Liberal, Kansas
Liberal is a city of 19,316 people in Seward County, Kansas, founded in 1888.
Why visit Liberal
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 14 parks and trails, 23 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Southgate Cinema 6 and Mid-America Air Museum.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 93°F; January lows average 20°F.
Weather in Liberal
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Liberal
Liberal is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of 2024, the population of the city was 18,743. It is located in southwestern Kansas, along U.S. Route 54 highway, near the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. Liberal is the home of Seward County Community College.
From the Wikipedia article Liberal, Kansas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks4
Mid-America Air Museum
Museum · 1.4 mi
2000 W 2nd Street, Liberal
Tu-Sa 09:00-19:00; Su 13:00-17:00
Parks, trails and playgrounds14
Willow Tree Golf Course
Golf course · 1.3 mi
1800 West 15th Street, Liberal
2 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes23
Bricktown Brewery
Restaurant · Barbecue · 0.6 mi
24 East 2nd Street
Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
Eve Cakes Coffee & Brunch
Cafe · Breakfast, Cake, Coffee Shop · 0.4 mi
423 West 2nd Street
We-Mo 08:00-23:00
Midtown Pizzeria and Pub
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.5 mi
222 North Kansas Avenue
Su-Th 11:00-21:45; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:45
The Cozy Corner
Cafe · 0.5 mi
1 South Kansas Avenue
Mo-Th 07:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 07:00-00:00
11 more on the map.
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." In 1885 Rogers built a general store, and with it came an official U.S. Post Office. 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 was opened, more settlers headed to the cheap land that would become Oklahoma.
Natural gas was discovered west of town, in what would become part of the massive Panhandle-Hugoton Gas Field, in 1920. Oil was discovered southwest of town in 1951. In 1963 the largest helium plant in the world, National Helium, was opened.
From the History section of Liberal, Kansas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay10
Budget Host La Fonda Motel
Motel and hotel · 0.9 mi
229 West Pancake Boulevard, Liberal
Churches and places of worship30
Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church
Church · Episcopal
521 North Sherman Avenue, Liberal
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries21
Healthcare2
Map of Liberal
111 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°F | 20°F | 0.5 in | 3.5 in |
| Feb | 51°F | 22°F | 0.4 in | 1.8 in |
| Mar | 61°F | 30°F | 1.2 in | 2.3 in |
| Apr | 70°F | 39°F | 1.8 in | 0.4 in |
| May | 79°F | 50°F | 2.7 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 60°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 93°F | 65°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 64°F | 2.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 84°F | 55°F | 1.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 72°F | 42°F | 2.3 in | 0.7 in |
| Nov | 58°F | 29°F | 0.7 in | 1.0 in |
| Dec | 47°F | 21°F | 0.8 in | 4.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Liberal Hcn (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Seward County has had 10 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2020-03-29: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2017-06-16: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Snowstorm)
- 2017-02-24: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2009-06-24: Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow (Severe Storm)
- 2008-07-09: Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport (LBL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Little Ponderosa 6 mi southeast, about 10 min by car
- Tyrone 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Turpin 12 mi south, about 20 min by car
- Kismet 17 mi northeast, about 27 min by car
- Hooker 20 mi southwest, about 33 min by car
- Plains 24 mi northeast, about 39 min by car
- Forgan 24 mi southeast, about 38 min by car
- Hugoton 25 mi west, about 40 min by car
- Beaver 27 mi southeast, about 44 min by car
- Guymon 39 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
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