View source for Lawrence, Kansas

{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Lawrence, Kansas
|settlement_type          = [[List of municipalities in Kansas|City]] and [[county seat]]
|nicknames                 = LFK,<ref>{{cite web|title=Behind LFK: The acronym created by local printmaker and KU alumna|url=http://www.kansan.com/arts_and_culture/behind-lfk-the-acronym-created-by-local-printmaker-and-ku/article_8dc5971e-7248-11e5-953b-1344b0483548.html|website=kansan.com|date=October 14, 2015 |publisher=University Daily Kansan|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref> Larryville<ref>E.g. {{cite web|title=Larryville Life|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/LarryvilleLife/|website=LJWorld.com|publisher=Lawrence Journal-World|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref>
|motto                    = From Ashes to Immortality<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-lawrence.html |title=Lawrence: From Ashes to Immortality|publisher=Legends of America|access-date=July 3, 2018}}</ref>

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = File:Lawrence, KS August 2025.jpg
|image_caption            = Aerial view of downtown Lawrence (2025)
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               = Lawrence city seal.png

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Douglas County Kansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Lawrence Highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location within [[Douglas County, Kansas|Douglas County]] and [[Kansas]]
|image_map1               = Map of Douglas Co, Ks, USA.png
|map_caption1             = [[Kansas Department of Transportation|KDOT]] map of [[Douglas County, Kansas|Douglas County]] ([[:File:Kansas official transportation map legend.png|legend]])

<!-- Location -->
|coordinates_footnotes    = <ref name="GNIS">{{cite gnis2|479145|Lawrence, Kansas}}</ref>
|coordinates              = {{coord|38|57|35|N|95|15|51|W|region:US-KS_type:city_source:GNIS|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Kansas]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Kansas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Douglas County, Kansas|Douglas]]
|subdivision_type3        = [[List of townships in Kansas|Township]]
|subdivision_name3        =

<!-- Established -->
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1854
|established_title1       = [[Platted]]
|established_date1        =
|established_title2       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2        = February 20, 1858<ref name="KS Inc dates">{{cite web|url=https://kshs.org/research/pdfs/incorporated_cities_alphabetical_with_dates.pdf|title=Incorporated Cities Alphabetical with Dates|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|access-date=May 24, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216093817/https://kshs.org/research/pdfs/incorporated_cities_alphabetical_with_dates.pdf|archive-date=December 16, 2018}} List of Cities in Kansas and their incorporation dates. Lawrence is in the 2nd column on the 4th page.</ref>
|named_for                = [[Amos A. Lawrence]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_type = [[City commission government|City commission]]
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Mike Dever<ref name="CivicWeb 2024">{{cite web |title=City of Lawrence Members |url=https://lawrenceks.civicweb.net/portal/members.aspx?id=10 |website=LawrenceKS.CivicWeb.net |publisher=iCompass |date=2024 |access-date=February 29, 2024 }}</ref>
|leader_title1            = City manager
|leader_name1             = Craig Owens<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lawrenceks.org/cmo/staff/|title=City Manager Staff}}</ref>

<!-- Area -->
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_20.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 24, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_sq_mi         = 34.97
|area_land_sq_mi          = 34.14
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.83
|area_total_km2           = 90.57
|area_land_km2            = 88.42
|area_water_km2           = 2.14
|unit_pref                = Imperial

<!-- Elevation -->
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 991

<!-- Population -->
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census-2020-Profile"/><ref name="Census-2020-QF"/>
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_total         = 94934
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 9, 2025}}</ref>
|pop_est_as_of            = 2024
|population_est           = 97271 {{gain}}
|population_density_sq_mi = auto
|population_density_km2   = auto

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
|utc_offset               = −6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −5
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 66044–66047, 66049
|area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
|area_code                = [[Area code 785|785]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 20-38900
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS ID]]
|blank1_info              = 485609<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|485609}}</ref>
|blank2_name              = [[Interstate Highway System|Interstate highway]]
|blank2_info              = [[Interstate 70 in Kansas|I-70]]
|blank1_name_sec2         = Public transportation
|blank1_info_sec2         = [[Lawrence Transit]]
|website                  = {{URL|https://lawrenceks.org/}}
}}

'''Lawrence''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Douglas County, Kansas]], United States,<ref name="GNIS"/> and the sixth-largest city in the state.  It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride [[Interstate 70 in Kansas|Interstate 70]], between the [[Kansas River|Kansas]] and [[Wakarusa River|Wakarusa]] rivers. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population of the city was 94,934.<ref name="Census-2020-Profile">{{cite web |title=Profile of Lawrence, Kansas in 2020 |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile/Lawrence_city,_Kansas?g=1600000US2038900 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112234414/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile/Lawrence_city,_Kansas?g=1600000US2038900 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Census-2020-QF">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts; Lawrence, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/lawrencecitykansas/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824025434/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/lawrencecitykansas/POP010220 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>  The city is a [[college town]] with a significant student population, because it is home to both the [[University of Kansas]] (KU) and [[Haskell Indian Nations University]] (HINU).

Lawrence was founded by the [[New England Emigrant Aid Company]] (NEEAC) and was named for [[Amos A. Lawrence]], an [[abolitionist]] from [[Massachusetts]], who offered financial aid and support for the settlement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.lawrence.ks.us/about_us |title=About Us &#124; City of Lawrence, KS |website=Ci.Lawrence.KS.us |date=November 21, 1996 |access-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505033308/http://www.ci.lawrence.ks.us/about_us |archive-date=May 5, 2012 }}</ref> Lawrence was central to the [[Bleeding Kansas]] period (1854–1861), and the site of the [[Wakarusa War]] (1855) and the [[Sacking of Lawrence]] (1856). During the [[American Civil War]] it was also the site of the [[Lawrence massacre]] (1863).

Lawrence began as a center of [[Free-Stater (Kansas)|free-state]] politics. Its economy diversified into many industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, and education, beginning with the founding of the University of Kansas in 1865 and Haskell Indian Nations University in 1884.

==History==
{{See also|History of Kansas#Prehistory|label 1=Early Kansas History}}

===Settlement and early years===
The [[Kaw people]], also known as the Kansa, settled the region including what is now Lawrence in the late 17th or early 18th century. A series of treaties with the U.S. government compelled the Kaw to relinquish the land to the [[Shawnee]] and their [[Shawnee Methodist Mission|Indian Reservation]], established in 1830.<ref>David Dary, Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas: An Informal History (Lawrence: Allen Books, 1982), 7–9.</ref> The Kansas Territory was established in May 1854. During this period, the [[Oregon Trail]] ran parallel to the [[Kansas River]], roughly through the area where Lawrence is now. A hill in the area, then known as Hogback Ridge and now known as [[Mount Oread]], which sits on the [[Drainage divide|water divide]] separating the Kansas and [[Wakarusa River]], was used as a landmark and outlook by those on the trail.<ref name="Cutler Douglas Settlers">Andreas (1883), pp. 308{{en dash}}09.</ref> While the territory was technically closed to settlement until 1854, there were a few "[[Squatting|squatter settlements]]" in the area, especially just north of the Kansas River.<ref>Nelson (1995).</ref>

Lawrence was founded "strictly for political reasons"<ref>{{cite web |title=About the City |url=https://lawrenceks.org/about/ |publisher=Lawrence, KS |access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref> having to do with slavery, which was heavily debated in the United States in the early to mid-1800s. [[Northern Democratic Party|Northern Democrats]], led by Senators [[Lewis Cass]] of Michigan and [[Stephen A. Douglas]] of Illinois, promoted "[[popular sovereignty]]" as a [[Popular sovereignty in the United States#Regarding slavery|middle position on the slavery issue]]. Its proponents argued it was more democratic, as it allowed the citizens of newly organized territories (and not Washington, D.C. politicians) to have a direct say as to the legality of slavery in their own lands.<ref name=childers_2011 /><ref name=gilman /> (Meanwhile, enemies of the bill, especially in the north, derisively called this idea "squatter sovereignty".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/popular-sovereignty|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|title=Popular Sovereignty|access-date=August 4, 2018|date=May 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>Lincoln (1989), p. 441.</ref>) Douglas eventually made popular sovereignty the backbone of his [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]]{{em dash}}legislation that effectively repealed the [[Missouri Compromise]] of 1820 and created the territories of [[Kansas]] and [[Nebraska Territory|Nebraska]]{{em dash}}which passed Congress in 1854.<ref name=childers_2011 /><ref name=gilman>Gilman (1914), pp. 5{{en dash}}10.</ref>

[[File:Eli Thayer - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|upright|Lawrence was founded by settlers affiliated with the [[New England Emigrant Aid Company]], headed by [[Eli Thayer]], a Republican in the United States House of Representatives.]]

The Christian abolitionist and [[Protestant]] minister [[Richard Cordley]] later noted that after the bill became law, "there was a feeling of despondency all over the north" because its passage "opened Kansas to [the possibility of] slavery [which many] thought [was] equivalent to making Kansas a slave state".<ref name=cordley1>Cordley (1895), p. 1.</ref> This was largely because nearby [[Missouri]] allowed slavery, and many rightly assumed the first settlers in Kansas Territory would come from Missouri, bringing their penchant for slavery with them.<ref name=cordley1 />

In time, anger at the Kansas–Nebraska Act united antislavery forces into a movement committed to stopping the expansion of slavery, eventually institutionalized as the [[History of the Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].<ref name="childers_2011" /><ref name="gilman" /> Many slavery opponents decided to "meet the question [of slavery in Kansas] on the terms of the bill itself" by migrating to Kansas, electing antislavery legislators, and eventually banning slavery altogether.<ref name="cordley1and2">Cordley (1895), pp. 1{{en dash}}2.</ref><ref name="childers_2011">Childers (2011), pp. 48–70.</ref> These settlers soon became known as "[[Free-Stater (Kansas)|Free-Staters]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofkansas.com/freestate.html|work=Legends of America|date=June 2015|access-date=May 30, 2018|author=Weiss, Kathy|title=Free-Staters of Kansas}}</ref> Even before the bill passed, some people already had this idea. In early May 1854, four men—Thomas W. and Oliver P. Barber, Samuel Walker, and Thomas M. Pearson—toured the new territory with the intention of finding a good place to settle. Their travels included what would become Lawrence, passing up on the spur of Hogback Ridge. The Kansas-Nebraska Act passed while they were in the territory, and they were instrumental in convincing others to come.<ref name="cordley2and3">Cordley (1895), pp. 2{{en dash}}3.</ref> In his book ''A History of Lawrence'' (1895), Cordley wrote:

<blockquote>The most systematic and extensive movement [to populate Kansas], however, was made [by] "[[New England Emigrant Aid Company|The New England Emigrant Aid Company]]" ... The men engaged in it, [[Eli Thayer]] [a Republican in the United States House of Representatives], [[Amos A. Lawrence]] [a [[GOP|Republican]] abolitionist and businessman], and others, began their work at once, arousing public interest and making arrangements to facilitate emigration to Kansas. As early as June, 1854, they sent Dr. [[Charles L. Robinson|Charles Robinson]], of [[Fitchburg, Massachusetts|Fitchburg]], and Mr. [[Charles Branscomb|Charles H. Branscomb]], of [[Holyoke]], to explore the territory and select a site for a colony ... [Previously] Robinson [had journeyed to Kansas, during which] his party climbed the hill along this spur, and looked off over what was afterwards the site of Lawrence. They marked the beauty of the spot and the magnificence of the view. Whether they thought then of what might afterwards occur is not known; but when the time came to select a location for the first colony, Dr. Robinson remembered this view from the hilltop, and this doubtless had much to do in the final decision. When he was asked, therefore, to go and explore the country with a view to locating colonies, it was not altogether an unknown land to him.<ref name=cordley3and4>Cordley (1895), pp. 3{{en dash}}4.</ref></blockquote>

Branscomb was tasked with exploring the Kansas River up to about [[Fort Riley]], while Robinson scouted land near [[Fort Leavenworth]] and the nearby [[Leavenworth, KS|city of the same name]]; after assessing the territory they had surveyed, the two recommended the New England Emigrant Aid Company (NEEAC) send its settlers to claim territory along the Oregon Trail near Hogback Ridge.<ref name=cordley4and5>Cordley (1895), pp. 4{{en dash}}5.</ref><ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence">Andreas (1883), pp. 312{{en dash}}14.</ref> The two likely chose this site because it was the "first desirable location where emigrant Indians had ceded their land rights".<ref>Freedom's Frontier (n.d.), p. 21.</ref> The area was also attractive because it was close to not only on the Oregon Trail, but also the [[Santa Fe Trail|Santa Fe]] and the 1846 Military Trails.<ref>[[Federal Highway Administration]] (2002), p. A64.</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), p. 308.</ref>

[[File:Charles_L._Robinson.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles L. Robinson]] was instrumental in the founding of Lawrence.]]

Concurrent with Robinson and Branscomb's exploration, the NEEAC was soliciting some of its members to settle in Kansas.<ref name=cordley4and5 /> At first, the NEEAC wanted to send a somewhat sizeable group of settlers to claim the land, but a [[cholera]] outbreak in the [[Missouri River Valley|Missouri Valley]] prevented it.<ref>Andreas (1883), p. 312.</ref> In the end, a group of only 29 men{{em dash}}which Eli Thayer later called the "pioneer colony"{{em dash}}volunteered for the job.<ref name=cordley4and5 /> Led by Branscomb, these pioneers left [[Boston]], Massachusetts, and set out for Kansas Territory on July 17, 1854; according to Thayer's antislavery newspaper the ''Kansas Crusader for Freedom'', "Immense crowds had gathered [in Boston] at the station to give them a parting God-speed. They moved out of the station amid the cheering of the crowds who lined the track for several blocks."<ref name=standard360>Connelly (1918), p. 360.</ref><ref name=cordley4and5 /> In late July, the group met Robinson in [[St. Louis]], and he discussed the next leg of the journey with them and provided them with transportation.<ref name=cordley4and5 /> The pioneers arrived in Kansas Territory near the end of July, and at about noon on August 1, they ate their first meal on Hogback Ridge itself, which was soon renamed Mount Oread after the [[Oread Institute]] in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]].<ref name=cordley4and5 /><ref name=19thcenturyhouses5>Armitage and Lee (1992), p. 5.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Harvey |first1=Douglas |title=Fuller's Brushes With Fame |url=http://www.kuconnection.org/archive/2002/03/people_Fullers.asp |website=[[University of Kansas|KU Connection]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130014530/http://www.kuconnection.org/archive/2002/03/people_Fullers.asp |archive-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="biennialreport"/> Immediately thereafter, about half this party set off to claim land in the nearby countryside, where about 15 of the original settlers remained, and began to establish a city between [[Mount Oread]] and the [[Kansas River]] roughly where Massachusetts Street now runs.<ref name=standard360 /><ref name=standard361>Connelly (1918), p. 361.</ref>

While all of this was unfolding, a followup party of 67, guided by Robinson and [[Samuel C. Pomeroy]] (an abolitionist and a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives), left [[Worcester, Massachusetts]], on August 31; along the way to Kansas, settlers of similar political inclinations joined this group, and when the party reached its destination on September 9{{en dash}}11, it had grown to about 114 people.<ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence" /><ref name=standard360 /><ref name=cordley6and7>Cordley (1895), pp. 6{{en dash}}7.</ref> This second party included about ten women, a number of children, and several musicians.<ref name=cordley6and7 /> A third group of settlers arrived in the vicinity of the future city on October 8{{en dash}}9, but many "became disgusted by the outlook" of the settlement and returned to New England, feeling they had been "deceived" by the NEEAC.<ref name=standard361 /> A fourth group of settlers arrived on October 30,<ref name="claims">Andreas (1883), pp. 314{{en dash}}16.</ref><ref name="Cutler Newspapers">Andreas (1883), pp. 316{{en dash}}17.</ref> followed by a fifth on November 20 and a sixth on December 1.<ref name=border>Gilmore (2005), p. 47.</ref> On September 18, the early colonists convened and established a "voluntary municipal government",<ref name=cordley9>Cordley (1895), p. 9.</ref> and by September 20, the settlers had approved a constitution that included principles of prohibitionatory [[Maine law]] to govern their town.<ref name=cordley8and9>Cordley (1895), pp. 8{{en dash}}9.</ref> The settlement was created against threats by pro-slavery men that the free-staters ought to be "driven from the country".<ref name=biennialreport /> The first rally of forces from Lawrence was the night of September 30, done to protect Thomas J. Ferril, a free-state Methodist preacher from Missouri. His assailants surrounded his house, threatening violence and to destroy his property, but retreated after they saw a body of armed free-staters without injury to either side. The next day, a woman tore down a free-state man's tent. Pro-slavery men rallied to prevent the tent's reconstruction by a group of about 20 armed free-staters, but it was completed without violence. The next day, a sizeable band of pro-slavery men appeared, threatening a repeat of the attack, but upon seeing their opponents ready, they retreated with renewed threats of vengeance.<ref name=biennialreport />

When the settlers arrived, most had called their fledgling city simply Wakarusa, after the nearby river of the same name, but other names were considered, such as New Boston (in recognition of both the NEEAC's city of operation and the hometown of many early settlers).<ref name=biennialreport />  Meanwhile, settlers from Missouri derisively called it "[[Yankee]] Town", due to its New England connections.<ref name=biennialreport /> Another name considered around this time was Lawrence.<ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence" /> Many approved of this name in honor of [[Amos A. Lawrence]], an [[Ipswich, Massachusetts|Ipswich]]-based businessman and noted abolitionist, who, Cordley writes, was "a man of wide personal influence" and "one of the first men of means" to fund the Emigrant Aid Company.<ref name="cordley10">Cordley (1895), p. 10.</ref> Others hoped that if they named their town after him, Lawrence would be inclined to support them with monetary donations, which proved correct.<ref>Bisel (2012), p. 32.</ref> Another factor making "Lawrence" a popular choice was that it had "no bad odor attached to it in any part of the Union".<ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence" /> On October 1,<ref name=biennialreport /> the settlement's leaders voted to approve "Lawrence" as the name of their new city, and on October 17, the citizens drew territory lots so as to begin erecting homes and businesses.<ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence" /><ref name="claims" /> Around this time, the settlers got into a heated argument with pro-slavery squatters, who were hoping to establish a city named Excelsior on the land where Lawrence was being constructed. These pro-slavers threatened violence against anyone who stood in their way, but eventually acquiesced to the New Englanders, and no open conflict occurred.<ref name="claims" /><ref name=eb1911 />

In early October 1854, the first governor of the Kansas Territory, [[Andrew Horatio Reeder]], arrived, had a reception and a festival, and after a welcoming speech by Pomeroy, made a conciliatory speech urging harmony and order, while evading the slavery question.<ref name=biennialreport /> Lawrence's first winter was characterized by great hardship, as the people predominantly lived in [[sod house]]s and "[[shack|shanties]] made of clap-boards".<ref name=biennialreport /> About two miles (3.3&nbsp;km) south of Lawrence, at the first election on November 29, 1854<ref name=standard435>Connelly (1918), p. 435.</ref> to elect Congressional delegates, there was a commotion; it ended with a man named Henry Davis attacking a free-stater man named Lucius Kibbee with an [[Arkansas toothpick]] knife.<ref name=biennialreport /><ref>{{cite journal|author=Pantle, Alberta|title=Death Notices from Kansas Territorial Newspapers, 1864-1864: Part One, A-L|journal=The Kansas Historical Quarterly|year=1950|pages=301–529|url=http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1950/50_3_pantle.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030820203353/http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1950/50_3_pantle.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 20, 2003|access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref><ref name=standard435-436>Connelly (1918), pp. 435–436.</ref> The fight ended when Kibbee shot Davis, making this Kansas's first homicide.<ref name=standard435-436/>

[[File:1857 Plymouth Stone Church photo.png|thumb|[[Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence, Kansas)|Plymouth Congregational Church]] in Lawrence was the first church established in [[Kansas Territory]].]]
By the end of 1854, two newspapers touting the [[Slave and free states|free state]] mission had been established in the town: the ''Herald of Freedom'', edited by George W. Brown, and the ''Kansas Pioneer'', edited by John Speer, renamed the ''Kansas Tribune'' after Speer discovered a proslavery ''Kansas Pioneer'' newspaper existed.<ref name=biennialreport /> A third paper, the ''Kansas Free State'', was also created by editors Robert Gaston Elliott and Josiah Miller, and began publication in early January 1855.<ref name="Cutler Newspapers" /><ref name="KSHS kansas free state newspaper">{{cite web|url=https://kshs.org/p/a-look-at-early-lawrence/13271|access-date=May 25, 2019|title=A Look at Early Lawrence|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|author=Carolyn Berneking|date=Autumn 1977|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215215355/https://kshs.org/p/a-look-at-early-lawrence/13271|archive-date=December 15, 2018}} Kansas Historical Society's entry on Robert Elliott. Autumn 1977 (Vol. 43, No. 3), pages 282 to 296</ref><ref name=biennialreport /><ref name="KSGenWeb Douglas1" /> The [[Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence, Kansas)|Plymouth Congregational Church]] was started in September 1854 by Reverend S. Y. Lum, a missionary sent to Kansas from [[Middletown, Orange County, New York|Middletown, New York]].<ref name=cordley13>Cordley (1895), p. 13.</ref> The first post office in Lawrence was established in January 1855,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/page:1/county:DG/sort:County.county_name/direction:asc |title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828–1961 (archived) |publisher=Kansas Historical Society |access-date=June 8, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529170103/http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/page%3A1/county%3ADG/sort%3ACounty.county_name/direction%3Aasc |archive-date=May 29, 2014 }}</ref> and E. D. Ladd was appointed the town's first [[postmaster]].<ref>Cordley (1895), p. 20.</ref> On January 10, 1855, the first school in Kansas was established in Lawrence by voluntary contributions, and it was taught by Edward P. Fitch.<ref name=biennialreport />

==="Bleeding Kansas"===
{{See also|Bleeding Kansas|Wakarusa War}}

At the start of 1855, settlers who held opposing opinions about slavery settled in the Kansas Territory around the Lawrence area and began to vie for political power. Secret societies, called Blue Lodges, were created, and their sole purpose was to make Kansas a slave state. Their plan was to come into Kansas on the day of the election and vote so as to gain control of the legislature.<ref name=cordley28and29>Cordley (1895), p. 28{{endash}}29.</ref> Before the election, a census determined Kansas had a population of 8,601 with 2,905 of them being voters. Lawrence, specifically, had 369 voters.<ref name=cordley28>Cordley (1895), p. 28.</ref> At the legislature election on March 30, 1855, about 700–1,000 armed pro-slavery men from Missouri voted at the election. They came in over 100 wagons, and they were armed with guns, rifles, pistols, and Bowie knives. They also brought two pieces of artillery.<ref name=cordley30and31>Cordley (1895), p. 30{{endash}}31.</ref> Due to their large numbers, they went unchallenged. They left for Missouri the next morning, having camped in Lawrence the night before. Silas Bond was shot at and driven from the polls on the grounds he was "an obnoxious free-state man".<ref name=biennialreport /> 1,034 votes were cast in Lawrence, 232 of which were legal, with 802 being from non-residents. There were only 2,905 legal voters in the territory, but 6,307 votes were cast.<ref name=cordley32>Cordley (1895), p. 32.</ref> The people appealed to Governor Andrew Reeder to set the election aside, to which he agreed initially, but after being threatened by pro-slavery people, he decided to hold another election in districts in which there were protests, such as Lawrence. The people of Lawrence felt this did nothing, and many were uncertain about what would happen or what they needed to do.<ref name=cordley33>Cordley (1895), p. 33.</ref>

In June 1855, a meeting was held in Lawrence, at which resolutions were adopted intending to resist any laws that may be passed by the legislature, and they declared that the legislature was elected by "armed usurpers from Missouri".<ref name=biennialreport /> This paved the way for a larger convention on June 25. Between June 8 and August 15, 1855, seven meetings were held in Lawrence for the purposes of resisting the legislature.<ref name=cordley35>Cordley (1895), p. 35.</ref> The free-state leaders sent George W. Deitzler to the east to secure weapons from other anti-slavery people. Amos Lawrence and others sent crates full of rifles, to which they labeled "books" because "the border ruffians had no use for books, [and] they came through without being disturbed."<ref name=cordley37>Cordley (1895), p. 37.</ref> With the help of [[Horace Greeley]], a howitzer was sent to Lawrence.<ref name=cordley37 /> On August 27, 1855, the proslavery faction in Douglas County (based primarily out of the territorial capital, [[Lecompton, Kansas|Lecompton]], as well as smaller satellite settlements like [[Franklin, Douglas County, Kansas|Franklin]] and [[Lone Star, Kansas|Lone Star]])<ref>{{cite web|title=About Lecompton|url=http://www.lecomptonkansas.com/about-lecompton/|website=Historic Lecompton|date=April 19, 2015|publisher=Lecompton, Kansas|access-date=May 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>Litteer (1987), p. 32.</ref><ref>Parker and Laird (1976), pp. 146{{endash}}62.</ref> got a boost when acting territorial governor [[Daniel Woodson]] appointed the zealously proslavery settler [[Samuel J. Jones]] to the office of county sheriff.<ref>{{cite web|title=Samuel J. Jones (Sheriff), ca.1820-ca.1880|url=http://www.territorialkansasonline.org/~imlskto/cgi-bin/index.php?SCREEN=bio_sketches/jones_sheriff|website=Territorial Kansas|access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref> Then, in October 1855, the outspoken abolitionist [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]] arrived in the Kansas Territory; he brought with him a wagon-load of weapons with which he intended to use to fight off "Satan and his legions" (i.e., proslavery settlers).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bordewich|first1=Fergus|title=John Brown's Day of Reckoning|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-browns-day-of-reckoning-139165084/|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|access-date=April 27, 2018|date=October 2009}}</ref>

For much of 1855, the pro- and antislavery factions existed uneasily. Then on November 21, 1855, after an intense verbal altercation, the proslavery settler Franklin N. Coleman shot the Free-Stater [[Charles W. Dow|Charles Dow]] in the head, killing him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://territorialkansasonline.ku.edu/index.php?SCREEN=show_document&document_id=101751&SCREEN_FROM=keyword&selected_keyword=Dow,%20Charles%20W.&startsearchat=0|title=Experience of John E. Stewart|date=1856|author=John E. Stewart|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name=biennialreport /> The murder was the culmination of a long-simmering feud between them, as for some time they had bickered about a land claim near the Hickory Point post office, about {{convert|14|mi|km}} south of Lawrence.<ref>Litteer (1987), pp. 4{{en dash}}7.</ref><ref>Connelley (2018) [1900], p. 44.</ref> According to the ''Border War Encyclopedia'', "Politics had not motivated Coleman to kill Dow, but the murder marked the genesis of the violent political divisions that characterized Kansas for the next 10 years."<ref name=wakwarcyc/> When Jones investigated the crime, Coleman argued he had acted in [[self-defense]]. The sheriff sided with his proslavery compatriot and chose to instead arrest Dow's free state affiliate Jacob Branson for [[Breach of the peace|disturbing the peace]]. Branson was quickly rescued by [[Samuel Newitt Wood]] and a gang of Free-Staters by breaking him out of jail.<ref name=wakwarcyc/><ref name=wakwarcyc1/><ref>Bisel (2012), pp. 55{{en dash}}56.</ref> He was rescued at one in the morning, just two hours after the arrest. As the gang of free-staters were heading back, they were unsure of what to do.<ref name=cordley50>Cordley (1895), p. 50.</ref> They consulted with Charles Robinson, and they all realized the pro-slavery people would label this act of breaking someone out of jail as an insurrection. They realized the militia would be called to carry out the arrests of those who broke Branson out of jail, but that they would likely use it as an excuse to destroy Lawrence. The rest of the city was unaware of the rescue at this time. It was decided that the men who broke Branson out of jail would need to keep out of the way. Robinson informed the others at a meeting of citizens that morning, to which they agreed.<ref name=cordley51>Cordley (1895), p. 51.</ref> They then started preparing the city for defense.<ref name=crodley52>Cordley (1895), p. 52.</ref>

===Sacking===
{{Main|Sacking of Lawrence}}
To calm the increasingly belligerent settlers, the governor of the Kansas Territory, [[Wilson Shannon]], called on the Kansas militia to intervene. Shannon had intended for the militia to be composed of Kansans, but Jones mustered a small army of 1,200–1,500 proslavery men, all but about 50 of them from Missouri.<ref name=biennialreport /><ref>Litteer (1987), pp. 13{{en dash}}14.</ref><ref name=wakwarcyc1/><ref name=cordley54>Cordley (1895), p. 54.</ref> When the citizens of Lawrence learned of Jones's army, they raised up a defensive militia of 600–800 men armed with "[[Beecher's Bibles]]". Robinson was chosen to direct the city's military operations, the future state senator [[James H. Lane (politician)|James Lane]] was selected as his second-in-command, and a "committee of safety" was also created, which organized squads of about 20 men to keep watch over the city. Lawrence was additionally aided by John Brown and his four sons: John Jr., Oliver, Owen, and Watson. Five forts of earthwork or rifle pits were constructed, and a solid defense was prepared. While both sides were ready for a fight, an outright clash between the two militias was prevented at least in part by the harsh Kansas winter. On December 8, Shannon had had enough and ordered representatives from both sides to meet at the proslavery stronghold of Franklin to sign a peace treaty. Terms were agreed to, and eventually, after much persuading, the Missouri army reluctantly left the area.<ref name=biennialreport /><ref name=wakwarcyc>{{cite web|last1=Mullis|first1=Tony|title=Wakarusa War|url=http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/content/wakarusa-war|website=Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854–1865|access-date=September 5, 2015|date=April 22, 2013}}</ref><ref name=wakwarcyc1>{{cite web|url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/w/wakarusa_war.html |title=Wakarusa War {{en dash}} KS-Cyclopedia {{en dash}} 1912 |publisher=Skyways.Lib.KS.us |access-date=May 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512061914/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/w/wakarusa_war.html |archive-date=May 12, 2012 }}</ref><ref>Fitzgerald (1988), pp. 74{{en dash}}75.</ref> This conflict, despite its rather diminutive size and scale, would later be known as the "[[Wakarusa War]]".<ref name=wakwarcyc1 />

[[File:Sacking-lawrence.jpg|thumb|Ruins of [[The Eldridge Hotel|Free State Hotel]] after the 1856 [[Sacking of Lawrence]]]]

In the spring of 1856, the proslavery forces, hoping to diminish the power of the anti-slavery settlers, singled out the ''Kansas Free State'', the ''Herald of Freedom'', and the [[The Eldridge Hotel|Free State Hotel]] (the latter of which the NEEAC owned and operated) as "nuisances" that needed to be stopped.<ref name="Cutler Newspapers" /> On April 23, 1856 Sheriff Jones entered Lawrence and attempted to arrest about a dozen members of the extralegal [[Free-Stater (Kansas)|Free-State]] legislature (a [[Opposition (politics)|rogue governing body]] set up in opposition to the official proslavery territorial government). During the commotion, Jones was non-fatally shot by a [[sniper]] named Charles Lenhart, and Lawrence residents promptly drove the sheriff out of town.<ref name=biennialreport /><ref>Connelley (2018) [1900], p. 53.</ref><ref name=ball/> The people of Lawrence disavowed the act, and they offered a $500 bounty for the sniper's arrest.<ref name=cordley88>Cordley (1895), p. 88.</ref>

A few weeks later, on May 11, Federal Marshal Israel B. Donaldson proclaimed the act had interfered with the legal execution of warrants against select antislavery settlers.<ref name="ball">Ball (2001), p. 174.</ref> This proclamation was bolstered by a Kansas grand jury's [[wiktionary:presentment|presentment]] that "the building known as the 'Free State' Hotel' {{sic}} in Lawrence had been constructed with a view to military occupation and defence, regularly parapetted and port holed, for the use of cannon and small arms, thereby endangering the public safety, and encouraging rebellion and sedition in this country".<ref>Griffin (1968), pp. 409{{en dash}}26.</ref> Donaldson, Jones, and Missouri senator [[David Rice Atchison]] consequently raised another army of around 800 [[Southern United States|Southerner]]s.<ref>Ball (2001), p. 175.</ref><ref>Monaghan (1984), pp. 55{{en dash}}58.</ref> Ostensibly this army's purpose was to enforce the legal arrest warrants, but the group was also motivated by a desire to stamp out the Free-Stater nest that was Lawrence.<ref name="money_book">Whitfield (2014), p. 14.</ref>

On May 21, Donaldson and Jones rode into town and arrested those who had evaded them. While the citizens of Lawrence hoped the officers would leave peacefully, this did not come to pass.<ref name="money_book" /> Donaldson dismissed his men, who Jomes immediately [[Deputy sheriff|deputized]]. The sheriff was then joined by more followers and together they began to [[Sacking of Lawrence|sack the city]]. After seizing the house of Charles Robinson (who had recently been arrested in Missouri, and was held in prison near Lecompton on grounds of treason)<ref name="biennialreport" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Charles Robinson Arrested in Lexington, Missouri |url=http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/charles-robinson-arrested-lexington-missouri |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011120126/http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/charles-robinson-arrested-lexington-missouri |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 October 2018 |access-date=February 21, 2019|year=2014|website=Civil War on the Western Border|publisher=[[Kansas City Public Library]]}}</ref> to serve as his headquarters, Jones and his men attacked the offices of the antislavery newspapers. The attackers smashed the presses, tossed the [[Sort (typesetting)|type]] into the nearby Kansas River, and threw printed copies of the newspapers into the wind. Afterward, the proslavery mob shot the Free State Hotel with a cannon and burnt it down. Jones and his men then pillaged $30,000 worth of valuables. When Jones left the city, he and his men lit Robinson's house on fire for good measure.<ref name="money_book" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lawrencesack.htm |title=The Sack of Lawrence, Kansas, 1856 |website=EyeWitnessToHistory.com |access-date=May 21, 2012}}</ref>

Although the city was thoroughly ransacked, the human cost of the attack was low: only one person{{em dash}}a member of Jones's posses{{em dash}}died during the attack when he was struck by a piece of falling masonry.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-law-that-ripped-america-in-two-99723670/ |author=Drake, Ross|title=The Law That Ripped America in Two|journal=[[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian Magazine]]|date=May 1, 2004|access-date=October 2, 2017}}</ref> In late September 1856, another sack seemed nigh when, according to the Kansas State Board of Agriculture 1878 Biennial Report, "2,700 proslavery men appeared in sight of Lawrence, and the city was temporarily defended by Free-State men, under the command of Maj. J. B. Abbott".<ref name="biennialreport" /><ref name="KSGenWeb Douglas1" /> However, this threat was neutralized when the recently installed territorial governor [[John W. Geary]] realized what was about to happen and called for federal reinforcements to defend the city.<ref name="biennialreport">[[#Board|Kansas State Board of Agriculture]] (1878), pp. 187–191.</ref><ref name="KSGenWeb Douglas1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1878/douglas.html|title=First Biennial Report, 1878, Douglas County, Kansas|access-date=May 23, 2019|publisher=KSGenWeb}} Kansas State Board of Agriculture 1878 Biennial Report.</ref>

===Anti-slavery capital===
In both 1855 and 1857, Lawrence received a [[Municipal charter|charter]] from the proslavery government in Lecompton, but the citizens, being adamant in their opposition to the "Bogus Legislature", refused to accept it, as it would have organized Lawrence under proslavery laws.<ref name=eb1911>{{harvp|Chisholm|1911|pp=308–309}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction |url=https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/hr/docs/employee_handbook/2015/1_Welcome_Mission_Intro/c_handbook_introduction.pdf |publisher=City of Lawrence |access-date=June 9, 2018 |date=December 2015 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143126/https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/hr/docs/employee_handbook/2015/1_Welcome_Mission_Intro/c_handbook_introduction.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In July 1857, the citizens of Lawrence then attempted to secure an "official" city charter from the [[wiktionary:extralegal|extralegal]] Free-State legislature before issuing one themselves.<ref name=eb1911/><ref name=martiallaw/> This act was seen as one of bold-faced insurrection by the newly-installed territorial governor [[Robert J. Walker]]; as a result, on July 15, 1857 Walker ordered [[William S. Harney]] to send a regiment of soldiers to watch over the city and impose [[martial law]]. These troops remained in the vicinity of Lawrence until the territorial elections in October of that year.<ref name=martiallaw>{{cite web|title=Governor Walker Declares Lawrence in Rebellion|url=http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/governor-walker-declares-lawrence-rebellion|website=Civil War on the Western Border|publisher=[[Kansas City Public Library]]|access-date=May 24, 2018|date=April 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>[[United States Congress]] (1922), p. 71.</ref> By this time, it seemed as if the struggles of Lawrence's early citizens were coming to fruition. In the election of 1857, free-staters gained the upper hand and were able to oust the proslavery majority from the territorial legislature.<ref>{{cite web|title=Free-Staters Win Election|url=http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/free-staters-win-election|website=Civil War on the Western Border|publisher=[[Kansas City Public Library]]|access-date=May 24, 2018|date=April 22, 2013}}</ref> By the start of the next year, Samuel Jones{{em dash}}long the enemy of Lawrence's free state population{{em dash}}resigned his post as sheriff and left the territory.<ref>Adams (1896), p. 276.</ref><ref name=tko>{{cite web|url=http://www.territorialkansasonline.org/%7Eimlskto/cgi-bin/index.php?SCREEN=bio_sketches/jones_sheriff|website=Territorial Kansas Online|access-date=May 2, 2018|title=Samuel J. Jones (Sheriff), ca.1820-ca.1880|date=n.d.}}</ref> On January 16, 1858, Lawrence was declared the [[county seat|seat]] of Douglas County (an honor that previously belonged to Lecompton),<ref>Kansas Territory Legislature (1858), pp. 218{{en dash}}19.</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), p. 310.</ref> and in February, the legislature approved the city charter that had been drafted a little less than a year prior in July. James Blood was then elected the first mayor of the city.<ref name=eb1911/><ref name="Andreas 1883, p. 326">Andreas (1883), p. 326.</ref> Around this time, the antislavery legislature often met in Lawrence, which functioned as the ''de facto'' capital of Kansas Territory from 1858 until 1861 (although Lecompton was still the ''de jure'' seat of the governing body).<ref name=eb1911/>

===Kansas statehood and the American Civil War===
[[File:Battle of Lawrence.png|thumb|Lawrence during the [[Lawrence Massacre]], as illustrated in ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'']]
{{See also|Lawrence massacre|Lawrence blockhouses}}
[[File:Sherman Enderton Quantrill Raid sketch.jpg|thumb|Eyewitness Sherman Enderton's sketch of Quantrill's attack on Lawrence]]
[[File:Lawrence massacre ruins.jpg|thumb|Lawrence in ruins, following the Lawrence Massacre, as illustrated in ''Harper's Weekly''. The ruins of the Eldridge House are in the foreground.]]

On October 4, 1859, the [[Wyandotte Constitution]] was approved in a referendum by a vote of 10,421 to 5,530, and after its approval by the U.S. Congress, Kansas was admitted as a free state on January 29, 1861.<ref name="Adoption">{{cite web|url=http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/kansas-constitutions/16532|title=Kansas Constitutions|website=KSHS.org|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref> By the time the Wyandotte Constitution was framed in 1859, it was clear the proslavery forces had lost in their bid to control Kansas. But while Kansas's entrance into the Union as a free state arguably ended the Bleeding Kansas period, it coincided with the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wyandotte Constitution|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/wyandotte-constitution/13884|website=Kansapedia|publisher=[[Kansas State Historical Society]]|access-date=April 27, 2018|date=April 2010}}</ref> Kansas's admission as a free state immediately followed the departure of the seceding states' pro-slavery congressmen, who until then had blocked it.

During the war, Lawrence became a stronghold for [[Jayhawker]] guerilla units (also known as "Red Legs"), led by James Lane, [[James Montgomery (colonel)|James Montgomery]], and [[Charles R. Jennison|"Doc" Jennison]], among others. These groups raided parts of western Missouri, stealing goods and burning down farms; it was a common belief by Southerners that the goods snatched by these Jayhawkers were stored in Lawrence.<ref>Drago (1998), pp. 4{{en dash}}5.</ref> On August 21, 1863, Lawrence was [[Lawrence Massacre|attacked and destroyed]] by [[William Quantrill]] and hundreds of his [[Irregular military|irregular]] [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Quantrill's Raiders|raiders]]. Most houses and businesses in Lawrence were burned and between 150 and 200 men and boys were murdered,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kancoll.org/books/cordley_massacre/quantrel.raid.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021025065731/http://www.kancoll.org/books/cordley_massacre/quantrel.raid.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2002 |title=The Lawrence Massacre, Part One |publisher=Kancoll.org |date=June 30, 1994 |access-date= May 21, 2012}}</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), pp. 321{{en dash}}23.</ref> leaving 80 widows and 250 orphans.<ref name=biennialreport /> About $2,000,000 worth of property ({{inflation|US|2000000|1863|fmt=eq}}) was destroyed.<ref name=biennialreport /> The [[Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence, Kansas)|Plymouth Congregational Church]] in Lawrence survived the attack, but a number of its members were killed and its records were destroyed.<ref name="Plymouth-History">{{cite web|last=Sellen|first=Al|url=http://www.plymouthlawrence.com/who/history/|title=A Brief Outline of Plymouth's History|publisher=Plymouth Congregational Church|access-date=September 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528051934/http://www.plymouthlawrence.com/who/history/|archive-date=May 28, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Following the Lawrence Massacre, the survivors and their Unionist allies began to clean up the damage and restore their settlement.<ref>Cordley (1895), pp. 251{{en dash}}56.</ref> After a very bitter winter that forced the citizens to temporarily put their work on hold, rebuilding continued into 1864,<ref>Cordley (1895), pp. 253{{en dash}}54, 256.</ref> and was completed with a zeal that Richard Cordley described as akin to "a religious obligation".<ref>Cordley (1895), p. 251.</ref> Given the trauma of 1863, the citizens of Lawrence were on edge during this period of rebuilding; Cordley notes, "Rumors [of guerrilla attacks] were thick and the people [of Lawrence] were particularly sensitive to them."<ref>Cordley (1895), p. 254.</ref> Consequently, Lawrence citizens organized themselves into [[Company (military unit)|companies]] to protect the city.<ref>Cordley (1895), p. 255.</ref> Around this time, the federal government also erected several [[Mount Oread Civil War posts|military posts on Mount Oread]] (among them Camp Ewing, Camp Lookout, and Fort Ulysses) to keep guard over the city. However, no further attacks were made on Lawrence, and these installations were eventually abandoned and dismantled after the war.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pollard|first1=William C. Jr.|title=Kansas Forts During the Civil War|url=http://www.vlib.us/old_west/forts1865.html|website=Kansas History|access-date=May 29, 2018|year=1992}}</ref><ref>Bisel and Martin (2013).</ref>

===Post-Civil War===
{{see also|History of the University of Kansas}}
[[File:Massachusetts Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas, 38 miles west of Missouri River. (Boston Public Library) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Massachusetts Avenue, {{circa}} 1867]]

Attempts to begin a university in Kansas were first undertaken in 1855,<ref name="Cutler KU">Andreas (1883), pp. 324{{en dash}}25.</ref> but it was only after Kansas became a state in 1861 that those attempts saw any real fruition. An institute of learning was proposed in 1859 as The University of Lawrence, but it never opened. When Kansas became a state, provision was included in the [[Wyandotte Constitution|Kansas Constitution]] for a state university.<ref name="Cutler KU" /> From 1861 to 1863 the question of where the university would be located—Lawrence, [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]] or [[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]]—was debated. On January 13, 1863, Manhattan was made the site of the state's [[Land-grant university|land-grant college]],<ref name="Frontier">{{cite book | last = Olson | first = Kevin | title = Frontier Manhattan | publisher = University Press of Kansas | year = 2012 | isbn = 978-0-7006-1832-3}}</ref> leaving only Lawrence and Emporia as candidates. The fact Lawrence had $10,000 plus interest donated by Amos Lawrence plus 40 acres (160,000&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) to donate for the university had great weight with the [[Kansas Legislature|legislature]]. Eventually, Lawrence beat out Emporia by one vote, and in 1866, the [[University of Kansas]] (KU) was opened to students.<ref name="Cutler KU" />

[[File:Overlooking Lawerence and the Kansas River. (Boston Public Library) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Old North College, the first building on KU Campus, overlooking Lawrence and the Kansas River, {{circa}} 1867]]

The first railroad that connected Lawrence was built in 1864, starting from Kansas City. It was surveyed by the Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division, and the first train to Lawrence traveled on November 28, 1864.<ref name="KSHS Railroad timeline">{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/railroads-in-kansas/15120|access-date=May 25, 2019|title=Railroads in Kansas|author=Kansas Historical Society|date=January 2010|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215160044/https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/railroads-in-kansas/15120|archive-date=December 15, 2018}} Kansas Historical Society's timeline of railroads in Kansas.</ref> The first train to operate in Kansas south of the Kansas River did so by crossing the river in Lawrence on November 1, 1867.<ref name="KSHS 1st rail">{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/p/the-building-of-the-first-kansas-railroad/13060|access-date=May 25, 2019|title=The Building of the First Kansas Railroad|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|date=August 1947|author=Harold J. Henderson|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216133627/https://www.kshs.org/p/the-building-of-the-first-kansas-railroad/13060|archive-date=December 16, 2018}} The Kansas Historical Quarterly, August 1947 (Vol. 15, No. 3), pages 225–239.</ref>

[[File:Windmill, Lawrence, Kansas.jpg|thumb|The wind-powered mill two years before its destruction, c. 1903]]
Facing an energy crisis in the early 1870s, the city contracted with Orlando Darling to construct a dam across the Kansas River to help provide the city with power. After an ice jam broke loose and destroyed part of the incomplete dam in the winter of 1873, Darling resigned and left Lawrence shortly thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.bowersockpower.com/about/our-history |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=www.bowersockpower.com}}</ref> The Lawrence Land & Water Company completed the dam anyway later that year, but damage to the dam from seasonal floods continued to plague the company, which went into receivership in 1878, after which it was purchased by James H. Gower and his son-in-law, [[Justin De Witt Bowersock|Justin DeWitt Bowersock]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=H. S. |date=19 December 1878 |title=Sheriff's Sale |pages=2 |work=The Lawrence Daily Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/60228939/?terms=%22Kansas%20River%22%20and%20%22dam%22&match=1&clipping_id=36629639 |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> Only after Bowersock assumed responsibility for dam repairs in 1879 did regular damage to the dam cease. The [[Bowersock Dam]], which remains the only hydropower dam in the state of Kansas, helped Lawrence establish itself as an industrial city. The dam closed in 1968 but was reopened in 1977 with help from the city, which wanted to build a new city hall next to the Bowersock Plant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bowersockpower.com/about/our-history |title=Our History |website=Bowersockpower.com |access-date=May 21, 2012}}</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), pp. 326{{en dash}}27.</ref>

The first wind-powered mill in Kansas was built in Lawrence in 1863 near the corner of what is now 9th Street and Emery Road.<ref name="KS Windmill1">{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/1980autumn_peterson.pdf|title=The Lawrence Windmill|date=Fall 1980|author=John M. Peterson|newspaper=Kansas History, Vol. 3, No. 3, pg. 147 – Autumn 1980|publisher=Kansas Historical Society}} John Peterson's 1980 article about the windmill and its history.</ref> It was partially destroyed during Quantrill's Raid, but it was rebuilt in 1864 at a cost of $9,700.<ref name="KS Windmill2">{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/km/items/view/304788|title=Old windmill in Lawrence, Kansas|access-date=May 24, 2019|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524225740/https://www.kshs.org/km/items/view/304788|url-status=dead}} Some info about the windmill.</ref> It continued to be operational until July 1885, but on April 30, 1905, it was destroyed in a fire.<ref name="KS Windmill1" />

In 1884 the United States Indian Industrial Training School was opened in Lawrence, a Native American Boarding School with the goal of assimilation. Boys were taught the trades of tailor making, blacksmithing, farming and others while girls were taught cooking and homemaking. Most food was produced on site at the Haskell Farm and students were expected to work in addition to their training. In 1885, the school expanded to include academic training and a commercial department with five typewriters opened, starting the first touch-typing class in Kansas.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-11-10|title=School History {{!}} Haskell Indian Nations University|url=https://www.haskell.edu/about/history/|access-date=2021-03-05|language=en-US}}</ref> In 1887 the name was changed to the Haskell Institute, after [[Dudley Haskell]], a legislator responsible for the school being in Lawrence. In 1993 the name was changed again to [[Haskell Indian Nations University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haskell.edu/about.html |title=HINU &#124; About Haskell |website=Haskell.edu |access-date=May 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518023340/http://www.haskell.edu/about.html |archive-date=May 18, 2012 }}</ref>

===20th century and beyond===
[[File:Watkins Museum.JPG|thumb|Watkins Community Museum, once Watkins National Bank and Lawrence City Hall (2008)]]

In 1888, Watkins National Bank opened at 11th and Massachusetts. Founded by Jabez B. Watkins, the bank would last until 1929. Watkin's widow [[Elizabeth Watkins (philanthropist)|Elizabeth]], a philanthropist who also funded buildings for the University of Kansas and two local hospitals, donated the bank building to the city to use as a city hall.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-28 |title=LAWRENCE IN PERSPECTIVE: Elizabeth Watkins |url=https://lawrencebusinessmagazine.com/2018/09/28/lawrence-in-perspective-elizabeth-watkins/ |access-date=2023-11-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1970, the city built a new city hall and after extensive renovations, the bank reopened in 1975 as the [[Elizabeth M. Watkins Community Museum]].<ref name="Watkinsmuseum.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.watkinsmuseum.org/building.shtml |title=The Watkins Building &#124; Douglas County Kansas |website=WatkinsMuseum.org |date=April 14, 2011 |access-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710190620/http://www.watkinsmuseum.org/building.shtml |archive-date=July 10, 2017  }}</ref>

In 1903, the Kansas River flooded causing property damage in Lawrence, especially North Lawrence. The water got as high as 27 feet and water marks can still be seen on some buildings especially at TeePee Junction at the U.S. 24–40 intersection and at Burcham Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/flood-of-1903/17221 |title=Flood of 1903 – Kansapedia – Kansas Historical Society |website=KSHS.org |access-date=May 21, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="LawrenceDary">Dary, David. ''Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas: An Informal History''. Lawrence: Allen Press, 1981.</ref> Lawrence would be hit by other floods in 1951,<ref>{{cite web |first1=Kyle E.|last1=Juracek |first2=Charles A.|last2=Perry |first3=James E.|last3=Putnam |url=https://ks.water.usgs.gov/pubs/fact-sheets/fs.041-01.html |title=USGS – The 1951 Floods in Kansas Revisited |website=KS.Water.USGS.gov |access-date=May 21, 2012}}</ref> where the water rose over 30 feet,<ref name="LawrenceDary" /> and in 1993 but with the reservoir and levee system in place, Lawrence only had minimal damage compared to the other floods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawrenceks.org/pds/floodplain_hazard |title=The Local Flood Hazard &#124; City of Lawrence, KS – Planning & Development Services |website=LawrenceKS.org |access-date=May 21, 2012}}</ref>

Also in 1903, [[Theodore Roosevelt]] visited Lawrence on his way to [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]] where he gave a short speech and dedicated a fountain at 9th & New Hampshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/southpark |title=South Park &#124; City of Lawrence, Kansas – Parks and Recreation |website=LawrenceKS.org |date=August 31, 1910 |access-date=May 21, 2012}}</ref> The fountain was later moved to South Park next to the gazebo. Roosevelt would visit Lawrence again in 1910 after visiting [[Osawatomie, Kansas|Osawatomie]] where he dedicated the [[John Brown Museum|John Brown State Historical Site]] and gave a speech on [[New Nationalism (Theodore Roosevelt)|New Nationalism]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-theodore-roosevelt-s-osawatomie-speech/13176 |title=Kansas Historical Quarterly – Theodore Roosevelt's Osawatomie Speech |publisher=Kansas Historical Society |website=KSHS.org |access-date=May 21, 2012 }}</ref>

In 1871, the Lawrence Street Railway Company opened and offered citizens easy access to hotels and businesses along [[Massachusetts Street]]. The first [[Tram|streetcar]] was pulled by horses and mules and the track just ran along Massachusetts Street. After the 1903 flood, the Kansas River bridge had to be rebuilt but was not considered safe for a streetcar to pass over. The Lawrence Street Railway Company closed later that year. In 1907, C.L. Rutter attempted to bring back a bus system, after having failed in 1902. In 1909, a new streetcar system was implemented putting Rutter out of business and lasting until 1935.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.lawrence.com/project/community/transportation/transportation.html |title=History of Lawrence, Kansas |website=History.Lawrence.com |access-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203215248/http://history.lawrence.com/project/community/transportation/transportation.html |archive-date=December 3, 2008 }}</ref> In 1909, the streetcar company created Casey's Coaster (also known as Daisy's Dozer), a wooden [[roller coaster]] which lasted from 1909 to the 1920s, in Woodland Park.<ref name="LJ-W roller coaster1">{{cite web |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/lawrence-daily-world-jul-09-1909-p-1/ |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |date=July 9, 1909 |title=Will Put Up Ferris Wheel |access-date=May 24, 2019 |page=1 }}</ref><ref name="LJWorld roller coaster">{{cite web |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/28/daisy-dozers-day-lore-surrounding-bygone-roller-co/ |title=The Daisy Dozer's Day |first=Phil |last=Cauthon |date=March 28, 2010 |access-date=May 24, 2019 }} Lawrence Journal-World, mentioning the coaster.</ref>

In 1921, [[Lawrence Memorial Hospital (Kansas)|Lawrence Memorial Hospital]] opened in the 300 block of Maine Street. It started with only 50 beds but by 1980, the hospital would expand to 200.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lmh.org/aboutus/history.jsp |title=Lawrence Memorial Hospital – History |website=LMH.org |access-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809054706/https://www.lmh.org/aboutus/history.jsp |archive-date=August 9, 2012 }}</ref>

In 1927, high school classes were offered at Haskell Institute. Haskell's Athletics were well-knock; they were known as the "Powerhouse of the West"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pember |first=Mary Annette |date=June 1, 2009 |title=Haskell Indian Nations University Commemorates 125th Anniversary, Recognized Painful History |url=http://diverseeducation.com/article/12608/ }}</ref> with victories over Oklahoma A&M, Kansas State, Texas, and Nebraska. The Olympian Jim Thorpe graduated from the program. The last high school class graduated in 1965, the school was transitioning to post-high school education. In 1970, the school became known as Haskell Indian Junior College, and in 1993, "Haskell Indian Nations University".

In 1929 Lawrence began celebrating its 75th anniversary. The city dedicated Founder's Rock, commonly referred to as the Shunganunga Boulder, a huge red boulder brought to Lawrence from near [[Tecumseh, Kansas|Tecumseh]]. The rock honors the two parties of the Emigrant Aid Society who first settled in Lawrence.<ref name="google">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19290919&id=Hn1YAAAAIBAJ&pg=6926,5251632|title=Lawrence Journal-World – Google News Archive Search|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> Lawrence also dedicated the [[Lawrence Municipal Airport (Kansas)|Lawrence Municipal Airport]] on October 14.<ref name="LawrenceDary" />

[[File:Downtown Lawrence.JPG|thumb|The 900 block of Massachusetts Street (2008)]]
[[File:Lawrence, Kansas skyline 2018.jpg|thumb|Downtown Lawrence looking south. The University of Kansas is visible in the upper right on the hill (2018)]]

In 1943, the federal government transported German and Italian prisoners of [[World War II]] to Kansas and other Midwest states to work on farms and help solve the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large [[internment]] camps were established in Kansas: [[Camp Concordia]], Camp Funston (at [[Fort Riley]]), Camp Phillips (at [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]] under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Lawrence.<ref>[http://www.gentracer.org/powcampsKS.html List of Prisoner Of War (POW) Camps in Kansas], Genealogy Tracer</ref> The camp in Lawrence was near 11th & Haskell Avenue near the railroad tracks. The camp would close by the end of 1945.

In 1947, Gilbert Francis and his son George opened Francis Sporting Goods downtown, selling mostly fishing and hunting gear. In November 2014, Francis Sporting Goods, announced its retail business within what had become Lawrence's Downtown [[Historic districts in the United States|Historic District]] would close by the end of the year, allowing the Francis family to focus on supplying uniforms and equipment to teams.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/town_talk/2014/nov/6/downtown-lawrence-retailer-of-67-years-t/ | title= Downtown Lawrence retailer of 67 years to close its doors |first=Chad |last=Lawhorn | date= November 6, 2014 | newspaper= [[Lawrence Journal-World]] | quote= Francis Sporting Goods is closing its downtown store after 67 years in business. The company is not going entirely out of business. Owner Jon Francis ...will solely focus on its team business, which sells uniforms and equipment to everybody from youth baseball teams to college football programs. |access-date= November 7, 2014 }}</ref>

In the early 1980s, Lawrence grabbed attention from the [[made-for-TV movie|television movie]] ''[[The Day After]]''. The TV movie first appeared on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] but was later shown in movie theaters around the world. The movie depicted what would happen if the United States were destroyed in a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]]. The movie was filmed in Lawrence, and hundreds of local residents appeared in the film as extras and in speaking roles.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fallout from 'The Day After' |url= http://www.lawrence.com/news/2003/nov/19/fallout_from/|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World|access-date=June 27, 2012 |first=Jon |last=Niccum |date=November 19, 2003}}</ref>

In 2020, a report commissioned by the Lawrence City Council concluded the city needed to promote a vital expansion or risk turning into an unaffordable albatross, saying "If Lawrence doesn't attract more kinds of businesses, it could become a bedroom community that’s not affordable for people who don't commute elsewhere."<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |date=March 27, 2021 |first=Rochelle |last=Valverde |title=Consultants: If Lawrence doesn't diversify its economy, it could become unaffordable for many people |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/city-government/2020/nov/22/economic-analysis-finds-lawrence-under-threat-of-becoming-a-bedroom-community-unaffordable-for-non-commuters/ |access-date=March 27, 2021 }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Clinton State Park.jpg|thumb|[[Clinton Lake (Kansas)|Clinton Lake]], which lies to the southwest of the city (2015)]]

Lawrence is located approximately {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} east of [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], and {{convert|35|mi|km|abbr=on}} west of [[Kansas City, Kansas]]. Though Lawrence has a designated elevation of 866 feet (264&nbsp;m),<ref name="GNIS"/> the highest elevation is Mount Oread on the University of Kansas campus with an elevation of 1,020 feet (310&nbsp;m).<ref>{{Cite book | contribution = Mount Oread | title = Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. | editor-last = Blackmar | editor-first = Frank W. | volume = 2 | page = 330 | place = Chicago | publisher = Standard | year = 1912 | contribution-url = http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/m/mount_oread.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = TopoQuest Map Viewer | publisher = TopoQuest | url = http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=38.95860&lon=-95.24428&datum=nad27&zoom=2&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=l | access-date = June 16, 2011}}</ref>

The city lies on the southern edge of the [[Dissected Till Plains]], bordering the [[Osage Plains]] to the south.<ref>{{cite web | title = Geography | work = Geohydrology of Douglas County | publisher = [[Kansas Geological Survey]] | date = December 1960 | url = http://www.kgs.ku.edu/General/Geology/Douglas/geog01.html | access-date = June 16, 2011}}</ref><ref name=KDOT>{{cite web | title = 2003–2004 Official Transportation Map | publisher = [[Kansas Department of Transportation]] | year = 2003 | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/2003-04Mapside.pdf | access-date = June 15, 2011 | archive-date = June 14, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614151512/http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/2003-04Mapside.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|34.26|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|33.56|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.70|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water,<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012  }}</ref> and is split between [[Wakarusa Township, Douglas County, Kansas|Wakarusa Township]] and [[Grant Township, Douglas County, Kansas|Grant Township]] with small portions in [[Lecompton Township, Douglas County, Kansas|Lecompton]], [[Kanwaka Township, Douglas County, Kansas|Kanwaka]] and [[Clinton Township, Douglas County, Kansas|Clinton]] Townships.

Lawrence is between the [[Kansas River|Kansas]] and [[Wakarusa River|Wakarusa]] Rivers. Several major creeks flow through Lawrence. Burroughs Creek in East Lawrence (named after the writer [[William S. Burroughs]], who retired in East Lawrence) and Baldwin Creek in northwestern Lawrence empty into the Kansas River. Yankee Tank Creek in southwest Lawrence and an unnamed creek that flows through central Lawrence converge with the Wakarusa River south of the city. Yankee Tank Creek is dammed to form Lake Alvamar, which was originally called Yankee Tank Lake.<ref name=CountyMap>{{cite web | title = General Highway Map – Douglas County, Kansas | publisher = [[Kansas Department of Transportation]] | date = May 2010 | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/county-pdf/douglas.PDF | access-date = June 16, 2011 | archive-date = November 24, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111124022618/http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/county-pdf/douglas.PDF | url-status = dead }}</ref> The Wakarusa River was dammed to form [[Clinton Lake (Kansas)|Clinton Lake]]. Potter Lake is on the University of Kansas Campus and Mary's Lake is in southeastern Lawrence within Prairie Park. The [[Haskell-Baker Wetlands]], maintained by Haskell University and [[Baker University]], is an extensive open space in the southern part of the city that features wetlands, native plants, hiking and biking trails, and interpretative signage about the prairie and wetland ecosystems.<ref name= CityMap>{{cite web | title = City of Lawrence | publisher = [[Kansas Department of Transportation]] | date = January 2011 | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/city-pdf/lawrence.PDF | access-date = June 16, 2011 | archive-date = December 18, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101218132242/http://ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/city-pdf/lawrence.PDF | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Lawrence has 54 parks which include community and neighborhood parks, trails, cemeteries and nature preserves.<ref name="lawrenceks parks1">{{cite web|url=https://lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/|publisher=City of Lawrence|title=Parks & Trails|access-date=May 23, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121055303/https://lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/|archive-date=November 21, 2018}} LawrenceKS – Parks & Trails.</ref> A new, multi-use trail system called the Lawrence Loop ("the Loop") encircles the city and, when fully completed, will create a 22-mile paved recreational trail, a green transportation network, and multiple opportunities for environmental restoration.<ref name="lawrenceks">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/aboutus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325205917/http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/aboutus |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |title=About Us &middot; City of Lawrence, Kansas |access-date=November 10, 2014 }}</ref> Community parks include South Park, Buford Watson Park, Broken Arrow Park, Riverfront Park, Holcomb Park, "Dad" Perry Park, Centennial Park and Prairie Park. Cemeteries include Oak Hill, Maple Grove and Memorial Park.<ref name="lawrenceks3">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325142700/http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Parks & Trails &middot; City of Lawrence, Kansas |access-date=November 10, 2014 }}</ref> The first cemetery in Lawrence, Pioneer Cemetery, is on the University of Kansas campus and is maintained by KU.

===Climate===
Lawrence has a [[humid continental]] climate ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfa''), typically experiencing hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Peel | first1 = M. C. | last2 = Finlayson | first2 = B. L. | last3 = McMahon | first3 = T. A. | date = March 1, 2007 | title = Updated Köppen-Geiger climate classification map | journal = Hydrology and Earth System Sciences | issue = 4 | pages = 439–473 | doi = 10.5194/hessd-4-439-2007 | url = http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/4/439/2007/hessd-4-439-2007.pdf | access-date = January 25, 2012| doi-access = free }}</ref> The hottest temperature recorded in Lawrence was {{convert|114|F|C|1}} on August 10, 1934 and August 14, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was {{convert|-25|F|C|1}} on February 12, 1899.<ref name = NOWData/>

{{Weather box
|location = Lawrence, Kansas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1868–present
|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 74
|Feb record high F = 84
|Mar record high F = 91
|Apr record high F = 94
|May record high F = 102
|Jun record high F = 107
|Jul record high F = 113
|Aug record high F = 114
|Sep record high F = 108
|Oct record high F = 98
|Nov record high F = 85
|Dec record high F = 76

|Jan avg record high F = 61.9
|Feb avg record high F = 67.0
|Mar avg record high F = 78.1
|Apr avg record high F = 83.9
|May avg record high F = 88.8
|Jun avg record high F = 94.7
|Jul avg record high F = 99.3
|Aug avg record high F = 99.4
|Sep avg record high F = 93.0
|Oct avg record high F = 86.1
|Nov avg record high F = 73.5
|Dec avg record high F = 64.3
|year avg record high F = 101.3

|Jan high F = 38.3
|Feb high F = 43.6
|Mar high F = 54.6
|Apr high F = 64.6
|May high F = 74.1
|Jun high F = 83.9
|Jul high F = 88.6
|Aug high F = 87.3
|Sep high F = 79.0
|Oct high F = 67.0
|Nov high F = 53.5
|Dec high F = 41.8
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 28.8
|Feb mean F = 33.3
|Mar mean F = 43.9
|Apr mean F = 54.3
|May mean F = 65.0
|Jun mean F = 74.6
|Jul mean F = 79.2
|Aug mean F = 77.5
|Sep mean F = 68.9
|Oct mean F = 56.8
|Nov mean F = 43.7
|Dec mean F = 33.0
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 19.4
|Feb low F = 23.0
|Mar low F = 33.1
|Apr low F = 43.9
|May low F = 55.9
|Jun low F = 65.3
|Jul low F = 69.8
|Aug low F = 67.6
|Sep low F = 58.7
|Oct low F = 46.6
|Nov low F = 33.9
|Dec low F = 24.2
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 0.2
|Feb avg record low F = 6.0
|Mar avg record low F = 15.3
|Apr avg record low F = 29.0
|May avg record low F = 42.2
|Jun avg record low F = 53.6
|Jul avg record low F = 59.9
|Aug avg record low F = 58.0
|Sep avg record low F = 44.2
|Oct avg record low F = 30.0
|Nov avg record low F = 17.2
|Dec avg record low F = 7.1
|year avg record low F = -3.6

|Jan record low F = -21
|Feb record low F = -25
|Mar record low F = -7
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 30
|Jun record low F = 37
|Jul record low F = 47
|Aug record low F = 42
|Sep record low F = 24
|Oct record low F = 15
|Nov record low F = 2
|Dec record low F = -21

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.96
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.54
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.32
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.13
|May precipitation inch = 5.13
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.69
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.28
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.63
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.95
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.20
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.96
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.61
|year precipitation inch = 39.40

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 4.7
|Feb precipitation days = 5.6
|Mar precipitation days = 7.7
|Apr precipitation days = 9.5
|May precipitation days = 11.3
|Jun precipitation days = 9.5
|Jul precipitation days = 8.2
|Aug precipitation days = 8.2
|Sep precipitation days = 7.3
|Oct precipitation days = 7.3
|Nov precipitation days = 5.4
|Dec precipitation days = 4.9

|Jan snow inch = 2.1
|Feb snow inch = 3.3
|Mar snow inch = 0.8
|Apr snow inch = 0.1
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.3
|Nov snow inch = 0.9
|Dec snow inch = 2.9
|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 2.2
|Feb snow days = 1.7
|Mar snow days = 0.5
|Apr snow days = 0.2
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.2
|Nov snow days = 0.6
|Dec snow days = 1.8

|Jan snow depth inch = 
|Feb snow depth inch = 
|Mar snow depth inch = 
|Apr snow depth inch = 
|May snow depth inch = 
|Jun snow depth inch = 
|Jul snow depth inch = 
|Aug snow depth inch = 
|Sep snow depth inch = 
|Oct snow depth inch = 
|Nov snow depth inch = 
|Dec snow depth inch = 
|year snow depth inch =

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00144559&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Lawrence, KS
|access-date = November 21, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=top
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Topeka
|access-date = November 21, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Cityscape==
[[File:Plymouth_Church_LawrenceKS.JPG|thumb|right|[[Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence, Kansas)|Plymouth Church]] in Lawrence]]

===Streets===
The early settlers of the town named the city's main road "[[Massachusetts Street|Massachusetts]]" to commemorate the [[Massachusetts|New England Emigrant Aid Company's home state]].<ref>Brackman (1997), p. 22.</ref> As laid out on the first map of Lawrence, the north–south streets to the east of Massachusetts Street were named for the original thirteen colonies running from the geographic south to the north, with only Massachusetts and New Hampshire streets out of order (guaranteeing Massachusetts Street the honor of the central business corridor), while those streets west of Massachusetts Street were named for states in order of admittance to the Union. East–west streets were named after "men who had done something in the sacred cause of liberty".<ref name="LOC HOF1">{{cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82006863/1855-01-27/ed-1/seq-2/|title=The Kansas herald of freedom. (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854–1860, January 27, 1855, Image 2|date=January 27, 1855|publisher=Library of Congress}} Page 2, Section ''"Chart of Lawrence"'' (4th column, in the center).</ref> Over the years, however, this plan became marred. A number of streets were placed in the wrong order, North and South Carolina were consolidated into a single Carolina Street near [[Lawrence High School (Kansas)|Lawrence High School]], and the names of nine states (Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wyoming) were never given to streets. The state street naming system was abandoned after the establishment of Iowa Street, which runs through the center of Lawrence. In 1913, the east–west streets were renamed to numbered streets.<ref name="lawrenceks7">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/documents/Ordinances/Ordinances-0900s/Ord973.pdf|date=November 9, 2006|title=Ordinance No 973 (manuscript)|author1=E. U. Bond (Mayor)|author2=R. D. Brooks (City Clerk)|access-date=November 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140828222332/http://www.lawrenceks.org/documents/Ordinances/Ordinances-0900s/Ord973.pdf|archive-date=August 28, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Brian |title=What's in a (Street) Name? |url=http://www.tauycreek.com/2015/04/whats-in-street-name.html |website=Tauy Creek |access-date=July 9, 2018 |date=April 23, 2015}}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===
[[File:Ninth Street Baptist Church.JPG|thumb|upright|The Ninth Street Baptist Church in Old West Lawrence]]
Lawrence is designated by neighborhoods. Neighborhoods closest to downtown are Old West Lawrence, North Lawrence, East Lawrence, Oread, Hancock and Pinkney. The neighborhoods west of Iowa Street are Sunset Hills, Prairie Meadows, Deerfield, and Alvamar. There are several neighborhoods listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Old West Lawrence,<ref name="Search">{{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp|title=Search|website=nrhp.focus.nps.gov}}</ref> Oread,<ref name="Search"/> Hancock,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp|title=Search|website=nrhp.focus.nps.gov|access-date=April 10, 2012|archive-date=May 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505182648/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=26|url-status=live}}</ref> Breezedale,<ref name="Search"/> and most of Rhode Island Street<ref name="Search"/> in East Lawrence.

====North Lawrence====
[[File:Lawrence Visitors Center.JPG|thumb|The Lawrence Visitors Center, formerly the [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] Depot]]

[[Grant Township, Douglas County, Kansas|Grant Township]], north of the Kansas River, was annexed to Douglas County in 1870 from southern [[Sarcoxie Township, Jefferson County, Kansas|Sarcoxie Township]] in [[Jefferson County, Kansas|Jefferson County]]. The largest city in the township was Jefferson, founded in 1866 just over the river from Lawrence. Jefferson was renamed North Lawrence in 1869 and it was attempted to annex the town to Lawrence proper but the motion failed. The following year, the [[Kansas Legislature|State Legislature]] annexed the town.<ref name="Andreas 1883, p. 326"/>

Just northeast of North Lawrence there once was a popular park area known as Bismarck Grove.<ref name="ks bismarck">{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-beautiful-bismarck/13197|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|access-date=May 25, 2019|title=Beautiful Bismarck|author=Jim L. Lewis|date=Autumn 1969|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808203005/https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-beautiful-bismarck/13197|archive-date=August 8, 2018}} Kansas Historical Society's entry for Bismarck Grove. Autumn 1969 (Vol. 35, No. 3), pages 225 to 256.</ref> During the late 19th century, this area housed numerous fairs, picnics, and temperance meetings.<ref name="ks bismarck" /> In 1870, the Kansas Pacific railroad set up a number of manufacturing and repair shops in this area, which became known as "Bismarck".<ref name="ks bismarck" /> The first organized gathering in the area took place in 1878 was the National Temperance camp meeting. The last fair was held at the Grove in 1899, and due to financial issues, the area was sold and became private property in 1900.<ref name="ks bismarck" /><ref>Lewis (1969).</ref>

===Architecture===
[[File:The Forum at Marvin Hall.jpg|thumb|The Forum at Marvin Hall]]
[[File:Wescoe Hall in Autumn 2021.jpg|thumb|Wescoe Hall on the [[University of Kansas]] campus]]
The architecture of Lawrence is greatly varied. Most buildings built before 1860 were destroyed in the Lawrence Massacre. Architectural styles represented in Lawrence's historical areas are [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]], [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]], [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor]], [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque]] and many others.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 1645
| 1870 = 8320
| 1880 = 8510
| 1890 = 9997
| 1900 = 10862
| 1910 = 12374
| 1920 = 12456
| 1930 = 13726
| 1940 = 14390
| 1950 = 23351
| 1960 = 32858
| 1970 = 45698
| 1980 = 52738
| 1990 = 65608
| 2000 = 80098
| 2010 = 87643
| 2020 = 94934
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 97271
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2024"/>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref><br/>2010-2020<ref name="Census-2020-QF"/>
}}

Lawrence is part of the [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City (MO)]]–[[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]–[[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City (KS)]] [[Kansas City metropolitan area#Associated areas|Combined Statistical Area]].

The city's planning and urban development department estimates the city reached 100,000 people in early 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2018/feb/07/estimated-population-lawrence-breaks-100000/|title=Lawrence's population breaks 100,000, according to city estimates|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|access-date=July 8, 2019|date=February 7, 2018|author=Rochelle Valverde|location=Lawrence, KS}}</ref>

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Lawrence, Kansas – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Lawrence city, Kansas|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US2038900|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lawrence city, Kansas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2038900&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lawrence city, Kansas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2038900&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|65,774
|69,114
|style='background: #ffffe6; |69,414
|82.12%
|78.86%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |73.12%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,989
|3,948
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,868
|4.98%
|4.50%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.13%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|2,201
|2,425
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,346
|2.75%
|2.77%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.47%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|3,013
|3,941
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,506
|3.76%
|4.50%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.75%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|49
|51
|style='background: #ffffe6; |65
|0.06%
|0.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|122
|137
|style='background: #ffffe6; |421
|0.15%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.44%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|2,029
|3,021
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,985
|2.53%
|3.45%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.30%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|2,921
|5,006
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,329
|3.65%
|5.71%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.72%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''80,098'''
|'''87,643'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''94,934'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

The [[2020 United States census]] counted 94,934 people, 39,688 households, and 19,602 families in Lawrence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><ref name=:0 /> The population density was 2,779.7 per square mile (1,073.3/km{{sup|2}}). There were 43,421 housing units at an average density of 1,271.4 per square mile (490.9/km{{sup|2}}).<ref name=:0>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20dp1 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web   |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2020/geo/gazetter-file.html |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=Census.gov}}</ref> The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 75.32% (71,500) [[White (U.S. Census)|white]] or [[European American]] (73.12% [[Non-Hispanic White|non-Hispanic white]]), 5.32% (5,052) [[African American (U.S. Census)|black]] or [[African American|African-American]], 2.83% (2,688) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]], 4.77% (4,532) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.07% (67) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]] or [[Native Hawaiian]], 2.42% (2,300) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 9.26% (8,795) from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table P1: RACE |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20p1&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> Separately, [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race was 7.72% (7,329) of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20p2&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

Of the 39,688 households, 23.4% had children under the age of 18; 35.2% were married couples living together; 31.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.7% of households consisted of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name=:0 /> The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.9.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1101: HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1101?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20s1101%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 35.9% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1501: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1501?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20s1501%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

17.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 23.1% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males.<ref name=:0 /> For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 105.3 males.<ref name=:0 />

The 2016-2020 5-year [[American Community Survey]] estimates show that the median household income was $55,598 (with a margin of error of ± $2,504) and the median family income was $88,286 (± $5,989).<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1903: MEDIAN INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1903?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20s1903%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> Males had a median income of $30,003 (± $3,256) versus $21,802 (± $1,388) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $25,556 (± $1,091).<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S2001: EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S2001?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20s2001%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> Approximately, 7.3% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 12.0% of those under the age of 18 and 6.6% of those ages 65 or over.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1701: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1701?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20s1701%20&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=US Census Bureau, Table S1702: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF FAMILIES |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1702?q=Lawrence%20city,%20Kansas%20s1702&y=2020 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

===2010 census===
As of the census of 2010, there were 87,643 people, 34,970 households, and 16,939 families residing in the city.<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref> The population density was {{convert|2611.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 37,502 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1117.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 82.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 3.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 4.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 4.1% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5.7% of the population.

There were 34,970 households, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.6% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.5% of residents under the age of 18; 28.7% of residents between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% from 25 to 44; 18.5% from 45 to 64; and 8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age in the city was 26.7 years. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

{{as of|2010}} the median income for a household was $41,290, and the median income for a family was $65,673. Males had a median income of $42,362 versus $34,124 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,666. About 10.7% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="ACS2010">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|access-date=June 7, 2019|publisher=American Community Survey}}</ref>

===2000 census===
As of the census of 2000, there were 80,098 people, 31,388 households, and 15,725 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,849.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 32,761 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,165.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 83.80% White, 5.09% African American, 2.93% Native American, 3.78% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 2.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.65% of the population. 23.8% were of German, 10.6% English, 10.1% Irish and 7.1% American ancestry according to [[Census 2000]]. 91.0% spoke English, 2.9% Spanish and 1.0% Chinese or [[standard mandarin|Mandarin]] as their first language.

Of the 31,388 households, 25.1% included children under the age of 18, 38.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.9% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 30.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

{{as of|2000}} the median income for a household was $34,669, and the median income for a family was $51,545. Males had a median income of $33,481 versus $27,436 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,378. About 7.3% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over. However, traditional statistics of income and poverty can be misleading when applied to cities with high student populations, such as Lawrence.<ref name="census">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/poverty/cb13-tps73.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801112834/http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/poverty/cb13-tps73.html |archive-date=August 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |title=When Off-Campus College Students are Excluded, Poverty Rates Fall in Many College Towns – Poverty – Newsroom – U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref><ref name="policyblognh">{{cite web|url=http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2011/11/a-study-in-poverty-or-how-college-towns-skew-census-data.html|title=A study in poverty, or how college towns skew Census data – Policy Blog NH|publisher=policyblognh.org|access-date=November 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110233521/http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2011/11/a-study-in-poverty-or-how-college-towns-skew-census-data.html|archive-date=November 10, 2014|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

==Economy==
Lawrence's economy largely depends on educational institutions, namely [[The University of Kansas]], which is the largest employer in the city as of 2020 with 10,116 employees, followed by Maximus (a call center), Lawrence Memorial Hospital (the city's hospital) and [[Hallmark Cards]].

=== Homelessness ===
As of 2020, Lawrence's unemployment rate had grown by 3.7%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LAWR920UR|title = Unemployment Rate in Lawrence, KS (MSA)|date = January 1990}}</ref> Since 2019, the city has seen a rise in [[homelessness]]. In 2021, [[NPR]] reported that Lawrence and nearby Kansas City, Kansas had a large rise in homelessness. In Lawrence, the situation necessitated that the city construct an encampment for people to seek temporary shelter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hammill |first=Roxie |date=December 31, 2020 |title=Spike in Homelessness in Kansas City and Lawrence Inspires Fresh Ideas |url=https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-31/spike-in-homelessness-in-kansas-city-and-lawrence-inspires-fresh-ideas |access-date=February 27, 2023 |publisher=[[NPR|NPR in Kansas City]]}}</ref> In early 2021, reportedly 200 homeless people lived on the banks of the [[Kansas River]], and wooded areas near nature trails in Lawrence, and hundreds of others setting up encampments in city parks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valverde |first=Rochelle |date=2021 |title=As Lawrence's hotel shelter program shuts down, many homeless people are expected to return to camping |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2021/mar/06/as-lawrences-hotel-shelter-program-shuts-down-many-homeless-people-are-expected-to-return-to-camping/ |access-date=February 27, 2023 |website=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]}}</ref> In February 2023, the Lawrence [[City commission government|City Commission]] approved an ordinance banning [[Source of Income Discrimination|source of income discrimination]], disallowing [[landlord]]s from rejecting [[housing voucher]]s. The ordinance also banned discrimination in housing due to immigration status and being a survivor of sexual assault.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lawrence City Commission approves ordinance changes aimed at helping people find housing |url=https://lawrencekstimes.com/2023/02/14/lawrencecitycomm-oks-sourceofincome/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=The Lawrence Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Historic sites and museums==
[[File:South Park Gazebo.JPG|thumb|upright|The South Park gazebo]]

South Park is a large park in Downtown Lawrence divided by Massachusetts Street just south of the county courthouse between North Park and South Park Streets. The park originally consisted of four separate parks—Lafayette, Hamilton, Washington and Franklin Parks—but was combined to form one park.<ref name="lawrenceks1">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/southpark|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306100331/http://lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/southpark|title=South Park|website=LawrenceKS.org|archive-date=March 6, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref> South Park was developed in 1854 as part of the original city plat. A [[gazebo]] was built in South Park in 1910 and is used for annual city band performances during the summer months.<ref name="lawrenceks1" />

The Watkins Museum of History is a block north of South Park and houses exhibits from Lawrence and Douglas County. The building is managed by the Douglas County Historical Society and used to be Watkins National Bank (1888–1929) and Lawrence City Hall (1929–1970). The building features a range of architectural styles from the period it was constructed. Today it houses the Watkins Museum of History, which offers free admission and three floors of traditional and computer interactive exhibits.<ref name="Watkinsmuseum.org" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.watkinsmuseum.org/about|title=About|publisher=Watkins Museum of History|access-date=July 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703210341/https://www.watkinsmuseum.org/about|archive-date=July 3, 2019}} The About page for the official website.</ref> Next door to the museum is a Japanese Friendship Garden designed by the city and representatives from [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister city]] [[Hiratsuka, Japan|Hiratsuka]], Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freedomsfrontier.org/News/News-Releases/Detail.aspx?id=179|title=Watkins Museum of History announces Civil War on the Western Frontier 2014 programs|publisher=Freedom's Frontier|access-date=July 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702045935/http://www.freedomsfrontier.org/News/News-Releases/Detail.aspx?id=179|archive-date=July 2, 2017}} Mentions the Japanese garden next to the museum.</ref> An exhibit on the [[Bleeding Kansas]] era and the [[Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area]] is in the old Lawrence Public Library at 9th and Vermont Streets. Other museums on KU campus include the [[University of Kansas Natural History Museum|Natural History Museum]] in Dyche Hall,<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref> the [[Spencer Museum of Art]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas University|url=http://www.pcf-p.com/a/p/1038/s.html|publisher=[[Pei Cobb Freed & Partners]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114211752/http://www.pcf-p.com/a/p/1038/s.html|archive-date=November 14, 2015}}</ref> and the [[Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics|Dole Institute of Politics]] among others.<ref name="LJW Dole1">{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/jul/22/dole_dedication_draws/|title=Dole dedication draws thousands|author=Dave Toplikar|date=July 22, 2003|location=Lawrence, Kansas|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|access-date=May 27, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527175403/https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/jul/22/dole_dedication_draws/|archive-date=May 27, 2019}} ''Lawrence Journal-World's'' article on the opening ceremony. Mentions things such as opening date, budget, location, etc.</ref>

Centennial Park, between 6th and 9th Streets and Rockledge Road and Iowa Street, was established in 1954 for the city's 100th anniversary.<ref name="lawrenceks4" /> The park features rolling hills, a [[skatepark]], a [[disc golf]] course and a [[Polaris missile]] constructed during the [[Cold War]].<ref name="lawrenceks4">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/centennialpark|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323093204/http://lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/centennialpark|title=Centennial Park|website=LawrenceKS.org|archive-date=March 23, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref> Sesquicentennial Park is near [[Clinton Lake (Kansas)|Clinton Lake]] and was established for Lawrence's 150th anniversary and is mostly undeveloped but features a timeline of Lawrence history and a time capsule to be opened in 2054.<ref name="lawrenceks5">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/sesquicentennialpoint|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323093403/http://lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/sesquicentennialpoint|title=Sesquicentennial Point|website=LawrenceKS.org|archive-date=March 23, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>

Liberty Hall was built when the Bowersock Opera House burned down in 1911.<ref name="ljworld">{{cite web|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/jan/21/100-years-ago-new-bowersock-opera-house-opens-chee/|title=100 Years Ago: New Bowersock Opera House Opens to Cheering Public|website=LJWorld.com|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> Liberty Hall is a theater typically showcasing independent movies and frequent live acts.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lawrence.com/news/2006/oct/20/sweet_liberty/|title= Sweet Liberty: Venue celebrates 20 years since its cultural renovation|last=Niccum|first=Jon|work=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|date=October 20, 2006|access-date=August 31, 2020}}</ref> Liberty Hall also runs a video rental next door.<ref name="servlet">{{cite web|url=http://luna.ku.edu:8180/luna/servlet/detail/kuluna01kui~10~10~1598856~202964:Bowersock-Opera-House|title=Bowersock Opera House – From the Ground Up|website=Luna.KU.edu|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> The [[Granada Theater (Lawrence, Kansas)|Granada Theater]] was originally built in 1928 as a [[vaudeville]] theater. It was renovated in 1934 as a movie theater until closing in 1989. It was renovated again in 1993 and opened as a venue for comedy acts and live music.

[[File:The Eldridge Hotel.JPG|thumb|[[The Eldridge Hotel]]]]
[[The Eldridge Hotel]] was first built in 1855 as the Free State Hotel. During the 1855 [[sack of Lawrence]], the hotel was burned to the ground, and its ruins were purchased by Col. Shalor Eldridge, who rebuilt it and named it the Eldridge House. This version of the structure was destroyed during [[Lawrence Massacre|Quantrill's Raid]], but once again Eldridge rebuilt it. In 1925, this structure was completely renovated, and in 1970, the hotel was converted into apartments. In 1985, work began to renovate the Eldridge and turn it back into a hotel, and in 2004 the building was sold and completely renovated back to its 1925 look.<ref name="eldridgehotel">{{cite web|url=http://www.eldridgehotel.com/|title=History|website=EldridgeHotel.com|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> It is a popular rumor that the ghost of Eldridge haunts the hotel.<ref name="eldridgehotel2">{{cite web|url=http://www.eldridgehotel.com/#About.Ghost|title=Ghost|website=EldridgeHotel.com|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref>

[[Memorial Stadium (University of Kansas)|Memorial Stadium]] and [[Allen Fieldhouse]] are on KU campus. Memorial Stadium was built in 1920 for the [[Kansas Jayhawks]] football program. It was named to honor KU students who died in [[World War I]]. Allen Fieldhouse was built in 1955 for the basketball program and was named for [[Phog Allen]], a coach at KU from 1907 to 1909 and 1919 to 1956. On November 4, 2010, the [[ESPN]]'s online publication, ''The Magazine'', named Allen Fieldhouse the loudest college basketball arena in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Roundball Preview: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Kansas |url=http://buckeyebanter.com/mens-basketball/14275 |website=BuckeyeBanter.com |access-date=March 25, 2012 |first=Matt |last=Barker |date=December 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623002830/http://buckeyebanter.com/mens-basketball/14275 |archive-date=June 23, 2012 }}</ref>

[[Oak Hill Cemetery (Lawrence, Kansas)|Oak Hill Cemetery]] in east Lawrence was established in 1866 and was called by [[William Allen White]] the "Kansas Arlington".<ref name="lawrenceks2">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/oakhillcemetery|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416071144/https://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/oakhillcemetery|title=Oak Hill Cemetery|website=LawrenceKS.org|archive-date=April 16, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref> The cemetery features the burials of [[James Henry Lane (Indiana and Kansas)|James Lane]], [[Lucy Hobbs Taylor]], [[Langston Hughes]]' grandparents [[Charles Henry Langston]] and [[Mary Sampson Patterson Leary Langston]], numerous veterans and many prominent Kansans.<ref name="lawrenceks2" /> Across the street is Memorial Park Cemetery which features a memorial for KU coach and inventor of basketball [[James Naismith]]. The memorial is a [[cenotaph]] but Naismith is buried in the mason section of Memorial Park.<ref name="lawrenceks6">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/memorialparkcemetery|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416010120/https://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/parks/memorialparkcemetery|title=Memorial Park Cemetery|website=LawrenceKS.org|archive-date=April 16, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>

Lawrence is also the site of many historic houses related to the history of the city. The Robert Miller house survived Quantrill's Raid and was a stop on the [[Underground Railroad]],<ref name="image1">{{cite web|url=http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=/Text/84001235.djvu&style=nps/FOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item(SUMMARY,COPYRIGHT) |title=National Register of Historic Places—Nomination Form |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503220305/http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=%2FText%2F84001235.djvu&style=nps%2FFOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item%28SUMMARY%2CCOPYRIGHT%29 |website=Image1.NPS.gov |archive-date=May 3, 2015 |access-date=June 14, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ferdinand Fuller, an original settler of Lawrence, built his house atop of Windmill Hill in what is now the Hillcrest Neighborhood<ref name="ljworld2">{{cite web|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/mar/19/old-house-full-lawrence-history/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619162802/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/mar/19/old-house-full-lawrence-history/|title=This Old House Full of Lawrence History|website=LJWorld.com|archive-date=June 19, 2013|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref> and the John Roberts House, commonly called the Castle Tea Room, was designed by famed architect [[John G. Haskell]] in 1894 and is now used for various formal events.<ref name="image1a">{{cite web|url=http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=Text/74000831.djvu&style=nps/FOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item(SUMMARY,COPYRIGHT),cat(Name)&page=0 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503225633/http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=Text%2F74000831.djvu&style=nps%2FFOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item%28SUMMARY%2CCOPYRIGHT%29%2Ccat%28Name%29&page=0 |website=Image1.NPS.gov |archive-date=May 3, 2015 |access-date=June 14, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="castletearoom">{{cite web|url=http://www.castletearoom.com/about-the-castle/history-of-the-castle|title=History of The Castle – The Castle Tea Room|website=CastleTeaRoom.com|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> There are many other houses of historic prominence in Lawrence, many of them on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

==Arts and culture==
The city is known for a thriving music and art scene.  ''[[The New York Times]]'' said Lawrence had "the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver" in a travel column on February 25, 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E3DE173DF936A15751C0A9639C8B63|title=36 hours in Lawrence, Kan.|access-date=April 6, 2011|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 25, 2005}}</ref>

The [[Lied Center of Kansas]] presents Broadway musicals, internationally touring dance companies and headline artists such as The Beach Boys, Kristin Chenoweth, Lyle Lovett and Kansas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kansan.com/arts_and_culture/looking-back-at-memorable-lied-center-performances/article_d17655ba-b6a7-11e8-9863-c7eee17d338a.html|title=Looking Back at 10 Memorable Lied Center Performances|date=September 12, 2018 |access-date=July 3, 2019|publisher=[[The University Daily Kansan]]|location=Lawrence, KS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912213453/http://www.kansan.com/arts_and_culture/looking-back-at-memorable-lied-center-performances/article_d17655ba-b6a7-11e8-9863-c7eee17d338a.html|archive-date=September 12, 2018}} Article from the UDK about Beach Boys at the Lied Center.</ref>

In December 2005, the city announced '''International Dadaism Month''', celebrating [[Dadaism|the early 20th century art movement]]. In the spirit of Dada, rather than select a typical calendar month for the occasion, Mayor Dennis "Boog" Highberger set the dates for the "Month" as February 4, March 28, April 1, July 15, August 2, August 7, August 16, August 26, September 18, September 22, October 1, October 17, and October 26, determined by rolling [[dice]] and pulling numbers out of a hat.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5077635|last=Werthheimer|first=Linda|title='International Dadaism Month' in Lawrence, Kansas|newspaper = NPR.org|date=December 31, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/international-dadaism-mon_n_818584.html|newspaper=HuffPost|date=February 4, 2011|title=International Dadaism Month Begins Today}}</ref>

Lawrence is home to many bands and record labels. Many artists, such as [[Paw (band)|Paw]], [[Mates of State]], [[The New Amsterdams]], [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]], [[Fourth of July (band)|Fourth of July]], [[White Flight (band)|White Flight]], [[The Anniversary]], [[Minus Story]], [[The Appleseed Cast]], [[Old Canes]], [[Ad Astra per Aspera (band)|Ad Astra Per Aspera]], [[Ghosty (band)|Ghosty]], [[The Esoteric]] and [[The Get Up Kids]] originated in Lawrence or its surrounding areas. [[KJHK]] 90.7 FM, the University of Kansas's student-run radio station, is a staple of the local music scene.

[[File:Lawrence USA Downtown Office Hours.png|thumb|A Thursday Brown Bag Concert on the streets of downtown Lawrence]]

The [[Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival]] was a four-day-long weekend music festival held annually in early June just outside Lawrence, at [[Clinton State Park]]. After its inception in 2004, the festival grew dramatically by 2006, with almost 60,000 tickets sold, and developed a nationwide following that accounted for 80% of ticket sales. The festival featured an eclectic mix of music, with artists like [[The Flaming Lips]], [[Wilco]], [[Sound Tribe Sector 9|STS9]], [[Medeski, Martin and Wood]], [[Neko Case]], and [[Widespread Panic]] taking the stage. The event is kept smaller than other festivals such as [[Bonnaroo]] by an agreement with the state.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wakarusa Officials Reflect on Event|work=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/jun/24/wakarusa|author=Jon Niccum|date=June 24, 2005|access-date=April 8, 2007 }}</ref> Activities other than music include [[disc golf]], [[yoga]], [[hiking]], and swimming in [[Clinton Lake (Kansas)|Clinton Lake]]. The festival was relocated to [[Mulberry Mountain, Arkansas|Mulberry Mountain]] due to a dispute between the organizers and the [[Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks]] over limiting attendees and over rent payment.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/aug/10/wakarusa_fest_may_not_play/|title=Wakarusa Fest may not play on|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|access-date=October 19, 2008|last=Lawhorn|first=Chad|date=August 10, 2008}}</ref>

Lawrence is home to the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction, the first research center in the world dedicated to science fiction studies. Since 1969, the center has offered courses and workshops in science fiction literature and writing, hosted an annual conference, brought speakers to Lawrence, and presented multiple annual awards and scholarships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/|title=Center for the Study of Science Fiction website|access-date=June 7, 2020}}</ref>

Every summer since 1959 there is the Massachusetts Street "sidewalk sale", which most businesses on Massachusetts Street offer discounts on their merchandise. The sale is often supplemented by band performances or radio stations playing during the event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/jul/19/58th-annual-downtown-lawrence-sidewalk-sale/|title=58th Annual Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale to take place Thursday|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World|date=July 19, 2017|access-date=June 12, 2019|last=Valverde|first=Rochelle|location=Lawrence, Kansas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403054606/https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/jul/19/58th-annual-downtown-lawrence-sidewalk-sale/|archive-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-22 |title=Downtown Lawrence's Summer Sidewalk Sale moving to June evening as Mid Summer Night on Mass |url=https://lawrencekstimes.com/2023/05/22/dli-sidewalk-sale-midsummer/ |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=The Lawrence Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[File:OutsideOfKansasStadium.jpg|thumb|[[David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium]], the oldest stadium west of the Mississippi River, opened in 1921 and is the home of the Kansas Jayhawks football team.]]
[[File:KUstudentsafter2008UNCwin.jpg|thumb|Kansas fans celebrate the Jayhawks' victory in the [[2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2008 Final Four]] on Massachusetts Street.]]

Lawrence is also the home of the [[University of Kansas]] (KU) athletic teams. The perennially highly ranked [[Kansas Jayhawks]] basketball team (1922 and 1923 Helms Foundation National Champions<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.kusports.com/basketball/history/finalfours/|title=Jayhawks in the Final Four|access-date=May 30, 2019|publisher=The University of Kansas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001103200/http://www2.kusports.com/basketball/history/finalfours/|archive-date=October 1, 2018}}</ref> and 1952,<ref name="SN1952">{{cite journal |last=Gergen |first=Joe |title=Jayhawks give Allen his title – 1952 |journal=Sporting News |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/ncaa/1952.html|access-date=May 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004190428/http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/ncaa/1952.html |archive-date=October 4, 2008 }}</ref> 1988,<ref name="title">{{cite news|title=Ncaa Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79: Notes; Title Brings Out a Big Celebration in Lawrence|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 5, 1988|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-05-sp-606-story.html|access-date=July 21, 2010}}</ref> 2008,<ref>{{cite news|last=Thamel|first=Pete |author-link=Pete Thamel |title=Chalmers and Kansas Are Swinging on a Star|work=The New York Times|date=April 9, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/sports/ncaabasketball/09men.html |access-date=July 22, 2010 }}</ref> and 2022<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 4, 2022 |title=Jayhawks Win! KU Takes National Championship; Lawrence Celebrates |url=https://lawrencekstimes.com/2022/04/04/jayhawks-are-champs/ |newspaper=The Lawrence Times |access-date=July 20, 2023 }}</ref> NCAA Champions) is closely followed by most residents during the winter. Massachusetts Street, the primary street of downtown Lawrence, flooded with fans in 2002, 2003, 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.kusports.com/photos/galleries/2008/apr/07/fans_watch_championship_downtown_lawrence/|title=Fans celebrate championship in downtown Lawrence|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World|access-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103105442/http://www2.kusports.com/photos/galleries/2008/apr/07/fans_watch_championship_downtown_lawrence/|archive-date=January 3, 2011}}</ref> 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/photos/galleries/2012/apr/01/ku-fans-celebrate-final-four-win/|title=KU fans celebrate Final Four win|date=April 1, 2012|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403170758/https://www2.ljworld.com/photos/galleries/2012/apr/01/ku-fans-celebrate-final-four-win/|archive-date=April 3, 2012}}</ref> and 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |title=70K Jayhawks on Mass Street, Lawrence Police Estimate |url=https://lawrencekstimes.com/2022/04/05/70k-jayhawks/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=The Lawrence Times |date=April 5, 2022 }}</ref> after both KU's victories and defeats in the final rounds of the NCAA tournaments those years. KU's football team had their best record in their school history in the 2007–2008 season going 12–1 and culminating with a victory in the [[Orange Bowl (game)|Orange Bowl]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Mangino Receives Coach of the Year Honor|url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/120707/haw_223529744.shtml|newspaper=[[The Topeka Capital-Journal]]|date=December 7, 2007|access-date=September 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816021751/http://cjonline.com/stories/120707/haw_223529744.shtml#.WmJ9yainGUk|archive-date=August 16, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/sports/04iht-college.1.9021681.html|title=Kansas Beats Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl |date=January 4, 2008|access-date=May 30, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530194939/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/sports/04iht-college.1.9021681.html|archive-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref> In 2008, the football and basketball programs achieved a 49-4 record, the most combined wins by the two NCAA sports in a single season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rock Chalk Embarrassment, Scott McDowell, May 27, 2010 |website=[[Bleacher Report]] |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/397745-rock-chalk-embarrassment}}</ref>

Lawrence honored the University of Kansas's mascot, the Jayhawk, in 2003 when 30 statues of Jayhawks were commissioned by the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau; these can be seen throughout the city as part of an art installation called "Jayhawks on Parade".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/aug/19/what-are-those-birds-everywhere-jayhawks-parade/|title=What are those birds everywhere? Jayhawks on Parade|first=Adam |last=Strunk|date=August 19, 2012|access-date=May 30, 2019|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530195921/https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/aug/19/what-are-those-birds-everywhere-jayhawks-parade/|archive-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref> The Jayhawks also field a soccer team, baseball and softball teams, track and field teams, cross country teams, and a men's club hockey team. KU also has a club rugby team, run by the KU Rugby Football club, with a clubhouse in North Johnny's Tavern.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/oct/11/lawhorns-lawrence-keeping-it-between-lines-rugby/|title=Keeping it between the lines with rugby|date=October 11, 2014|first=Chad |last=Lawhorn|access-date=May 30, 2019|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216075352/https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/oct/11/lawhorns-lawrence-keeping-it-between-lines-rugby/|archive-date=February 16, 2019}}</ref> They also run the high school and the club team.

In 1893, Lawrence briefly hosted a [[minor league baseball]] team, the [[Lawrence Jayhawks]]. The team played as members of the [[Class A (baseball)|Class A]] level [[Western League (1885–1899)|Western Association]] and hosted home minor league games at the South Massachusetts Street Ballpark.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=6eec73f8|title=1893 Western Association|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-1420|title=Unknown in Lawrence, KS minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fhsu.edu/biology/faculty-and-staff/eberle/Historical-Baseball-Parks-and-Museums/Kansas-Baseball-Sites|title=Historical Baseball Sites in Kansas - Fort Hays State University|website=www.fhsu.edu}}</ref>

==Government==
{{see also|List of mayors of Lawrence, Kansas}}
[[File:Lawrence City Hall.JPG|thumb|City Hall]]
[[File:Douglas county kansas courthouse.jpg|thumb|The Douglas County Courthouse]]

Lawrence is run by a city commission and city manager. Commissioners consists of five individuals elected by the citizens. Three commissioner seats are up for reelection every two years. The two top vote-getters receive a four-year term, third-place finisher receives a two-year term. The commission elects a mayor and vice-mayor every year in April, usually the two top vote-getters, and also hires the city manager.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawrenceks.org/city_commission|title=Lawrence City Commissioners|access-date=August 8, 2018|publisher=City of Lawrence, KS}}</ref> Lawrence uses [[plurality-at-large voting]] (also known as block voting) for its municipal elections, whereby voters may choose up to three candidates for office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.douglascountyks.org/mycounty/voting-and-elections/docs/sampleballots/sampleballots_gen_2017.pdf|title=2017 General Election Douglas County, Kansas Sample Ballot|access-date=May 25, 2019}} The 2017 Douglas County, Kansas General Election sample ballot, which shows the multi-choice voting.</ref>

While [[Kansas]] is a heavily [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] state, Lawrence is often considered a bastion of the modern [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], and has been since the late 1980s. Douglas County, where Lawrence is situated, was one of only two counties in Kansas whose majority voted for [[John Kerry]] in the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]], one of only three that voted for [[Barack Obama]] in the 2008 election and one of the only two counties to vote for [[Hillary Clinton]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]]. Douglas County has supported the Democratic candidate for the past nine presidential elections.<ref>For election results, see– {{cite web |editor=Leip, David |title=1992 Presidential General Election Data Graphs |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=1992&fips=20&f=1&off=0&elect=0 |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=US Election Atlas}}

* {{cite web |editor=Leip, David |title=1996 Presidential General Election Data Graphs |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=1996&fips=20&f=1&off=0&elect=0 |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=US Election Atlas}}
* {{cite web |editor=Leip, David |title=2000 Presidential General Election Data Graphs |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=2000&fips=20&f=1&off=0&elect=0 |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=US Election Atlas}}
* {{cite web |editor=Leip, David |title=2004 Presidential General Election Data Graphs |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=2004&fips=20&f=1&off=0&elect=0 |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=US Election Atlas}}
* {{cite web |year=2008 |title=2008 General Election Results |url=http://apps.douglascountyks.org/mycounty/voting-and-elections/docs/electionresults/electionresults_general_2008.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=[[Douglas County, KS]]}}
* {{cite web |year=2012 |title=2012 General Election Results |url=http://apps.douglascountyks.org/mycounty/voting-and-elections/docs/electionresults/electionresults_general_2012.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=[[Douglas County, KS]]}}
* {{cite web |year=2016 |title=2016 General Election Results |url=http://apps.douglascountyks.org/mycounty/voting-and-elections/docs/electionresults/electionresults_general_2016.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2018 |publisher=[[Douglas County, KS]]}}
* Election Night Results (livevoterturnout.com)</ref>

Lawrence is served by Democratic state representatives [[Suzanne Wikle]], [[Mike Amyx]], [[Barbara Ballard]] and [[Brooklynne Mosley]], and by state senators [[Marci Francisco]] (Democrat), [[Rick Kloos]] (Republican), and [[Patrick Schmidt (politician)|Patrick Schmidt]] (Democrat). Lawrence is represented federally by Republican [[Tracey Mann]] of the [[Kansas's 1st congressional district|1st]] and U.S. Senators [[Roger Marshall]] and [[Jerry Moran]], both Republicans. Prior to 2002, Lawrence sat entirely within the [[Kansas's 3rd congressional district|3rd district]] until reapportionment split Lawrence between the 2nd and 3rd districts. In 2012, Lawrence was placed entirely within the 2nd district.<ref name="ljworld3">{{cite web|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/jun/08/voters-will-see-big-changes-new-redistricting-plan/|title=Voters Will See Big Changes from new Redistricting Plan|publisher=www2.ljworld.com|access-date=November 10, 2014|author=Rothschild, Scott|date=June 8, 2012}}</ref> In 2022, the Kansas State Legislature moved Lawrence into the [[Kansas's 1st congressional district|1st district]] after legal challenges failed in the [[Kansas Supreme Court]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bahl |first=Andrew |title=As Supreme Court makes Kansas congressional map permanent, it also locks in political changes |url=https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/31/kansas-supreme-court-ruling-ends-redistricting-opens-door-gerrymandering-congressional-map/9826593002/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=The Topeka Capital-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>

Lawrence was the first city in Kansas to enact an ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (enacted in 1995, after a campaign called [[Simply Equal]]). On October 4, 2011, Lawrence became the first city in Kansas to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity with the passage of City Ordinance No. 8672.<ref name="Lawrence Ord 8672">{{cite web|url=https://lawrenceks-my.sharepoint.com/personal/webmaster_lawrenceks_org/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fwebmaster%5Flawrenceks%5Forg%2FDocuments%2Fwebsite%2FOrdinancesResolutions%2FOrdinances%2FOrdinances%2D8600s%2FOrd8672%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fwebmaster%5Flawrenceks%5Forg%2FDocuments%2Fwebsite%2FOrdinancesResolutions%2FOrdinances%2FOrdinances%2D8600s&cid=e854bad2-d248-42cd-be2b-da0801d8bb1e|title=Ordinance No. 8672|publisher=City of Lawrence|access-date=May 24, 2019|date=October 4, 2011}}Lawrence City Ordinance No. 8672, on anti-discrimination.</ref> The effort to pass the GIO was led by Scott Criqui from the Kansas Equality Coalition. Scott Criqui would go on to become the first openly gay candidate to run for office and win a primary in Lawrence. Douglas County was the only county in Kansas to reject the [[2005 Kansas Amendment 1|amendment]] to the Kansas Constitution prohibiting both [[gay marriage]] and [[civil unions]] in April 2005.<ref>For election results, see section "2005 Election Information" and choose "2005 Constitutional Amendment Results by County (Excel)." on- {{cite web|url=http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_statistics.html|title=Election Statistics|publisher=Kansas Secretary of State|access-date=June 6, 2019}} 
* To immediately download the results, see-http://www.kssos.org/elections/05elec/2005_Constitutional_Amendment_results_by_county.xls</ref> The vote against the amendment was primarily in the city of Lawrence; outside the city in the rest of Douglas County, the amendment carried. Lawrence has an active chapter of the [[Kansas Equality Coalition]], which persuaded the city commission to approve a domestic partner registry on May 22, 2007. The registry, which took effect on August 1, 2007, provides unmarried couples —both same-sex and other-sex— some recognition by the city for legal purposes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lawhorn|first=Chad|title=Domestic Partnership Registry Opens Today|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/aug/01/domestic_partnership_registry_opens_today/ |access-date=February 18, 2014|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|date=August 1, 2007}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:US-KS-Lawrence--2008-01-12-T-04-42-P-um-al.jpg|thumb|New York Street Elementary School in Lawrence]]

===Primary and secondary education===
The [[Lawrence USD 497]]<!--UNI 08400--> public school district includes almost all of the Lawrence city limits.<ref name=DouglasCOSDmap>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st20_ks/schooldistrict_maps/c20045_douglas/DC20SD_C20045.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Douglas County, KS|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-09-05}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st20_ks/schooldistrict_maps/c20045_douglas/DC20SD_C20045_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> This district has 12 elementary schools, four [[middle schools]]. and two high schools. The city's 12 public elementary schools include: Langston Hughes Elementary (named after [[Langston Hughes]]); Quail Run Elementary, Cordley Elementary (named after [[Richard Cordley]]), Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy Early Childhood (formerly Kennedy Elementary, closed in 2021), Pinckney Elementary, Prairie Park Elementary, New York Elementary, Schwegler Elementary, Sunflower Elementary, Sunset Hill Elementary, Woodlawn Elementary, and Deerfield Elementary.<ref>{{cite web |title=Schools & Services Directory |url=https://www.usd497.org/domain/5788 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301063256/https://www.usd497.org/domain/5788 |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |access-date=July 3, 2019}} List of schools in USD 497.</ref> The middle schools include: West, Billy Mills (named after [[Billy Mills]], and formerly named South), and Southwest. The high schools include: [[Lawrence High School (Kansas)|Lawrence High School]] and [[Lawrence Free State High School]] (the athletic teams of the former are nicknamed the Chesty Lions, and those of the latter are the Firebirds).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawrence High School |title=History of Lawrence High |url=https://www.usd497.org/domain/7358 |access-date=March 8, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Free State High School |date=2021 |title=FSHS School Profile 2021-22 |url=https://www.usd497.org/cms/lib/KS01906981/Centricity/Domain/9207/FSHS%20Profile%2021-22.pdf |access-date=March 8, 2022}}</ref>

Newer developments in the northwestern part of the Lawrence area, including a few small parcels of the city limits, are within the boundaries for [[Perry–Lecompton USD 343|Perry-Lecompton School District]],<!--UNI 10620--><ref name=DouglasCOSDmap/> and students in this area attend Lecompton Elementary, Perry Elementary, Perry-Lecompton Middle School, and Perry-Lecompton High School.

Private schools include [[Bishop Seabury Academy]] (grades 6 to 12) (affiliate of Episcopal Church), Veritas Christian School (grades pre-K to 12) (interdenominational), St. John Catholic School (grades pre-K to 8), Corpus Christi Catholic School (grades pre-K to 8), Raintree Montessori School (grades pre-K to 8) ([[Montessori education|Montessori school]]), Prairie Moon School (grades pre-K to 8) ([[Waldorf education|Waldorf school]]), and Limestone Community School (as of 2023, grades K to 4).

===Colleges and universities===
[[File:KUStrongHallJayhawkMarch2006.jpg|thumb|Strong Hall on the KU Campus]]
[[File:Fraser Hall.JPG|thumb|Fraser Hall on the KU Campus]]

The [[University of Kansas]] is the largest public university in the state with total enrollment of just more than 30,000 students (including approximately 3,000 students at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, KS).<ref name="ku3">{{cite web|url=http://www.news.ku.edu/2008/september/25/enroll.shtml|title=KU News – KU enrollment breaks 30,000; sets records in minority enrollment, ACT scores|publisher=news.ku.edu|access-date=November 10, 2014|archive-date=December 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224180315/http://www.news.ku.edu/2008/september/25/enroll.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> A [[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]] school, the University of Kansas has more than 170 fields of study and the nationally known [[Kansas Jayhawks]] athletics programs. [[Haskell Indian Nations University]] offers free tuition to members of registered Native American tribes. However, students are required to pay semester fees similar to many other colleges in the United States. It has an average enrollment of more than 1,000 (with students hailing from all 50 U.S. states and from over 150 tribes).<ref name="About Haskell">{{cite web|url=http://www.haskell.edu/about.html |title=About Haskell |publisher=Haskell.edu |access-date=12 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518023340/http://www.haskell.edu/about.html |archive-date=May 18, 2012 }}</ref> Haskell University is also the home of the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame and the Haskell Cultural Center. Several private Christian colleges and schools are in Lawrence as well, such as Heritage Baptist College.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://heritagebaptistchurch.cc/spiritual-growth/|title = Spiritual Growth &#124; Heritage Baptist Church}}</ref>

===Libraries===
[[File:Lawrence Public Library entrance.jpeg|thumb|Lawrence Public Library (2014)]]
The first library in Lawrence was started in October 1854 and was a subscription library costing $1 a year.<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=Library History|url=http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/renovation-construction/test-page-2/|website=Lawrence Public Library|access-date=September 28, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045245/http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/renovation-construction/test-page-2/|archive-date=September 29, 2017}}</ref> After the [[Lawrence massacre|Lawrence Massacre]] destroyed the library, a new one was started in 1865 and placed under city jurisdiction in 1871. In 1902, Peter Emery successfully got a grant from [[Andrew Carnegie]] to build a new library at 9th and Vermont Streets. The [[Lawrence Public Library]] opened in 1904. A new library to replace the aging and outdated Carnegie Building was completed in 1972 at 7th and Vermont Streets with voters approving a bond issue in 2010 to expand and update the building.<ref name="lib">{{cite web|url=http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/renovation-construction/test-page-2/|title=Lawrence Public Library|website=Lawrence.Lib.KS.us|access-date=November 10, 2014|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045245/http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/renovation-construction/test-page-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref> During construction, the library moved to 7th and New Hampshire in the former [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]] bookstore. The new library opened in July 2014.<ref name="ljworld4">{{cite web|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jul/26/new-librarys-grand-opening-dazzles-eager-readers/|title=New Lawrence Library's Grand Opening Dazzles Eager Readers|website=LJWorld.com|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref>

The Lawrence Public Library was one of seven libraries in the United States that won the [[American Institute of Architects|AIA]]/[[American Library Association|ALA]] Library Building Award in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=2016 AIA/ALA Library Building Award winners announced|url=http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/05/2016-aiaala-library-building-award-winners-announced|access-date=September 29, 2017|agency=American Library Association|publisher=ALAnews|date=May 20, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929231302/http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/05/2016-aiaala-library-building-award-winners-announced|archive-date=September 29, 2017}}</ref>

==Media==
[[File:Lawrence Journal-World.JPG|thumb|''Lawrence Journal-World'' newspaper offices, before they moved in May 2019. The building previously was used for the Lawrence post office.]]

One of the first businesses established in Lawrence was a newspaper, the ''Herald of Freedom'', which began in October 1854 and ceased publication in 1859.<ref name="biennialreport" /><ref name="Kansas Herald of Freedom">{{cite web |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82006863/ |title=About the Kansas Herald of Freedom |publisher=Library of Congress }} Brief overview of Kansas Herald of Freedom</ref> In August 1885, the Lawrence ''Daily Journal'' began<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84029603/|title=About Lawrence daily journal. (Lawrence, Kan.) 1885–1911|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=July 6, 2019}}</ref> and the Lawrence ''Daily World'' began in June 1895.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84029613/|title=About Lawrence daily world. (Lawrence, Kan.) 1895–1911|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=July 6, 2019}}</ref> These papers would merge in 1911 to become the ''[[Lawrence Journal-World]]'' although the [[Masthead (American publishing)|masthead]] lists the founding as 1858, probably in reference to the ''Herald of Freedom''.<ref name="100years">(December 13, 1991). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Qv9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-TgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5411,4300065&dq=lawrence-world+founded&hl=en A 100-Year Newspaper Tradition], ''Lawrence Journal-World''</ref><ref name="ljworldcombo">(Feb 20, 1911). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WopYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_EMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5030%2C2492 "Journal-World, The Combination"]</ref> Other newspapers include The ''[[University Daily Kansan]]'', a student newspaper from the University of Kansas,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kansan.com/site/about.html|title=About Us – The University Daily Kansan: Site|website=Kansan.com|access-date=15 March 2016|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331083521/http://www.kansan.com/site/about.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The Lawrence Times'', an online newspaper founded by former ''Lawrence Journal-World'' employees,<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://lawrencekstimes.com/about/ |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=The Lawrence Times |date=March 8, 2021 }}</ref> and ''[[Change of Heart (street paper)|Change of Heart]]'', a [[street newspaper]] sold by homeless vendors.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kansas.com/2014/05/02/3429386/in-lawrence-paper-aims-to-change.html |title=In Lawrence, paper aims to change view of homeless|date=May 2, 2014|author=Giles Bruce|newspaper=The Wichita Eagle|location=Wichita, Kansas |access-date=2 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503033837/http://www.kansas.com/2014/05/02/3429386/in-lawrence-paper-aims-to-change.html |archive-date=3 May 2014 }}</ref>

Radio stations in Lawrence include [[KLWN]] an AM station that began in 1951. FM stations are KU's student station, [[KJHK]], [[KANU (FM)|KANU]], a [[National Public Radio|NPR]] member station,<ref>{{cite web | title = About KJHK 90.7 FM | publisher = [[KJHK]] | url = http://kjhkarea51.org/about-us | access-date = June 15, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110702003922/http://kjhkarea51.org/about-us | archive-date = July 2, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> K241AR, a Christian station that broadcasts [[Air 1]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Air 1 Stations | publisher = [[Air 1]] | url = http://www.air1.com/music/StationList.aspx?scn=About | access-date = June 15, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110723081355/http://www.air1.com/music/StationList.aspx?scn=About | archive-date = July 23, 2011 }}</ref> [[KCIU-LP]], a religious station and [[KKSW]], formerly KLZR, a [[Top 40]] station. [[KMXN]], a country station, also broadcasts from Lawrence but is licensed to [[Osage City, Kansas|Osage City]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Us |publisher=[[KMXN]] |url=http://www.bull929.com/pages/8008379.php |access-date=June 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911111332/http://www.bull929.com/pages/8008379.php |archive-date=September 11, 2011 }}</ref> Listeners can also receive stations from [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]].

Lawrence is in the Kansas City television [[media market|market]], but viewers can also receive stations from the Topeka market as well.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kansas TV Markets | publisher = EchoStar Knowledge Base | url = http://dishuser.org/TVMarkets/Maps/kansas.gif | access-date = June 15, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726000406/http://dishuser.org/TVMarkets/Maps/kansas.gif | archive-date = July 26, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Television stations licensed and/or broadcasting from Lawrence are [[KUJH-LP]], a KU student station, and [[KMCI-TV|KMCI]] which broadcasts from Kansas City, Missouri.<ref>{{cite web|title=About NBC Action News & 38 the Spot |publisher=[[E.W. Scripps Company]] |url=http://www.nbcactionnews.com/subindex/about_us |access-date=June 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605232830/http://www.nbcactionnews.com/subindex/about_us |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref>

From 1947 until 1981, Lawrence was the location of the [[Centron Corporation]], one of the major industrial and educational film production companies in the United States at the time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Centron Films Camera|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/centron-films-camera/10288|publisher=Kansas Historical Society|access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref><ref name="KU Oldfather1" /> The studio was founded by two University of Kansas graduates and employed university students and faculty members as advisers and actors. Also, many talented local and area filmmakers were given their first chances to make movies with Centron, and some stayed for decades. Others went on to successful careers in Hollywood. One of these local residents, [[Herk Harvey]], was employed by Centron as a director for 35 years and in the middle of his tenure there he made a full-length theatrical film, ''[[Carnival of Souls]]'', a [[Horror film|horror]] [[cult film]] shot mostly in Lawrence and released in 1962.<ref name="LA Times1">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-19-ca-2117-story.html|access-date=May 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523165838/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-19-ca-2117-story.html|archive-date=May 23, 2019|title=The Reincarnation of 'Carnival of Souls'|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=April 19, 1990}} ''The LA Times''.</ref> The Centron Corporation soundstage and residing building is now called Oldfather Studios and houses the University of Kansas film program.<ref name="LJWorld Centron1">{{cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/feb/26/summerfield-hall-shaping-become-new-home-ku-film-a/|title=Summerfield Hall shaping up to become new home of KU film and media studies|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|date=February 26, 2017|author=Sara Shepherd|access-date=May 23, 2017|location=Lawrence, Kansas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522062934/https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/feb/26/summerfield-hall-shaping-become-new-home-ku-film-a/|archive-date=May 22, 2017}} ''Lawrence Journal-World''.</ref><ref name="KU Oldfather1">{{cite web|url=https://kuinfo.ku.edu/what-oldfather-studios|title=What is in Oldfather Studios?|publisher=[[University of Kansas]] |access-date=May 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523174005/https://kuinfo.ku.edu/what-oldfather-studios|archive-date=May 23, 2019}} University of Kansas – Oldfather Studios.</ref>

===Print===
Lawrence is the home of a daily newspaper, the ''[[Lawrence Journal-World]]'', and ''Kaw Valley Senior Monthly'', a monthly publication for senior citizens. The student newspaper of the University of Kansas is ''[[The University Daily Kansan]],'' which stopped publishing regular print editions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and removed the paper's distribution boxes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wash {{!}} @adisonwash |first=Stef Manchen {{!}} @stefmanchen & Adison |title=UDK Distribution Boxes to Be Removed from Campus, Continuing Online Publishing |url=https://www.kansan.com/news/udk-distribution-boxes-to-be-removed-from-campus-continuing-online-publishing/article_34582226-38eb-11ec-abac-bba4b7dbc9b5.html |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=The University Daily Kansan |date=October 29, 2021 }}</ref>

===Radio===
The following radio stations are [[city of license|licensed]] to Lawrence, Kansas:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ AM radio
|-
! style="background:#fcc;"| Frequency
! style="background:#fcc;"| [[Callsign]]<ref>{{cite web |title=AMQ AM Radio Database Query |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |url=http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/amq.html |access-date=18 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825063614/http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/amq.html |archive-date=August 25, 2009 }}</ref>
! style="background:#fcc;"| Format<ref name="Arbitron">{{cite web |title=Station Information Profile |publisher=[[Arbitron]] |url=http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/station_information.htm |access-date=18 September 2009 }}</ref>
|-
| 1320 || [[KLWN]] || [[News radio|News]] and [[Talk radio|talk]]
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ FM radio
|-
! style="background:#fcc;"| Frequency
! style="background:#fcc;"| [[Callsign]]<ref>{{cite web |title=FMQ FM Radio Database Query |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |url=http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/fmq.html |access-date=18 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825071957/http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/fmq.html |archive-date=August 25, 2009 }}</ref>
! style="background:#fcc;"| Format<ref name="Arbitron" />
! style="background:#fcc;"| Notes
|-
| 90.7 || [[KJHK]] || [[Student radio]], [[Sports]], News, [[Alternative media|Alternative]] ||
|-
| 91.1 || [[KCIU-LP|KCIU]] || [[Christian radio]] ||
|-
| 91.5 || [[KANU (FM)|KANU]] || Kansas Public Radio ([[NPR]]) ||
|-
| 92.9 || [[KMXN]] || [[Country music|Country]] ||
|-
| 96.1 || K241AR || [[Christian radio]] || [[Air1]]
|-
| 101.7 || [[KLWN]] || News and talk ||
|-
| 105.9 || [[KKSW]] || [[Top 40]] ||
|}

===Television===
The following television stations are [[City of license|licensed]] to Lawrence, Kansas:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Television
|-
! style="background:#ccf;"| Digital channel
! style="background:#ccf;"| Analog channel
! style="background:#ccf;"| [[Callsign]]<ref>{{cite web | title = TVQ TV Database Query | publisher = [[Federal Communications Commission]] | url = http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html | access-date = 18 September 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090508022231/http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html | archive-date = May 8, 2009 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>
! style="background:#ccf;"| Network
|-
| 31 || 31 || [[KUJH-LP]] || Student-run television for the [[University of Kansas]]
|-
| 32 || {{N/a}} || [[Midco]] Sports Network || Local sports network broadcasting high school sports and college press conferences
|}

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
[[File:U.S. 40 and 59 bridges from above.jpg|thumb|The [[U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges]] carry traffic over the [[Kansas River]]]]
[[File:AmtrakStation crop.jpg|thumb|[[Lawrence (Amtrak station)|Amtrak station in Lawrence]]]]
[[File:1073 Santa Fe Train.JPG|thumb|An [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe]] locomotive in Watson Park]]

[[Interstate 70 (Kansas)|Interstate 70]], as the [[Kansas Turnpike]], runs east–west along the northern edge of the city, interchanging with [[U.S. Route 59 (Kansas)|U.S. Route 59]] which runs north–south along North 2nd Street, 6th Street and Iowa Street. Another east–west route, [[U.S. Route 40 in Kansas|U.S. Route 40]], runs through northern Lawrence along 6th Street roughly 2 miles south of I-70. U.S. 40 runs concurrently east–west with U.S. 59 for approximately 1 mile between Iowa Street and Massachusetts Street. The two routes turn north before crossing I-70. One half-mile north of I-70, U.S. 40 splits from U.S. 59 and turns east, running concurrently with [[U.S. Route 24 (Kansas)|U.S. 24]], exiting the city.

[[K-10 (Kansas highway)|K-10]], an east–west [[state highway]], enters the city from the east at a interchange with 23rd Street. The highway used to head along city streets, however in November 2016, the south Lawrence trafficway, a four lane divided highway, was connected. This allows traffic to directly flow from the US-59 exit along K-10 into Kansas City.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After more than two decades of argument, SLT to open; reflections on the fight that enveloped the community |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/nov/03/after-more-two-decades-argument-slt-open-reflectio/ |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=LJWorld.com |language=en-US}}</ref> K-10 passes thru the city, starting with the interchange in the far east, with 23rd street, before then continuing west and finally north around western Lawrence, terminating at an interchange with [[Interstate 70 in Kansas|I-70]] northwest of the city.<ref name="CityMap" />

Due to high traffic volume, in 2024, the Kansas Department of Transportation, started a project to turn the two lane two direction K-10 in the west of the city, into a four lane.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Town Talk {{!}} Work to expand west leg of SLT to 4 lanes picks up speed; construction to begin later this year |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/town_talk/2024/may/24/work-to-expand-west-leg-of-slt-to-4-lanes-picks-up-speed-construction-to-begin-later-this-year/ |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=LJWorld.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Once this is complete, K-10 will be fully 4 lanes and divided, for its whole route. This will help with safety and traffic flow, both current problems on the trafficway.<ref>{{Cite web |title=As thousands more vehicles travel South Lawrence Trafficway, timeline for lane expansion remains unknown |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2018/mar/01/thousands-more-vehicles-travel-trafficway-timeline/ |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=LJWorld.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Two bus systems operate in the city. [[Lawrence Transit]], known locally as "The T", is a public bus system operated by the city, and KU on Wheels is operated by the University of Kansas.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us |publisher=[[Lawrence Transit]] |url=http://www.lawrencetransit.org/about.shtml |access-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725051213/http://www.lawrencetransit.org/about.shtml |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }}</ref> Together, the two systems operate 18 bus routes in the city.<ref>{{cite web | title = Route Map | publisher = [[Lawrence Transit]] | url = http://www.lawrencetransit.org/pdf/route-map.pdf | access-date = June 17, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120325193705/http://www.lawrencetransit.org/pdf/route-map.pdf | archive-date = March 25, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Both systems are free to KU students, faculty, and staff.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fares & Bus Passes |publisher=KU on Wheels |url=http://www.kuonwheels.ku.edu/~kuwheels/k/fares.shtml |access-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003102639/http://www.kuonwheels.ku.edu/~kuwheels/k/fares.shtml |archive-date=October 3, 2011 }}</ref> [[Greyhound Lines]] provides intercity bus service with a stop in Lawrence.<ref>{{cite web|title=Locations : States : Kansas |publisher=[[Greyhound Lines]] |url=http://www.greyhound.com/en/locations/locations.aspx?state=ks |access-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712212231/http://www.greyhound.com/en/locations/locations.aspx?state=ks |archive-date=July 12, 2011 }}</ref> In addition, the [[Johnson County, Kansas]] bus system provides inter-city transport between Lawrence and [[Overland Park]] college campuses in a route known as the K-10 Connector.<ref name="The JO">{{cite web|title=The Jo Routes|url=http://www.thejo.com/routes/710.shtml|publisher=Johnson County Transportation|access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>

[[Lawrence Municipal Airport (Kansas)|Lawrence Regional Airport]] is northeast of the city, immediately north of U.S. 40. Publicly owned, it has two runways and is used for [[general aviation]].<ref>{{cite web | title = KLWC – Lawrence Municipal Airport | publisher = AirNav.com | url = http://www.airnav.com/airport/KLWC | access-date = June 17, 2011}}</ref> The nearest airport with commercial airline service is [[Kansas City International Airport]] which is approximately 50 miles northeast of downtown Lawrence.<ref>{{cite web|title=Travel |publisher=Lawrence Convention & Visitors Bureau |url=http://www.visitlawrence.com/travel |access-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613063528/http://www.visitlawrence.com/travel |archive-date=June 13, 2011 }}</ref> {{Proper name|Arival Shuttle}} provides service from Lawrence to Kansas City International Airport.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Arival – KCI Airport Shuttle – Ride Share Service| accessdate = 2021-02-21| url = https://arivalshuttle.com/}}</ref>

Two [[Class I railroad]]s, [[BNSF Railway]] and [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific Railroad (UP)]], have lines which pass through Lawrence.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kansas Operating Division | publisher = [[BNSF Railway]] | date = April 1, 2009 | url = http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/maps/div_ks.pdf | access-date = June 17, 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110325001559/http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/maps/div_ks.pdf | archive-date = March 25, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> The BNSF line enters the city from the east and exits to the north, roughly following the course of the Kansas River. The UP line does the same on the north side of the river, running through the city's northeast corner.<ref name="CityMap" /> Using the BNSF trackage, [[Amtrak]] provides passenger rail service on its ''[[Southwest Chief]]'' line between Chicago and Los Angeles.<ref name="CountyMap" /><ref>{{cite web | title = Southwest Chief | publisher = [[Amtrak]] | url = http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&p=1237405732511&cid=1241245650447 | access-date = June 17, 2011}}</ref> Amtrak's [[Lawrence (Amtrak station)|Lawrence station]] is a few blocks east of downtown.<ref>{{cite web | title = Lawrence, KS (LRC) | publisher = [[Amtrak]] | url = http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726268821 | access-date = June 17, 2011}}</ref>

According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 76.6% of working city of Lawrence residents commuted by driving alone, 8.9% carpooled, 2.6% used public transportation, and 6.0% walked. About 2.0% used all other forms of transportation, including taxicab, motorcycle, and bicycle. About 3.8% of working city of Lthat ce residents worked at home.<ref name="ACS Lawrence">{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/S0801/1600000US2038900|title=Commuting Characteristics by Sex|publisher=American Community Survey|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213114808/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/S0801/1600000US2038900|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}} Commuting Characteristics by Sex in Lawrence, KS.</ref> In 2017, 2.5% of city of Lawrence households were without a car.<ref name="ACS Lawrence" /> 77.3% of city of Lawrence residents also work in Lawrence.<ref name="ACS Lawrence" />

Lawrence ranked 62nd in the United States for the highest percentage of commuters by bicycle in 2011 at 1.73%.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maciag, Mike|date=October 16, 2012|url=http://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/bike-to-work-map-us-cities-census-data.html|title=New Data Shows Where Americans Bike to Work|publisher=Governing.com|access-date=July 12, 2013}}</ref>

===Health and utilities===
Lawrence has one hospital, the non-profit community-owned Lawrence Memorial Hospital.<ref name="LMH">{{cite web|url=https://www.lmh.org/about-us/|title=About US|publisher=Lawrence Memorial Hospital|access-date=May 23, 2019}} Lawrence Memorial Hospital – About Us.</ref>

The most predominant electric provider is [[Evergy]], and the most predominant gas provider is [[Black Hills Energy]].<ref name="LawrenceKS Utilities">{{cite web|url=https://lawrenceks.org/utility-billing/other_utilities/|title=Other Utilities|publisher=City of Lawrence|access-date=May 23, 2019}} City of Lawrence Utilities.</ref> Midco, Dish Network, and DirecTV are the major television providers.<ref name="LawrenceKS Utilities"/> Internet providers include [[AT&T]], [[Midco]], Wicked Broadband, [[CenturyLink]], [[Hughes Network Systems#HughesNet|HughesNet]], Allconnect, and [[ViaSat, Inc.|ViaSat Satellite]].<ref name="LawrenceKS Utilities"/> There are numerous telephone service providers in Lawrence, including Midco,<ref name="LawrenceKS Utilities"/> AT&T,<ref name="LawrenceKS Utilities"/> T-Mobile, [[Lumen Technologies|Lumen]], and others.

Snow removal services are provided by the Lawrence Street Maintenance Division, who is also responsible for maintaining the city's streets, curbs, alleys, and gutters, the Kansas River and Mud Creek levee, some of the infrastructure of the Lawrence Regional Airport, and street sweeping.<ref name="Lawrence SMD">{{cite web|url=https://lawrenceks.org/public_works/streetmaintenance/|title=Pavement Management|publisher=City of Lawrence|access-date=May 24, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318091653/https://lawrenceks.org/public_works/streetmaintenance/|archive-date=March 18, 2016}} Lawrence's Street Maintenance Division information.</ref>

==Sister cities==
Lawrence has four <ref>{{cite web |title=Sister Cities Lawrence|url=https://www.sistercitieslawrence.org/|publisher=Sister Cities Lawrence|access-date=2025-01-16}}</ref> [[sister city|sister cities]] through [[Sister Cities International]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lawrenceks.org/boards/sister-cities/|publisher=City of Lawrence|title=Sister Cities Lawrence|date=September 23, 2016 |access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701061442/https://lawrenceks.org/boards/sister-cities/|archive-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Germany}} [[Eutin]], Schleswig-Holstein, Germany – October 27, 1989
* {{flagdeco|Japan}} [[Hiratsuka]], [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]], Japan – September 21, 1990
* {{flagdeco|Greece}} [[Iniades]], Greece – October 20, 2009
* {{flagdeco|Chile}} [[Tocopilla]], Chile – July 18, 2024
<!--
Lawrence has one unofficial [[sister city]] through [http://elsalvadorsolidarity.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=177&Itemid=65 US-El Salvador Sister Cities]
* {{flagdeco|El Salvador}} El Papaturro, El Salvador
-->

==Notable people==
<!-- Please list only people who have spent a significant amount of time in Lawrence. If the individual's tie to Lawrence is ''only'' as a University of Kansas student, they should be listed at [[List of University of Kansas people]]. -->
{{Main|List of people from Lawrence, Kansas}}
{{See also|List of University of Kansas people}} <!-- Please put KU students in this list. -->
{{See also|Haskell Indian Nations University#Notable people}}

==In popular culture==
{{In popular culture|date=October 2018}}
The city served as the setting for a number of science fiction writer [[James Gunn (author)|James Gunn]]'s novels, including ''[[The Immortals (Gunn novel)|The Immortals]]'' (1964), which was the basis for the ABC television movie and TV series ''[[The Immortal (1970 TV series)|The Immortal]]'' (1969–1971).

Lawrence is a setting in the 1983 television movie ''[[The Day After]]'', and parts of the movie were filmed in the city.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Niccum |first1=Jon |title=Fallout from 'The Day After' |url=http://www.lawrence.com/news/2003/nov/19/fallout_from/ |publisher=Lawrence.com |access-date=April 1, 2019 |date=November 19, 2003}}</ref>

[[Sam Winchester|Sam]] and [[Dean Winchester]], the protagonists of the ''[[Supernatural (U.S. TV series)|Supernatural]]'' TV series, are from Lawrence, and the city has been referenced numerous times throughout the show's history. [[Eric Kripke]], the creator of ''Supernatural'', decided to have the two brothers be from Lawrence because of its closeness to [[Stull Cemetery]], a location famous for its urban legends.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kripke, Eric|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/supernatural-burning-questions-38374.aspx|title=''Supernatural'': Your Burning Questions Answered!|access-date=September 30, 2009|work=[[TV Guide]]|date=October 12, 2006}}</ref>

Lawrence was destroyed in the 2006 TV Series ''[[Jericho (2006 TV series)|Jericho]]''.<ref name="ljworld6">{{cite web|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/aug/04/n_lawrence_looking_benefit_publicity_cbs_drama/|title=N. Lawrence looking to benefit from publicity for CBS drama / LJWorld.com|publisher=www2.ljworld.com|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref>

American folk singer [[Josh Ritter]]'s song "Lawrence KS" is on the 2002 album ''[[Golden Age of Radio (album)|Golden Age of Radio]].'' [[Cross Canadian Ragweed]]'s 2007 album ''[[Mission California]]'' features the song "Lawrence", which was inspired by a homeless family the band encountered near Christmas while visiting the town.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/dec/07/mass_st_muse/|title= Mass St. muse: Cross Canadian Ragweed is the latest national act to write and release a song inspired by Lawrence|last=Niccum|first=Jon|work=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|date=December 7, 2007|access-date=August 31, 2020}}</ref>

Lawrence's Meadowbrook Apartments residential complex is the default starting point for the map program [[Google Earth]]. This location was set by [[Brian McClendon]], a 1986 graduate of the University of Kansas and director of engineering for Google Earth, who lived in the complex as a child.<ref name="kansan">{{cite web|url=http://www.kansan.com/news/2006/jan/26/google/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110713134656/http://www.kansan.com/news/2006/jan/26/google/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |title=Lawrence is the center of the world for more than Jayhawk fans &#124; Kansan.com |website=Kansan.com |access-date=November 10, 2014 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Kansas}}
* [[Great Flood of 1951]]
* [[Lied Center of Kansas]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Kansas]]

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|editor-last=Adams|editor-first=F. G.|title=Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society|publisher=[[Kansas Historical Society|Kansas State Historical Society]]|volume=5|date=1896}}
* {{Cite book| publisher = A. T. Andreas| last = Andreas| first = Alfred Theodore| title = History of the State of Kansas| date = 1883|location=[[Chicago, IL]]|chapter=Douglas County|pages=308{{en dash}}63}}
* {{cite book|last1=Armitage|first1=Katie|last2=Lee|first2=John|title=19th Century Houses in Lawrence, Kansas|date=1992|publisher=[[Spencer Museum of Art]]|location=Lawrence, KS}}
* {{cite book|author=Ball, Durwood|title=Army Regulars on the Western Frontier, 1848{{en dash}}1861|location=Norman, Oklahoma|publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]]|year=2001}}
* {{cite book|title=The Civil War in Kansas: Ten Years of Turmoil|author=Bisel, Debra Goodrich|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing|The History Press]]|date=2012|location=[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston, SC]]|isbn=9781609495633}}
* {{cite book|last1=Bisel|first1=Debra Goodrich|last2=Martin|first2=Michelle M.|title=Kansas Forts & Bases: Sentinels on the Prairie|date=2013|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing|The History Press]]|location=[[Charleston, SC]]|isbn=9781614238683|chapter=Camp Ewing: 1864{{en dash}}1865}}
* {{cite book | title=Kansas Trivia | publisher=Thomas Nelson Inc. | author=Brackman, Barbara | year=1997 | isbn=9781418553814 }}
* {{cite journal|author=Childers, Christopher|date=March 2011|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/civil_war_history/v057/57.1.childers.html|title=Interpreting Popular Sovereignty: A Historiographical Essay|journal=Civil War History|volume=57|issue=1|pages=48–70|doi=10.1353/cwh.2011.0009|s2cid=143148991 |url-access=subscription}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Lawrence (Kansas) |volume=16 |pages=308–309}}
* {{cite book|title=A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans|author=Connelley, William|date=1918|publisher=Lewis Publishing Company|location=[[Chicago, IL]]|volume=1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Connelley|first1=William|title=John Brown in Kansas|publisher=Crane and Company|location=[[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka, KS]]|date=2018|orig-year=1900|isbn=9781387365135}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cordley|first1=Richard|title=A History of Lawrence: From the Earliest Settlement to the Close of The Rebellion|date=1895|url=https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/439845/|location=Lawrence, KS|publisher=E. F. Caldwell}}
* {{Cite book| publisher = [[University of Nebraska Press]]| isbn = 9780803266124| last = Drago| first = Harry Sinclair| title = Outlaws on Horseback: The History of the Organized Bands of Bank and Train Robbers who Terrorized the Prairie Towns of Missouri, Kansas, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma for Half a Century| date = 1998|location=[[Lincoln, Nebraska]]}}
* {{cite book |last1=Federal Highway Administration |title=U.S. Highway 59 from Lawrence to Ottawa in Douglas and Franklin Counties, KDOT Project No.59-106 K-6318-01 |date=2002 |volume=2|author1-link=Federal Highway Administration }}
* {{cite book|author=Fitzgerald, Daniel|title=Ghost Towns of Kansas|url=https://archive.org/details/ghosttownsofkans00fitz|url-access=registration|publisher=[[University Press of Kansas]]|location=[[Lawrence, KS]]|year=1988|chapter=Franklin|pages=73{{en dash}}77}}
* {{cite book|chapter=Study Area History and Contributions|chapter-url=http://www.freedomsfrontier.org/uploads/resources/Feasibility%20Study%20Ch2-Study%20Area%20History%20and%20Contributions.pdf|access-date=July 5, 2018|author=Freedom's Frontier|title=Feasibility Study|date=n.d.|archive-date=July 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731060839/http://freedomsfrontier.org/uploads/resources/Feasibility%20Study%20Ch2-Study%20Area%20History%20and%20Contributions.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|author=Gilman, A. F.|title=The Origin of the Republican Party |date=1914|url=http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/tp/id/46379/show/46363|access-date=August 2, 2018|publisher=[[Ripon College (Wisconsin)|Ripon College]]|location=[[Ripon, Wisconsin]]}}
* {{cite book|author=Gilmore, Donald|title=Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border|date=2005|isbn=9781455602308|publisher=[[Pelican Publishing Company|Pelican Publishing]]|location=[[Gretna, Louisiana|Gretna, LA]]}}
* {{cite journal|url=https://www.kshs.org/p/the-university-of-kansas-and-the-sack-of-lawrence/13191|title=The University of Kansas and the Sack of Lawrence: A Problem of Intellectual Honesty|year=1968|volume=34|issue=4|pages=409{{en dash}}26|author=Griffin, C. S.|journal=Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains}}
* {{cite book|title=First Biennial Report of the State Board of Agriculture to the Legislature of the State of Kansas, for the years 1877-8|publisher=[[State of Kansas]]|location=Topeka, Kansas|volume=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xX45AQAAMAAJ|author=[[State of Kansas|Kansas State Board of Agriculture]]|date=1878|ref=Board}}
* {{cite web|title=The Statutes of the Territory of Kansas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lABFAQAAMAAJ&q=lawrence+county+seat+douglas+county+lecompton&pg=PA218|access-date=April 27, 2018|date=January 16, 1858|author=Kansas Territory Legislature}}
* {{cite journal|journal=Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains|url=http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-beautiful-bismarck/13197|access-date=August 8, 2018|author=Lewis, Jim|volume=35|issue=3|year=1969|title=Beautiful Bismarck: Bismarck Grove, Lawrence, 1878–1900}}
* {{cite book|author=Lincoln, Abraham|title=Speeches and Writings 1832–1858: Speeches, Letters, and Miscellaneous Writings: the Lincoln-Douglas Debates|date=1989|publisher=[[Library of America]]|location=New York City|isbn=9780940450431|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/speecheswritings00linc}}
* {{cite book|title='Bleeding Kansas': The Border War in Douglas and Adjacent Counties|author=Litteer, Leron|date=1987|publisher=Champion Publishing|location=[[Baldwin City, KS]]}}
* {{cite book|author=Monaghan, Jay|title=Civil War on the Western Border, 1854{{en dash}}1865|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|year=1984}}
* {{citation|author=Nelson, Lynn|title=North Lawrence, Kansas: A Brief History|year=1995|via=Kansas Collection|access-date=August 5, 2018|url=http://www.kancoll.org/books/north_lawrence/text.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021025065005/http://www.kancoll.org/books/north_lawrence/text.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 25, 2002}}.
* {{cite book|title=Soil of Our Souls|author1=Parker, Martha|author2=Laird, Betty|publisher=Parker-Laird Enterprises|year=1976|pages=146{{endash}}62|chapter=Lone Star}}
* {{cite book|title=United States Congressional serial set, Issue 7985|date=1922|author=[[United States Congress]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nq83AQAAIAAJ&q=lawrence+in+rebellion+Robert+J.+Walker+martial+law&pg=PA71|access-date=May 24, 2018}}
* {{cite book |last1=Whitfield |first1=Steve |title=Kansas Paper Money: An Illustrated History, 1854–1935 |date=2014 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina|Jefferson, NC]] |isbn=9780786454266}}

==Further reading==
{{Kansas books}}
{{See also|Douglas County, Kansas#Further reading|l1=List of books about Douglas County, Kansas}}
* ''History of Lawrence, Kansas: from the First Settlement to the close of the Rebellion''; Richard Cordley; E.F. Caldwell; 360 pages; 1895. <small>[https://archive.org/download/historyoflawrenc00cordrich/historyoflawrenc00cordrich.pdf (Download 20MB PDF eBook)]</small>
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Lawrence (Kansas)|year=1905 |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Lawrence (Kansas) |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Lawrence (Kansas) |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Lawrence (Kansas) |short=x |noicon=x}}
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lawrence, Kansas}}
{{wikivoyage|Lawrence (Kansas)|Lawrence, Kansas}}
* {{Official website|https://lawrenceks.org/}}
* [https://www.lkm.org/members/?id=41260820 Lawrence – Directory of Public Officials]
* [https://lawrencechamber.com/ Lawrence – Chamber of Commerce]
* [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ix4AEQmNN7wC ''Daily Record,''] Google news archive. <small>—PDFs for 998 issues, dating from 1889 through 1893.</small>
* [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=yDGX1xMBWXcC ''Daily World,''] Google news archive. <small>—PDFs for 1,062 issues, dating from 1892 through 1895.</small>
* [https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/city-pdf/lawrence.pdf Lawrence city map]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, KDOT
{{Lawrence, Kansas}}
{{Douglas County, Kansas}}
{{Kansas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lawrence, Kansas| ]]
[[Category:1854 establishments in Kansas Territory]]
[[Category:Bleeding Kansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Douglas County, Kansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Kansas]]
[[Category:County seats in Kansas]]
[[Category:Oregon Trail]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1854]]
[[Category:Capitals of Kansas]]