Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census The city was named for the American concept of liberty.

In 1830, David Rice Atchison established a law office in Liberty. He was joined three years later by colleague Alexander William Doniphan. The two argued cases defending the rights of Mormon settlers in Jackson County, served Northwest Missouri in Missouri's General Assembly, and labored for the addition of the Platte Purchase to Missouri's boundaries.

In October 1838, the two were ordered by Governor Lilburn Boggs to arrest Mormon founder Joseph Smith Jr. at the Far West settlement in Caldwell County. Immediately after the conclusion of the Mormon War, Smith and other Mormon leaders were incarcerated at the Liberty Jail for the winter as Doniphan labored for a quicker trial date. Although Doniphan led a force of Missouri volunteers ordered to capture the leaders, he defended Joseph Smith in trial and won him a change in venue. While en route to their new venue, Smith and his followers escaped and left Missouri for the new Mormon settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Geography

Liberty is located approximately six miles north of the Missouri River along I-35 and Missouri Route 291.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Liberty had a population of 30,167 in 11,341 households and 7,602 families.

There were 12,042 housing units, of which 5.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 25,391 || 84.2%

|-

| Black or African American || 1,378 || 4.6%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 139 || 0.5%

|-

| Asian || 303 || 1.0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 46 || 0.2%

|-

| Some other race || 478 || 1.6%

|-

| Two or more races || 2,432 || 8.1%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,688 || 5.6%

|}

2016–2020 American Community Survey

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $78,184 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,139) and the median family income was $90,839 (+/- $5,167). Males had a median income of $48,640 (+/- $3,513) versus $32,463 (+/- $1,897) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $40,538 (+/- $2,938). Approximately, 3.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,149 people, 10,582 households, and 7,555 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.4% White, 3.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.

There were 10,582 households, of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.6% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 36.4 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! #

! Employer

! # of Employees

|-

||1

|Liberty Public Schools

|2,109

|-

|2

|Liberty Hospital

|1,400

|-

|3

|Hallmark Cards

|820

|-

|4

|RR Donnelley

|350

|-

|5

|Clay County

|350

|-

|6

|City of Liberty

|325

|-

|7

|Ferrellgas

|263

|-

|8

|Ford Stamping Plant

|256

|-

|9

|William Jewell

|235

|-

|10

|LMV

|185

|}

Education

The Liberty 53 School District, which covers almost all of the municipality, operates ten elementary, four middle and two senior high schools.

Metropolitan Community College has the Liberty school district in its taxation area.

Liberty has a public library, a branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library.

Liberty is also home to William Jewell College, a private, four-year liberal arts college of more than 900 undergraduate students that was founded in 1849.

Notable people

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  • David Allen, former American football running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars and St. Louis Rams
  • David Rice Atchison - United States Senator (D) President Pro-tem March 4–5, 1849
  • Ken Boyer, former third baseman and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals
  • Greg Canuteson, former mayor and state representative
  • James Dewees, keyboardist and back-up vocalist of The Get Up Kids, and started Reggie and the Full Effect
  • Alexander William Doniphan, Mexican War general Missouri State Rep. 1836, 1840, 1854.
  • John Dougherty - United States House of Representatives 1899–1905
  • Hubert Eaton, visionary and developer of the world-famous Forest Lawn cemeteries in California
  • Shea Groom, professional soccer player
  • Gatewood Lincoln, 1898 Graduate of West Point Military Academy, served in the Spanish American War and in both World Wars and twice governor of American Samoa
  • Hunter Mense, Coach for the Toronto Blue Jays
  • George Rice, football player for the Houston Oilers and Chicago Bears
  • Johnny Ringo - Outlaw, lived in Liberty 1856–1858.
  • Nick Robinson, former Stanford University basketball player and 2024 coach at the University of Kentucky.
  • Alex Saxon, actor (The Fosters, Finding Carter)
  • Bill Snyder - former University of Kansas football coach. William Jewell College graduate.
  • Eric Staves, actor Goat (2016 film), Empire (2015 TV series) and American Horror Story: 1984
  • Craig Stevens, star of the 1950s television series Peter Gunn
  • Bennett Stirtz, college basketball player (Northwest Missouri State, Drake, Iowa)
  • Matt Wertz, soft rock singer/songwriter

Cultural references

The Liberty Jail is now an open museum and tourist site. The Clay County Historical Society Museum features period room displays, a historic pharmacy counter, toys and dolls, model trains, tools and more.

Twin towns

  • Diekirch, Luxembourg

See also

  • List of cities in Missouri

References

  • City of Liberty
  • Liberty Area Economic Development
  • Historic maps of Liberty in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri