Moving from Fort Leavenworth to Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal

Finishing a school or assignment at Fort Leavenworth and heading to Redstone Arsenal? This guide covers the drive, how the weather and costs compare, how Kansas and Alabama taxes differ, and the Alabama deadlines that start when you arrive.

Fort Leavenworth is home to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Command and is the oldest continuously active fort west of the Appalachian Mountains.^[1] Distances and weather use the city of Leavenworth. Price levels use the Kansas City metro area, which includes Leavenworth County.^[2]

Quick facts: Leavenworth, Kan. vs. Huntsville

The drive: Leavenworth, Kan. to Huntsville

The fastest route we computed heads east on I-70 across Missouri through Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis, crosses into Illinois on I-64, then takes I-57 south and I-24 east through Paducah, Ky., to Nashville. From Nashville it's I-65 south toward Huntsville.^[3] Compare it with other routes in a live maps app for current traffic, construction and weather. If you're moving under orders, check what your travel entitlements cover before you plan stops.^[7]

Most families split it over two days, with a stop around St. Louis or Paducah. Watch winter forecasts for I-70 across Missouri. You can search hotels along your route on Expedia. For your first nights in North Alabama, compare Huntsville hotels on Hotels.com (affiliate link: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you; see our disclosure). Book refundable rooms if your pickup or delivery dates might still change.

Cost of living: Huntsville vs. Leavenworth, Kan.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities (RPPs), which compare price levels across metro areas (U.S. average = 100). In 2024, overall prices were about 1% higher in Huntsville than in the Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. metro (93.1 vs. 92.5). Housing costs ran about 11% higher in the Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. metro (86.6 vs. 77.9).^[6] RPPs are metro-wide averages and lag by about two years, so check current rents and listings for the neighborhoods you're considering.

Weather and climate

Huntsville is milder and wetter, with far less snow. NOAA's Leavenworth station averages 55.8°F, 41.27 inches of precipitation and 18.8 inches of snow a year; Huntsville's airport averages 62.9°F, 54.29 inches and 2.4 inches of snow (1991-2020 normals). North Alabama also gets severe storms and tornadoes, so learn tornado safety and sign up for alerts from the National Weather Service Huntsville office.^[4,5,8,9]

Taxes: Alabama vs. Kansas

Active-duty members' state of legal residence, and military spouses' tax residency, follow federal rules such as the SCRA and the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, so a PCS to Alabama doesn't automatically change your tax home. Start with Military OneSource's tax resources or free MilTax help.^[17] This is general information, not tax advice.

When you get to Huntsville

1. Before you leave: contact the Redstone Army Community Service Relocation Readiness Program as soon as you have orders (3443 Aerobee Road; Mon 1–4 p.m., Tue–Fri 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.).^[18,19] Military members can set up household goods in DPS and build a checklist in Plan My Move.^[20,21]
2. Getting on post: DoD ID holders are enrolled automatically at their first gate scan, and family without DoD IDs register at the Visitor Control Center.^[22] Only Gate 9 is open 24/7; see Redstone Arsenal gate hours by gate.
3. Housing: choose your gate and building first, then compare neighborhoods near Redstone Arsenal, on-post housing and the waitlist, and how BAH works for Redstone.
4. Schools and child care: start with the school districts guide and Redstone child care.
5. Within 30 days: new Alabama residents must get an Alabama driver's license within 30 days, and an out-of-state vehicle must be registered within 30 days of entering the state. Active-duty members may keep their home-state registration. Details are in our car registration and license guide.^[23,24,25]
6. Then: work through the first-90-days checklist and sign up for severe-weather alerts. NWS Huntsville says March through May is the busiest severe-weather season, with a second peak in November (Huntsville tornado guide).^[26,9]