Military Relocation to Kansas
Kansas's military-relocation picture centers on three real, distinct installations: Fort Riley's roughly 15,400 active-duty soldiers near Manhattan and Junction City, Fort Leavenworth's historic Command and General Staff College, and McConnell Air Force Base's 22nd Air Refueling Wing in Wichita.
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Learn moreFort Riley anchors Kansas's largest active-duty military community
Fort Riley, spanning 101,733 acres across Geary and Riley counties near Junction City and Manhattan, is home to approximately 15,400 active-duty service members, 19,600 family members, and 6,100 civilian employees, alongside roughly 26,000 retirees and veterans in the surrounding community -- a total installation-connected population over 67,000, per this pass's own research. Fort Riley hosts the 1st Infantry Division, the oldest continuously serving active-duty division in the US Army, and this record discloses honestly that on-post troop counts fluctuate with deployment cycles -- a projected 2026 low near 8,000 in spring, rising to a high near 13,000 in summer.
Fort Leavenworth is the oldest active US Army post west of the Mississippi, home to the Command and General Staff College
Fort Leavenworth, established May 8, 1827 by Henry Leavenworth, is the oldest active US Army post west of the Mississippi River and the first organized settlement in what became Kansas Territory, per this pass's own research. It is home to the US Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), founded in 1881 by Gen. William T. Sherman -- CGSC's four schools (Command and General Staff School, School of Advanced Military Studies, School for Command Preparation, and the Sergeants Major Academy) together welcome more than 5,000 students annually, drawn from the US military, interagency partners, and foreign militaries.
McConnell Air Force Base anchors Wichita's Air Force presence as a KC-46 Pegasus main operating base
McConnell Air Force Base, in Wichita, hosts the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, per this pass's own research -- selected as the Air Force's first main operating base for the KC-46A Pegasus, the newest aerial-refueling tanker, alongside a continuing KC-135 Stratotanker mission. This gives Wichita a real, direct military-employment and family-support presence alongside its civilian aviation-manufacturing cluster.
What Kansas-bound military families and veterans should research directly
Military families and veterans considering a Kansas move should research current housing, schools, and family-support resources directly with their specific installation -- Fort Riley (Junction City/Manhattan), Fort Leavenworth, or McConnell Air Force Base (Wichita) -- and should separately confirm current property-tax and homeowners-insurance details for their specific target county, given Kansas's real, complex mill-levy property tax system and its disclosed $3,714-$5,455/year insurance-cost spread.
Key takeaways
- Fort Riley (Geary/Riley counties, near Manhattan/Junction City) hosts approximately 15,400 active-duty soldiers, 19,600 family members, and 6,100 civilian employees -- home to the 1st Infantry Division, the oldest continuously serving active-duty division in the US Army.
- Fort Leavenworth is the oldest active US Army post west of the Mississippi River (established 1827) and home to the Command and General Staff College, which welcomes more than 5,000 students annually.
- McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita hosts the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and was selected as the Air Force's first main operating base for the KC-46A Pegasus tanker.
- Confirm current housing, schools, and family-support resources directly with your specific installation, and separately confirm property-tax and homeowners-insurance details for your target county.
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