The town was stimulated in 1871 by being made a stop on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad, which connected it to other markets and developments.

The naming of the town was left to the toss of a coin between Col. Coffey and U.S. Army Captain Blanton.

Law enforcement personnel and civilians recognized them under their disguises of fake beards and attacked the gang members as they fled one of the banks.

[citation needed] After the discovery of its resources of plentiful natural gas and abundant clay, Coffeyville enjoyed rapid growth from 1890 to 1910, as its population expanded sixfold.

Many of the Coffeyville buildings now appearing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) were built during this time period.

From the turn of the 20th century to the 1930s, Coffeyville was one of the largest glass and brick manufacturing centers in the nation.

[6] In March 1927, a racially charged riot occurred after three African American men were arrested on a false accusation of raping two teenage girls.

[13][14] In 1930 residents who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) organized a Sunday School; it was one of only 11 places in Kansas to have such a facility then.

This played a determining role in the perfection of precision daylight bombing during World War II as a result of the bombsight's advanced accuracy and drift correction capability.

The flood topped the local refinery (Coffeyville Resources LLC) levees by 4 feet, allowing oil to pollute the water.

A number of animals were found dead or injured in flood areas, covered with oil.

The flooded area on the city's east side was reopened on July 11 for residents and business owners to begin assessing damage and to retrieve salvageable items.

[17] In order to focus on the post-flood recovery and clean-up, the city and state cancelled the 2007 Inter-State Fair & Rodeo.

[18] The ongoing flood recovery included a wholesale environmental remediation of the flood-affected eastern portion of the city, which continued through late 2008 to early 2009.

Many of the flood-damaged homes were purchased by Coffeyville Resources LLC as a part of its effort to compensate the homeowners affected by the oil spill.

The city is situated about one-half mile north of the Oklahoma state line along the west bank of the Verdigris River.

The city is the location of the lowest point in the state of Kansas at 679 feet (207 m) above sea level.

Coffeyville, specifically a spot just north of Coffeyville Country Club, is the default center starting point of Google Maps, being the accidental center point of the default starting map being displayed, which shows the 48 contiguous United States.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.43 square miles (19.24 km2), all land.

Changes in industry and oil production have caused a loss of jobs in the area, and residents have moved to find work.

[47] Other nearby in-county employers include Cessna Aircraft Division of Textron and Spears Manufacturing, a large producer of extruded PVC pipe products.

[51][citation needed] The community is served by Coffeyville USD 445 public school district, which educates around 2,000 students in three facilities.

[55][56] Coffeyville and surrounding communities are also served by Connections Transportation which has its headquarters in nearby Independence, Kansas.

Coffeyville Municipal Airport (KCFV; FAA ID: CFV), about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast, has two runways, the longest 5,868 by 100 feet (1,789 m × 30 m).

[57] Commercial air transportation is available out of Tulsa International Airport, about 66 miles (106 km) south.

[60] KUSN, a Country station, is licensed to Dearing, Kansas, but broadcasts from Coffeyville on 98.1 FM.

KGGF-FM, licensed to Fredonia, Kansas, broadcasts an Oldies format from Coffeyville on 104.1 FM.