Town file
Lenexa, Kansas
Lenexa, Kansas (Johnson County, Kansas) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 577, "Behind A Serial Killer's Mask" (6 March 2025).
- Town
- Lenexa
- County
- Johnson County
- State
- Kansas
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 577
- Approximate location
- 38.965, -94.804
Episode 577 / 6 March 2025 / 179 min / full
Behind A Serial Killer's Mask
"We are going to Lenexa, Kansas; it is in son County, in north-eastern Kansas, about 20 minutes from Kansas City." about 0:04:54
The case: serial murders (1984 to 2000). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 56,755
- Median age
- 38.3
- Median household income
- $96,477 a year
- Median home value
- $401,300
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,400 a month
- Cost of living
- 106 out of 100
- Religious
- 56%
- Property crime
- ▼ about one quarter below the national average
- Violent crime
- ▼ about half the national average
History, in brief
- Twelve years before Lenexa was platted, James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill Hickok, staked a claim on 160 acres at what is now the corner of 83rd Street and Clare Road. about 0:06:12
- The claim was filed in 1857, not far from the Kansas River and twenty miles south-west of Westport, Missouri, the start of the Santa Fe Trail. about 0:06:31
- In 1858 Hickok was elected one of the first four constables of nearby Monticello township. about 0:06:42
- The Great Lenexa Barbecue Battle began in 1982 with 12 teams, 12 judges and no prize money. about 0:13:41
- In 1984 Governor Carlin declared the barbecue battle the official Kansas State championship. about 0:13:05
- By 2025 the contest attracted 200 teams and the grand champion won $3,000. about 0:13:47
The reviews read out
5 stars
"I like Lenexa, the city's motto, holds true for everyone the reviewer has spoken to; from the food to the beautiful nature, Lenexa is a place no one will ever forget."about 0:06:50
2 stars
"The reviewer hates the weather: always too hot or too cold, humid and very windy, with temperatures that can swing from snow in May to 70 degrees the next day."about 0:07:19
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Prairie Village, Kansas9.1 miles
- Edgerton, Kansas16 miles
- Oskaloosa, Kansas32 miles
- Atchison, Kansas45 miles
- Burlingame, Kansas57 miles
- Cameron, Missouri62 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.