Liberal is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Seward County, Kansas Seward County is a county of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Liberal. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 21,964. The county was formed on March 20, 1873, and named after William Seward, a polit ...

, United States. As of 2024, the population of the city was 18,743. It is located in southwestern Kansas, along

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific an ...

highway, near the Kansas-

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

state line. Liberal is the home of

Seward County Community College Seward County Community College (SCCC) is a public community college in Liberal, Kansas. It offers a variety of programs and degrees, including associate degrees, technical certificates, and continuing education opportunties. The college offers ...

History

Early settler Seymour S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving free water to thirsty travelers. Reportedly, Liberal gained its name from the common response to his acts of kindness, "That's very liberal of you."''History: Over One Hundred Years of Being "Liberal"''
- at City of Liberal.com In 1885 Rogers built a

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

, and with it came an official

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

. Rogers named the post office 'Liberal'. After the railroad was built close by, a plan for the town site was created in 1888. A year later the population was around 800. Drought caused some farmers to give up and look for more fertile territory; however, when the nearby

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

was opened, more settlers headed to the cheap land that would become

Natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

was discovered west of town, in what would become part of the massive Panhandle-Hugoton Gas Field, in 1920.

Oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

was discovered southwest of town in 1951. In 1963 the largest

helium Helium (from ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert gas, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is ...

plant in the world, National Helium, was opened.

Geography

Liberal is located in southwestern Kansas at the intersection of U.S. routes 54 and 83. Liberal is north-northeast of

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

, west-southwest of Wichita, and southeast of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. The city lies approximately southwest of the Cimarron River in the High Plains region of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Liberal has a semi-arid steppe climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BSk'') characterized by hot, dry summers, cool, dry winters, and large

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

year-round;

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

averages 63%. On average, January is the coldest month, July is the hottest month, February is the driest month and June is the wettest month. The high temperature reaches or exceeds an average of 80.1 days a year and an average of 16.5 days. The minimum temperature falls to or below on an average of 1.6 days a year. The highest temperature recorded in Liberal was on June 10, 1981; the coldest temperature recorded was on February 27, 1930.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 19,825 people, 6,618 households, and 4,771 families in Liberal. The population density was 1,734.5 per square mile (669.7/km). There were 7,389 housing units at an average density of 646.5 per square mile (249.6/km). The racial makeup was 38.79% (7,690)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(24.25%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 3.31% (657)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 2.47% (489) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 2.59% (514) Asian, 0.03% (6)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 28.82% (5,714) from other races, and 23.98% (4,755) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 68.09% (13,499) of the population. Of the 6,618 households, 44.7% had children under the age of 18; 48.4% were married couples living together; 25.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 23.2% of households consisted of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.9 and the average family size was 3.5. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 6.6% of the population. 30.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 101.8 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $48,434 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,385) and the median family income was $54,167 (+/- $9,562). Males had a median income of $34,371 (+/- $2,664) versus $26,005 (+/- $1,722) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $30,586 (+/- $1,873). Approximately, 10.1% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 20,525 people, 6,623 households, and 4,838 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,118 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.9% Asian, 0.8% American Indian, 0.2%

, 20.6% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 58.7% of the population. There were 6,623 households, of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03, and the average family size was 3.54. The median age was 28.4 years. 32.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.8% were from 25 to 44; 19.4% were from 45 to 64; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city population was 51.4% male and 48.6% female. The median income for a household in the city was $40,247, and the median income for a family was $44,167. Males had a median income of $31,435 versus $25,208 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,668. About 15.3% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the

, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 19,666 people, 6,498 households, and 4,756 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,014 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 63.56%

, 4.21%

, 0.72% Native American, 3.25% Asian, 0.06%

, 23.93% from other races, and 3.27% from two or more races. 43.30% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 6,498 households, out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.46. In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.7% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,482, and the median income for a family was $41,134. Males had a median income of $29,315 versus $22,017 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,108. About 14.3% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

are the main economic drivers of the area. Natural resources include oil, natural gas, water, gravel and sand. The beef industry (ranches, feed lots and packing plants) is Liberal's largest source of employment. Hard

winter wheat Winter wheat (usually ''Common wheat, Triticum aestivum'') are strains of wheat that are planted in the autumn to germinate and develop into young plants that remain in the vegetative phase during the winter and resume growth in early spring. C ...

, corn,

milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Milo (magazine), ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine * ''Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * Milo (video game), ''Milo'' (video game) * Milo ( ...

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

and cotton are common crops. Trucking is a major industry. Dairies and pork processors are a growing business. , 70.2% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.0% was in the armed forces, and 70.2% was in the civilian labor force with 63.4% being employed and 6.9% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 28.5% in production, transportation, and material moving; 20.0% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 19.9% in sales and office occupations; 18.9% in management, business, science, and arts; and 12.6% in service occupations. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: manufacturing (24.4%); educational services, health care, and social assistance (19.4%); and retail trade (10.5%). The cost of living in Liberal is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 80.8. , the median home value in the city was $85,600, the median selected monthly owner cost was $961 for housing units with a mortgage and $383 for those without, and the median gross rent was $648.

Top employers

According to Liberal's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top 10 employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Events

Liberal is famous for its annual

Pancake Day A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a hot surface such ...

race that is held in competition with the town of Olney, United Kingdom for the fastest time between both cities.

Points of interest

Liberal has a water park known as Adventure Bay. The fifth largest collection of

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

and

military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Some military aircraft engage directly in aerial warfare, while others take on su ...

in the United States is located at the

Mid-America Air Museum The Mid-America Air Museum is an aerospace and aircraft museum located at the Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport in Liberal, Kansas, United States. The Mid-America Air Museum is the largest aircraft museum in Kansas. It has on display over ...

. Started with a gift of fifty planes by General Tom (Thomas) Welch, Jr., the museum has more than one hundred aircraft. The Coronado Museum has items from the Native Americans that lived in the area, as well as items from

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

's expedition to the area in 1541, and the history of farming and ranching in the county in more recent times. Liberal is home to "The Land of Oz" exhibit from ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'', a recreation of

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by the American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most o ...

's house and the famed Yellow Brick Road, featuring donated bricks bearing the names of former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...

Ronald Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'',#H2, Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; #H1, Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English ''Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised ...

and

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress who was the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in ...

, and

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

(

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

's daughter). This exhibit was originally designed and displayed for

Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...

in 1981, but relocated here eleven years later by its creator Linda Windler. Liberal Memorial Library is located on North Kansas Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets in Cooper Park. The Book Front entrance was completed in April 1955 and designed by the building's architect George L. Pitcher. Wheeler Williams, a sculptor from New York, signed an agreement in October 1960 to mold the "Pioneer Mother of Kansas." This six foot statue, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. D. K. Baty, was to be erected in Cooper Park on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

, May 30, 1961. It was placed opposite of the "Statue of Liberty," which was donated and placed in Cooper Park by the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

Sports

The Liberal Bee Jays, a semi-professional baseball team, have won five national championships and 13 state championships. The Bee Jays have been coached by three major league managers and have sent 165 players to the major leagues.

Government

Liberal has a commission-manager government with a

city commission City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissio ...

consisting of five members elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

. Elections occur every two years in the odd numbered year, and commissioners serve two-year or four-year terms depending on the number of votes they receive. Each year, the commission appoints a member to serve as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and another to serve as

vice-mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

. The

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

heads the city administration.

Education

Colleges

Primary and secondary

The community is served by Liberal USD 480 public school district, which operates twelve schools in the city: * Bright Start Pre-K Center (Pre-K) * Cottonwood Elementary School (K–5) * MacArthur Elementary School (K–5) * Meadowlark Elementary School (K–5) * Prairie View Elementary School (K–5) * Sunflower Intermediate School (K–5) * Eisenhower Middle School (6–8) * Seymour Rogers Middle School (6–8) * Liberal High School (9–12) There is also a

Christian school A Christian school is a Parochial school, religious school run on Christianity, Christian principles or by a Christian organization. These schools often include religious education and worship in their curriculum. They may also have a distinct Ch ...

in Liberal: Fellowship Baptist School (K–12).

Media

Four newspapers are published in Liberal. The ''Leader & Times'' is the city's main daily newspaper, published six days a week. It is the result of the merger between the city's two previous dailies, the ''High Plains Daily Leader'' and the ''Southwest Daily Times''. The publisher of the ''Leader & Times'' also prints a weekly

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

paper, ''El Lider''.

publishes a bi-weekly student newspaper, the ''Crusader''. The fourth paper is the ''Liberal Light'', published weekly. Liberal is a center of broadcast media for southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle. Two AM and seven FM radio stations are

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

to and broadcast from the city. Liberal is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market, and one television station broadcasts from the city: KSWE-LD, a sister station of KDGL-LD in

Sublette, Kansas Sublette is a city in and the county seat of Haskell County, Kansas, United States. As of 2022, the population of the city was 1,333. History Sublette was founded in 1912. It was named for William Lewis Sublette, a French Huguenot who was a ...

. On cable, viewers can receive stations from the Wichita/Hutchinson market (via semi-satellite stations in Garden City/Ensign),

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

' Tulsa affiliate, KOED, as well as

's CBS affiliate,

KFDA-TV KFDA-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Amarillo, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Media alongside Borger-licensed Telemundo affiliate KEYU (channel 31). The two stations share studios on Broadway Drive ( ...

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 83 U.S. Route 83 (US 83) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that extends in the central United States. Only four other north–south routes are longer: US 1, US 41, US 59, and US 87, while ...

runs north–south along the east side of the city, intersecting

which runs northeast-southwest. In addition, Liberal is the western terminus of

U.S. Route 270 U.S. Route 270 (US 270) is a spur of US 70. It travels for from Liberal, Kansas at US 54 and US 83 to White Hall, Arkansas at Interstate 530 (I-530) and US 65. It travels through the states of Arkansas, Oklah ...

which runs concurrently with U.S. 83 south from the city. Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport is immediately west of the city. Publicly owned, it has two operative paved runways and is used primarily for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

United Express United Express is a regional airline network that supports United Airlines operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing six percent of United's total capacity for 2024, United Express ...

provides airline service with daily flights to

. The Tucumcari Line of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

runs parallel to U.S. 54 northeast–southwest through the city. The

City Bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-fl ...

provides fixed-route and dial-a-ride transit services Monday through Friday.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Liberal include: *

Wayne Angell Wayne D. Angell (June 28, 1930 – April 19, 2025) was an American economist, politician and academic who served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 1986 to 1994. Life and career Angell was born in Liberal, Kansas on June ...

(born 1930), economist *

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, college

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach *

Lamar Chapman Lamar A. Chapman (born November 6, 1976) is an American former professional football cornerback who played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2000 ...

(born 1976), NFL and CFL player * Wantha Davis (1917–2012), horse racing jockey * Kasey Hayes (born 1985), professional bull rider *

Kristin Key Kristin Key (born September 25, 1980) is an American comedian who has appeared at The Improv, and on the series ''Last Comic Standing'' and ''Bring the Funny''. She favors a self-deprecating, physical, and improvisational style of comedy and inco ...

(born 1980), comedian *

Shalee Lehning Shalee Lehning (born October 27, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She was associate head coach at the University of Northern Colorado under head coach Kamie Ethridge. Pl ...

(born 1986),

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

guard * M. C. Leist (1942–2022), Oklahoma state legislator * Martin Lewis (born 1975),

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

forward * Laura Gibbs Maczka, mayor, Richardson, Texas *

Kelli McCarty Kelli Rachelle McCarty Oseen (born September 6, 1969) is an American actress, model, photographer and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1991. She then reached the Top 6 at Miss Universe 1991, representing the United States. M ...

(born 1969), 1991

Miss Kansas USA The Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Vanbros and Associates, headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. In 1992, the state joined the Va ...

and

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

, actress *

Jerrod Niemann Jerrod Lee Niemann (born July 24, 1979) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released one single for Category 5 Records (2006); three albums for Sea Gayle Music/Arista Nashville: '' Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury'' (2010), ' ...

(born 1979), country music singer/songwriter *

Kelly Overton Kelly Overton is an American actress. She is known for portraying Vanessa Van Helsing in the 2016 Syfy fantasy drama series ''Van Helsing''. Early life Overton grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. After graduating from Minnechaug Regional Hi ...

, animal rights activist and author * Melvin Sanders (born 1981), professional basketball guard/forward * William Stafford (1914–1993), poet * Doug Terry (born 1968),

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

defensive back * Dallas Trahern (born 1985),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher * Jerame Tuman (born 1976),

tight end *

Larry D. Welch General Larry D. Welch (born June 9, 1934) is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as the 12th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff, he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer respon ...

(born 1934),

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

General

In popular culture

* B. H. Fairchild wrote the poem, "At the Excavation of Liberal, Kansas" (in: ''The Art of the Lathe'',

Alice James Books Alice James Books is an American non-profit poetry press located in New Gloucester, Maine. History and mission "Alice James Books was founded as a co-operative press in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, MA in 1973 by five women and two men: ...

, 1998), in memory of William Stafford; it contains Stafford's poem, "What I Heard Whispered at the Edge of Liberal, Kansas" (from: ''Stories That Could Be True: New and Collected Poems'',

Harper and Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper and his brother John, the company operated as J. & J. Harper until 1833, when ...

, 1977). * In the film ''

National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American black comedy road film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Chris ...

'', Clark W. Griswold suggests altering the family's route of travel in order to visit Liberal so they can see the world's largest house of mud. The idea is rejected by his wife, Ellen, in favor of getting to her cousin Eddie's home. * Season 4, Episode 9 of '' Fargo'' is set in Liberal.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Seward County, Kansas Micropolitan areas of Kansas