[4][5] After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the area east of present-day Leawood opened for settlement.

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.

[7] Leawood was named for Oscar G. Lee, the original land owner of the town site.

[8] Modern Leawood was established in the 1920s, after Oscar G. Lee, a retired police chief from Oklahoma, moved to Johnson County.

Particularly the neighborhoods of Hallbrook, Mission Hill Estates, and Tuscany Reserve were all rated in the top 1%, according to a widely cited research professor.

Nichols developed neighborhoods defined by “large lots, curvilinear streets, uniform architecture, extensive deed restrictions, and homes associations,” according to “Race, Real Estate, And Uneven Development; The Kansas City Experience, 1900-2000” by Kevin Fox Gotham.

The Kroh Brothers for years used restrictive covenants for homeowners similar to those developed by J. C. Nichols, which have come under increasing scrutiny since the George Floyd Protests of 2020.

For example, on April 4, 1945, John A. Kroh Sr., filed the following language for a subdivision called Leawood Estates: “None of said lots or portions of lots shall ever be sold, conveyed, transferred, devised, leased or rented to or used, owned or occupied by any person of Negro blood or by any person who is more than one-fourth of the Semitic race, blood, origin, or extraction, including without limitation in said designation, Armenians, Jews, Hebrews, Turks, Persians, Syrians, and Arabians, excluding, however, from the application of this paragraph partial occupancy by bona fide domestic servants employed thereon.”[10] The Kroh Brothers diversified into shopping malls and office buildings, and developed the original Ward Parkway Shopping Center.

The city's land area is approximately 75% developed and growth is expected to continue in the future.

[13] The 2020 United States census counted 33,902 people, 12,742 households, and 9,974 families in Leawood.

The city has become more Democratic in voting since 2016, going from majority conservative to a reliably swing district with near parity in party identification and fundraising.

[citation needed] As of the census[29] of 2000, there were 27,656 people, 9,841 households, and 8,118 families living in the city.

[30] In 2017, one of the world's largest stained glass works, costing $3.4 million, was established as part of the church's building, depicting stories of Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr.[31] Leawood is also home to three Catholic parishes: Church of the Nativity, Curé of Ars and St. Michael the Archangel.

According to Leawood's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[32] the top employers in the city were: Town Center Plaza is home to a number of upscale stores with few or no other locations in the Kansas City area.

[33] Leawood Police Officers have a dark navy blue uniform, dark blue pants, as well as black shoes or boots, and a badge with the department's insignia on it along with the Kansas state logo.

[37] The family of the nine-year-old boy who built the structure created a Facebook page to support amendment of Leawood's city code.

[39] Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Leawood include Saturday Night Live comedian Heidi Gardner, co-founder of Garmin Corporation Min Kao,[40] romance novelist Julie Garwood,[41] U.S. Representative from Missouri Karen McCarthy,[42] baseball pitcher Dan Quisenberry,[43] founder of Hallmark Cards Joyce Clyde Hall,[44] and tight end for Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce.