:08 -0400

Assigned there from 88-90, 91-94, 97-07(KSANG), 10-12, and retired here in 16. Yeah... it's an ok place. *chuckle*

Here's the deal. MSG Bill Hudon has the meat of the crime areas down pat. The city of Leavenworth is adjacent Ft Leavenworth and is, for the most part, a small town with all that goes with that. Platte City and Weston, both about 10-20 minutes drive from the front gate, are the pretty much the same across the river in Missouri. Greater Kansas City (large city) starts 5 mins south of Platte City, or roughly 10-15 minutes south of Lansing (which abuts directly to the south of Leavenworth). Personally, we believed the Lansing schools to be better than Leavenworth, but that was when my son was in school 15 years ago. They just moved the Lansing HS to a newer and better facility just outside town. YMMV.