Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is a city in Douglas County in the state of Kansas in the United States. It is in the northeastern part of the state, near the Kansas City area. In 2010, 87,643 people lived there. The University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University are in Lawrence.

The New England Emigrant Aid Company (NEEAC) created Lawrence, and it is named after Amos Adams Lawrence. Lawrence was a man who gave financial support to the city. During Bleeding Kansas, Lawrence was the place for the Wakarusa War (1855) and the Sack of Lawrence (1856). During the American Civil War (1861-1865), it was the place of the Lawrence Massacre (1863).

Lawrence started as an important place for free-state politics. Lawrence is called a "college town" because the University of Kansas is a big part of the city. There are many places in town where students like to go.

Early history
Before new residents from the east came to Lawrence, the area was part of the Shawnee Reservation. The Shawnee reservation was created in 1830. It was in most of eastern Kansas. In 1854, it became part of the Kansas Territory. The Oregon Trail went through the area. People on the Oregon Trail used a hill called "Hogback Ridge" to help guide them. Today, Hogback Ridge is called "Mount Oread."

In the first half of the 1800s, there were many arguments about slavery in the United States. During this time, every time a free state (a state where slavery was illegal) was added into the country, a slave state (a state where slavery was allowed) had to be added too. The Missouri Compromise continued to let this happen. As a compromise to people arguing about new states being free or slave, Senator Lewis Cass and Senator Stephen A. Douglas promoted the idea of "popular sovereignty." That meant the people in the area would decide to have slavery or not (instead of politicians in Washington deciding). Popular sovereignty was a big part of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. That law basically cancelled the Missouri Compromise. The Kansas-Nebraska Act also created the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory.

After the law passed, anti-slavery people were worried that the Kansas Territory would become a slave state. This is because the state next to Kansas is Missouri, which was a slave state. People believed that the first people in Kansas would be from Missouri. To stop Missouri from influencing Kansas, anti-slavery people from around the United States came to Kansas. These people wanted to make Kansas a free state. These people were called "free-staters." The New England Emigrant Aid Company (NEEAC) helped anti-slavery people move to Kansas. They sent two men named Charles L. Robinson and Charles H. Branscomb to explore the land. Then they would decide a good place to send people. They saw Hogback Ridge, and they liked it. They liked it because it was close to the Oregon Trail. They told the NEEAC to send people to this place.



The first group of people left Boston, Massachusetts on July 17, 1854. Many people in Boston were happy to see them do this, and they hoped they would do well. In late July, the group cam to St. Louis. They met Charles Robinson there. Robinson gave them transportation and told them what to do. They came to Lawrence on August 1, 1854. A second group came on September 9-11. A third group came on October 8-9. A fourth group came on October 30. A fifth group came on November 20. A sixth group came on December 1.

On September 18, 1854, the early people of Lawrence made a government. On September 20, they made a constitution for Lawrence. This constitution did not allow slavery. Lawrence made this constitution even though other people near them wanted slavery. On September 30, the people of Lawrence came together to protect Thomas J. Ferril. Ferril was an anti-slavery clergy from Missouri. Pro-slavery people went to Ferril's house, and they threatened violence. The pro-slavery people left when they saw free-state people come with guns. On October 1, a woman destroyed an free-state man's tent. Pro-slavery people came to stop people from building the tent again, but the tent was built again without violence.

Before Lawrence was called Lawrence, people called it "Wakarusa". Some people called it different names like "New Boston" or "Yankee Town." Some people wanted the city to be called "Lawrence" because of a man named Amos A Lawrence. Lawrence was a Republican businessman. People believed that if they named the city "Lawrence," he would give financial support to the city. He did. On October 1, the people voted to make the name of the city to be Lawrence. On October 17, people started building houses and businesses. Pro-slavery people tried to build houses close to Lawrence, and people from Lawrence hated this. They had a very angry argument. The pro-slavery people threatened violence, but they left. No violence happened.

In early October 1854, Andrew Horatio Reeder, the first governor of the Kansas Territory, came to Lawrence. He had a party. He asked everyone to get along. He did not say anything about slavery. The first winter in Lawrence was difficult because it was very cold. People did not have good houses. Two miles south of Lawrence on November 3, 1854, the first elections happened. At the elections, a man named "Davis" attacked a pro-slavery man named "Keebs" with a Bowie knife. Then Kibbee shot Davis. This was the first murder in Kansas.

Two newspapers were started in 1854. They were the Kansas Pioneer and the Herald of Freedom. The writers of the newspapers wrote about their beliefs that slavery was wrong. The Plymouth Congregational Church was the first church in Lawrence; it was built in September 1854. In January 1855, Lawrence's first post office was built. The first postmaster was E. D. Ladd. On January 10, 1855, Lawrence's first free school was built. The teacher was Edward Fitch.

"Bleeding Kansas"
At the start of 1855, the free-staters and the pro-slavery people around Lawrence started fighting for political power. At the Kansas elections on March 30, 1865, 700 pro-slavery people from Missouri with guns voted at the election. No one argued with them because there were a lot of them. They went back to Missouri the next day. At the election, a man named Silas Bond was shot at, and he ran away. He was shot at because he was "an obnoxious free-state man."

On August 27, 1855, the pro-slavery people became happy when the Governor Daniel Woodson chose a pro-slavery man, Samuel J. Jones, to be the county sheriff. In October 1855, the anti-slavery man John Brown came to Kansas. He brought many guns to give to other anti-slavery people.

In June 1855, Lawrence had a meeting. They decided to resist any laws the Kansas legislature passed. They did this because they believed the legislature was elected by armed Missouri people instead of Kansas people.

On November 21, 1855, the pro-slavery man Franklin N. Coleman shot anti-slavery man Charles Dow nine times in the back. This happened after many angry arguments between them about land claims. When Sheriff Samuel Jones investigated the crime, Franklin Coleman said he shot Charles Dow in self-defense. Jones believed Coleman because they both were pro-slavery men. Jones decided to arrest Jacob Branson, a friend of Charles Dow and an anti-slavery man. A group of anti-slavery people saved Branson.

Wilson Shannon, the governor of the Kansas Territory, saw that the people were becoming very angry and violent. He asked the Kansas militia to come and keep the peace. Shannon wanted the people in the militia to be from Kansas, but Samuel Jones brought 1,200-1,500 men from Missouri. When the people of Lawrence learned this, they made a militia of 600-800 men. Both groups were ready to fight, but they couldn't because the winter was very cold. Wilson Shannon decided to prevent a fight. He demanded that the leaders of both sides agree to a peace treaty. They did, and the men from Missouri went back to Missouri. This war is known as the Wakarusa War.



In spring 1856, pro-slavery people wanted to make the free-staters weak. The pro-slavery people said that the Herald of Freedom newspaper, the Kansas Free State newspaper, and the Eldridge Hotel were very bad. On April 23, 1856, Samuel Jones came to Lawrence. He tried to arrest some anti-slavery people who resisted laws. A sniper shot Samuel Jones, but he didn't die. The people of Lawrence made Jones leave. On May 11, Federal Marshall (like a police officer but for the entire country) Israel B. Donaldson said that people interfered with Samuel Jones, and that is illegal. A Kansas grand jury agreed. They said that Lawrence built the Free State Hotel (the Eldridge Hotel) for military purposes. Because of this, Donaldson, Jones, and others made an army of 800 men. They said the purpose of the army was to enforce the law, but they also wanted to stop the anti-slavery men in Lawrence.

On May 21, Donaldson and Jones came to Lawrence. They arrested more anti-slavery people. The people of Lawrence hoped that Donaldson and Jones would leave after the arrests. This did not happen. Jones and his men started sacking Lawrence. They took over Charles Robinson's house. They used it as a headquarters. Next, they attacked free-state newspapers offices. They hit the presses, and they threw the sort into the Kansas River. Next, they shot the Free State Hotel (the Eldridge Hotel) with a cannon, then they burned it down. They took $30,000 worth of things. They burned Charles Robinson's house, then they left. This was called the "Sacking of Lawrence." Surprisingly, only one person died. In late September 1856, another sack seemed like it was about to happen. Two thousand seven hundred pro-slavery men came to Lawrence, and the city was defended by anti-slavery men. Governor John W. Geary saw what was happening. He asked for federal reinforcements to defend the city. No violence happened.

In 1855 and 1857, Lawrence got a charter (a document that officially creates a town) from the pro-slavery Kansas government. The people of Lawrence resisted the Kansas government because they believed they were too pro-slavery. They did not accept it because it would force Lawrence to follow pro-slavery laws. In July 1857, the people of Lawrence tried to get an "official" (only the people of Lawrence saw it as official) charter from the extralegal (having no real authority) anti-slavery government. If they couldn't get one, Lawrence would simply make one themselves. Governor Robert J. Walker believed this was a revolt. On July 15, 1857, he sent an army to Lawrence, and he declared martial law. The army stayed close to Lawrence until October 1857. They stayed until October because there were elections. They wanted to make sure that there would be no violence at the elections. Anti-slavery people won the elections. The Kansas government became controlled by anti-slavery people. In early 1858, Samuel Jones quit his job, and he left Kansas. On January 16, 1858, Lawrence became the county seat of Douglas County. In February 1858, the Kansas government approved an anti-slavery charter for Lawrence. James Blood became the first mayor of Lawrence. The anti-slavery Kansas government met in Lawrence many times. Lawrence basically became the capital of Kansas from 1858 until 1861.

American Civil War and Kansas becoming a state


On October 4, 1859, the people of Kansas voted to approve the Wyandotte Constitution. There were 10,421 "yes" votes and 5,530 "no" votes. The United States Congress approved the Wyandotte Constitution, and Kansas became a free state on January 29, 1861. Pro-slavery people in Kansas knew they lost. Kansas becoming a free state ended Bleeding Kansas. However, the American Civil War began around the same time.

During the war, many Jayhawkers stayed in Lawrence. These Jayhawkers went to Missouri, where they stole items and burned farms. Many people in the Confederacy believed that the stolen items were in Lawrence. On August 21, 1863, a pro-slavery man named William Quantrill rode into Lawrence with some men. They destroyed much of the town. They killed every adult man they saw. More than 150 men and boys died. There was 2,000,000 dollars worth of property destroyed. The Plymouth Congregational Church wasn't destroyed, but many of its people died.

After Quantrill's Raid, the people and Union soldiers rebuilt the city. It was hard because the winter was very cold. After winter, they continued rebuilding. They finished in 1864. While they were rebuilding, the people were afraid of another attack. The military built some camps in Lawrence to guard the city. No more attacks happened. After the Civil War, people got rid of the camps.

After the Civil War
There was a plan to build a university in Kansas in 1855, but it didn't happen until Kansas became a state in 1861. The Kansas government needed to decide where to build the university. Their choices were Manhattan, Emporia, or Lawrence. On January 13, 1863, Kansas State University was built in Manhattan. The only cities left were Emporia and Lawrence. Amos A. Lawrence gave $10,000 and more than 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land for a university in Lawrence. The Kansas government liked that, so the government chose Lawrence. The University of Kansas opened in 1866.

In 1864, Lawrence got its first railroad. It connected Lawrence to Kansas City. The first train to go to Lawrence went on November 28, 1864. The first train to cross the Kansas River crossed it in Lawrence on November 1, 1867.

In the early 1870s, Lawrence needed to make more electricity. The city asked a man named Orlando Darling to build a dam on the Kansas River. Darling became angry because it took a long time to build a dam, so he stopped. The Lawrence Land & Water Company finished building the dam in 1873. The dam made Lawrence special because few cities had a dam. The dam closed in 1968, but it opened again in 1977. The city helped open it. This is because they wanted to build a new city hall next to the dam. Today, the dam helps prevent flooding.

In 1863, the first windmill in Kansas was built in Lawrence. It burned during Quantrill's Raid. In 1864, people rebuilt it. People used it until July 1895. On April 30, 1905, the windmill burned, and it wasn't rebuilt.

In 1884, a school for Native Americans was built in Lawrence. The name was the United States Industrial Training School. Boys learned farming, blacksmithing, and more. Girls learned cooking and homemaking. In 1887, the name changed to the Haskell Institute. In 1993, the name changed to the Haskell Indian Nations University.

20th century
In 1888, the Watkins National Bank opened at 11th Street and Massachusetts Street. Jabez B. Watkins created it. It would stay until 1929. The building was given to the city to become the city hall. In 1970, Lawrence built a new city hall, so the building became a museum. The Watkins Community Museum opened in 1975.

In 1903, the Kansas River flooded, which hurt Lawrence. The water was 27 ft high. The damage in North Lawrence was very bad. Lawrence was hit by other floods in 1951, where the water was 30 feet high. It was hit again in 1993. However, the damage was not very bad. This is because it had a reservoir and a levee.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt came to Lawrence. He gave a short speech, and he dedicated a fountain at 9th & New Hampshire Street. In 1910, Roosevelt came to Lawrence again after visiting Osawatomie.

In 1871, the Lawrence Street Railway Company was created. It made it easy for people to go to hotels and businesses on Massachusetts Street. They had the first streetcar in Lawrence. Horses and mules would pull the streetcar. They could be used only on Massachusetts Street. After the 1903 flood, the Kansas River Bridge had to be rebuilt. It was not safe for streetcars to go on the bridge. The Lawrence Street Railway Company closed in 1903. In 1902, a man named C. L. Rutter tried making a bus system. He failed. In 1907, he tried again. In 1909, someone made a new streetcar system. This made Rutter fail again. The streetcar system stayed until 1935. In 1909, the streetcar company made a roller coaster. It was called "Casey's Coaster." Some people called it "Daisy's Dozer." It was made out of wood. It stayed until the 1920s.

In 1921, the Lawrence Memorial Hospital opened. It started with 50 beds. By 1980, it had 200 beds. It has won many awards because it has good quality care and service.

In 1929, Lawrence had its 75th birthday. Lawrence placed a boulder (a big rock). They called it "Founder's Rock." They wanted to remember the early people who came to Lawrence. They wanted to remember the New England Emigrant Aid Company. On October 14, 1929, they dedicated the Lawrence Municipal Airport.

In 1943, the United States government brought prisoners to Lawrence. These prisoners were war prisoners from World War II. The prisoners were mostly German people and Italian people. The government brought them because farmers needed more people. They were forced to live in camps. These camps were like prisons. Lawrence's camp was near 11th Street and Haskell Avenue. The camp closed in 1945.

In 1983, a famous movie, The Day After, was filmed in Lawrence. The movie is about a fictional nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

In 1989, the Lawrence Free State Brewing Company opened. It was the first brewery in Kansas in over 100 years. It is also a restaurant. It is on Massachusetts Street.

In 2007, U.S. News & World Report said Lawrence was one of the best places to retire. In 2011, Parents & Colleges said Lawrence was one of the 10 best college towns in the United States.

Geography
Lawrence is in northeastern Kansas. It is about 25 mi east of Topeka. It is about 35 mi west of Kansas City, Kansas. The tallest place in Lawrence is Mount Oread at the University of Kansas, which is 1020 ft tall.

Lawrence is on the southern part of the Dissected Till Plains. To the south of Lawrence, there are the Osage Plains. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 34.26 sqmi. Of that, 33.56 sqmi is land and 0.70 sqmi is water.

Lawrence is between the Kansas River and the Wakarusa River. Many creeks flow through Lawrence. The Wakarusa River was blocked to create Clinton Lake. The University of Kansas has a small lake called Potter's Lake. The Haskell-Baker Wetlands is a big area that has wetlands, plants, trails, and more. They are maintained by Haskell University and Baker University. It is southeast of Lawrence.

Lawrence has 54 parks, cemeteries, and community parks. The community parks are 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. Pioneer cemetery is a cemetery that has some of the earliest people from Lawrence. It was created in 1854. It is at the University of Kansas.

Climate
Lawrence has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), so it has hot and humid summers, and it has cold and dry winters. The highest temperature ever was 111 °F on July 13 and 14, 1954. The lowest temperature ever was −21 °F on December 22, 1989.

Every year, it gets 39.9 in of precipitation on average. Most of it happens during the summer.

Streets
The main street in Lawrence is called Massachusetts Street. This is because many early residents of Lawrence came because of the New England Emigrant Aid Company. The New England Emigrant Aid Company was from Massachusetts. Streets that went north and south were named after states. It was from the order the states became part of the country. Streets that go east and west were name after famous Revolutionary War heroes. Over time, people broke the rule. Some states were never used, and some states were put in the wrong order. In 1913, the east and west streets became numbered streets.

Neighborhoods
Lawrence is organized into neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are close to downtown Lawrence like Old West Lawrence, North Lawrence, East Lawrence, Oread, Hancock and Pinckney. There are a few neighborhoods west of Iowa Street like Sunset Hills, Prairie Meadows, Deerfield, and Alvamar. Some neighborhoods are on the National Register of Historic Places like Old West Lawrence, Oread, Hancock, Breezedale, and most of Rhode Island Street in East Lawrence.

North Lawrence
North Lawrence is a neighborhood north of the Kansas River. It used to be its own place called Grant Township. It renamed itself North Lawrence in 1869. Lawrence claimed it in 1870.

Northeast of North Lawrence, there was a popular park called Bismarck Grove. In the late 1800s, the park had picnics, fairs, and temperance meetings (meetings about getting rid of alcohol). The first meeting was in 1878. The park had its last fair in 1899. In 1900, the park closed and was sold.

Architecture
There are many architecture styles in Lawrence. Many early buildings were burned in Quantrill's Raid. Lawrence has Victorian, Gothic, Tudor, Romanesque, and other styles.

2010 census
In 2010, there were 87,643 people, 34,970 households, and 16,939 families living in Lawrence. The people were 82.0% White, 4.7% African American, 3.1% Native American, 4.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. 5.7% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 34,970 households. 24.4% of them had children under 18 years old; 35.6% of them had married people; 8.8% had only a woman as the main person (with no man); 4% had only a man as the main person (with no woman); 51.6% were not families. 32% were people living alone, and 6.5% were people over 65 years old living alone.

17.5% of the people were under 18 years old; 28.7% of the people were between 18 and 24 years old; 27.4% of the people were between 25 and 44 years old; 18.5% of the people were between 45 and 64 years old; 8% were 65 years old or older. 50.2% of the people were women, and 49.8% of the people were men.

The median income for a household was $41,290. The median income for a family was $65,673. Men had a median income of $42,362. Women had a median income of $34,124. The per capita income was $23,666. About 10.7% of families and 23.4% of all people in Lawrence lived below the poverty line. This included 16.2% of children under 18 years old and 7.1% of people over 65 years old.

2000 census
In 2000, there were 80,098 people, 31,388 households, and 15,725 families living in Lawrence. The people were 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. 3.65% of the people were Hispanic or Latino. 91% of the people spoke English as their first language, 2.9% spoke Spanish as their first language, and 1% spoke Chinese as their first language.

There were 31,388 households. Of these, 25.1% had children under 18 years old; 38% had married people; 8.7% had only a woman as the main person (with no man); and 49.9% were not families. People living alone made up 30.6% of households, and 5.6% were people over 65 years old living alone. The average household size was 2.30. The average family size was 2.93.

By age, 18.6% of the people were under 18 years old; 30.7% of the people were between 18 and 24 years old; 28.5% of the people were between 25 and 44 years old; 15.1% of the people were between 45 and 64 years old; 7.2% were 65 years old or older. By gender, 50.6% of the people were women, and 49.4% of the people were men.

The median income for a household was $34,669. The median income for a family was $51,545. Men had a median income of $33,481. Women had a median income of $27,436. The per capita income was $19,378. About 7.3% of families and 18.9% of all people in Lawrence lived below the poverty line. This included 10.6% of children under 18 years old and 7.7% of people over 65 years old. However, Lawrence has a lot of students, and students are usually poor. Therefore, the number of people living in poverty is misleading.

Economy
Much of Lawrence's economy is from the University of Kansas. The biggest private employer is General Dynamics. Other big employers are Lawrence Public Schools, Hallmark Cards, the City of Lawrence, and Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

In the 1980s, Lawrence's economy got bigger. This is because the city created the East Hills Business Park in 1986. This is an industrial park. Some businesses moved to this place.

Historic places and museums
South Park is a big park in Downtown Lawrence. The park was made of four different parks, but they became just one big park. South Park was made in 1854. A gazebo was made in 1910. Bands play music at the park in the summer.

The Watkins Museum of History is one block north of South Park. It has exhibits about Lawrence and Douglas County. Next to the museum is a Japanese garden made by sister city Hiratsuka, Japan. The University of Kansas has the Natural History Museum in Dyche Hall, the Spencer Museum of Art and the Dole Institute of Politics among others.

Centennial Park was made in 1954 for Lawrence's 100th birthday. The park has many hills, a skatepark, a disc golf area, and a missile|Polaris missile from the Cold War.

The Bowerock Opera House burned in 1911, so people built a new one. It is called "Liberty Hall." Liberty Hall is a small theater. It often shows Independent movies, but sometimes it shows live acts. Liberty Hall also has a video rental store. The Granada Theater was built in 1928. It used to be a vaudeville theater. In 1934, it became a movie theater. It closed in 1989, but it opened again in 1993. Today, it shows comedy acts and concerts.

The Eldridge Hotel is a historic hotel. It is one of the oldest buildings in Lawrence. It was built in 1854, but it was burned in 1855. It was built again, but it was burned in Quantrill's Raid. It was built again. In 1925, the hotel was changed to look better. In 1970, the hotel became apartments. In 1985, people worked to make it a hotel again. In 2004, the building was sold. It was changed to make it look like it was from 1925 again. It is a popular rumor that the ghost of Eldridge haunts the hotel. The Eldridge Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The University of Kansas (KU) has the Memorial Stadium and the Allen Fieldhouse. They built Memorial Stadium in 1920. They use it for football games. It is named to remember KU students who died in World War I. They built Allen Fieldhouse in 1955. It is used for basketball games. On November 4, 2010, ESPN's magazine said that Allen Fieldhouse was the loudest basketball stadium in the United States. Mark Whicker is a famous writer about sports, and he said Allen Fieldhouse "is the best place in America to watch college basketball."

Oak Hill Cemetery is a cemetery in Lawrence for famous people from Lawrence. It was built in 1866. Memorial Park Cemetery is across the street. It has a memorial for James Naismith, the creator of basketball.

Lawrence has many historic houses. The Robert Miller House did not burn in Quantrill's Raid, and it was part of the Underground Railroad. Ferdinand Fuller was one of the first people to move to Lawrence. He built his house in the Hillcrest Neighborhood. The John Roberts House is used for many formal events. John G. Haskell, a famous architect (someone who designs buildings), designed the John Roberts House. Lawrence has many historic houses, and some of them are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Arts and culture
Lawrence is known for a thriving music and art culture. Rolling Stone said Lawrence is one of the best small college towns in the United States on August 11, 2005. The New York Times said Lawrence had one of the best music cultures in any city between Chicago and Denver on February 25, 2005. Esquire magazine said The Replay Lounge, a bar and music venue in Lawrence, was one of the best in the United States in 2007.

The University of Kansas has the Lied Center of Kansas. It is a building that shows many Broadway musicals. They have had famous bands come, such as The Beach Boys and Kansas.

In December 2005, the city said it would have "International Dadaism Month" for 2006. This was about the early 20th century art movement. In the spirit of Dada, Mayor Dennis “Boog” Highberger didn't choose a calendar month for it. Instead, he chose 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. He chose these dates by rolling dice and pulling numbers out of a hat.

The Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival was a 4-day-long music festival. It was created in 2004, and it happened once every year. It happened at Clinton Lake. Thousands of people showed up to the festival every year. They had many different kinds of bands play, including The Flaming Lips, STS9, Wilco, Matisyahu, North Mississippi Allstars, and others. The event was smaller than other festivals from an agreement with the state. Things to do other than listen to music included disc golf, yoga, hiking, and swimming. The festival moved to Mulberry Mountain, Arkansas due to a disagreement between the organizers and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks about limiting people and about rent.

Every year since 1959, on the third Thursday in July, Lawrence has the "Massachusetts Street sidewalk sale." It is a big sale on Massachusetts Street, and many stores do it. Often, radio stations and live music are played during this event.

Sports
The University of Kansas (KU) athletics teams are in Lawrence. They are called the Jayhawks. The most famous team is the men's basketball team. Many people watch the men's basketball team. Many fans came together on Massachusetts Street in 2002, 2003, 2008, and 2012. This was when the Jayhawks won or lost the last games in the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks won the 1952, 1988, and 2008 NCAA tournaments. KU's football team had their best year in 2007-2008. They won 12 games, and they lost only one game. That year, they won the Orange Bowl. The Jayhawks also have a soccer team, a baseball team, a softball team, track and field teams, a cross country team, and a men's club hockey team. KU also has a club rugby team. It is run by the KU Rugby Football Club. They often meet at North Johnny's Tavern. They also run high school rugby teams.

Government
Lawrence is run by a city commission and city manager. The commission is made of five people who are elected. Every year, three people can be elected. The two people who get the most votes are elected for four years. The person who gets 3rd place is elected for two years. Every April, the commission chooses a mayor and a vice mayor, and they hire a city manager.

Even though Kansas is a Republican state, Lawrence is very Democratic. Lawrence often chooses the Democrat for president. Lawrence has been Democratic since the late 1980s. Douglas County, where Lawrence is in, chose Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. It was one of only two Kansas counties to choose Hillary Clinton. In the 2008 presidential election, Douglas County was one of three Kansas counties to choose Barack Obama. In the 2004 presidential election, Douglas County was one of two Kansas counties to choose John Kerry. Douglas County chose the Democratic candidate in the last seven presidential elections.

Lawrence has four state representatives: Mike Amyx, Eileen Horn, Barbara Ballard, and Dennis "Boog" Highberger. All of them are Democrats. Lawrence has two state senators: Marci Francisco and Tom Holland. Republican Steve Watkins represents Lawrence in the House of Representatives. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran represent Lawrence in the Senate. Both of them are Republicans. Before 2002, Lawrence was part of the 3rd district. This changed when Lawrence was split in both the 3rd and 2nd districts. Since 2012, all of Lawrence is in the 2nd district.

In 1995, Lawrence was the first city in Kansas that made discrimination against gay people illegal. On October 4, 2011, Lawrence made discrimination against transgender people illegal. Lawrence was the first city in Kansas to do this. In April 2005, there was a change to the Kansas Constitution. This change made same-sex marriage and civil unions for gay people illegal. Douglas County was the only county to vote against the change.

Primary and secondary education
Lawrence has 14 elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools. The high schools are Lawrence High School and Lawrence Free State High School. The middle schools are Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, West Middle School, Billy Mills Middle School and Southwest Middle School. The elementary schools are Langston Hughes Elementary, Quail Run Elementary, Broken Arrow Elementary, Cordley Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy, Pinckney Elementary, Prairie Park Elementary, New York Elementary, Schwegler Elementary, Sunflower Elementary, Sunset Hill Elementary, Woodlawn Elementary, and Deerfield Elementary.

Colleges and Universities
The University of Kansas is in Lawrence. It is the biggest university in Kansas because over 30,000 students go there. It has more than 170 fields of study. It part of the Big 12 Conference, a famous college sports organization. The Haskell Indian Nations University is also in Lawrence. It has more than 1,000 students. They give free tuition to all Native American students. It also has the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, and it has the Haskell Cultural Center.

In 2011, Parents & Colleges said Lawrence is one of the 10 best college towns in the United States. In 2010, MSN, MSNBC, and the American Institute for Economic Research said Lawrence was one of the best college towns in the United States.

Libraries
The first library in Lawrence was built in 1854. It was burned in Quantrill's Raid, so they built a new library in 1865. In 1902, Andrew Carnegie gave a lot of money to build a new library. They built it in 1904, and called it the "Lawrence Public Library." In 1972, people built a new library to get rid of the old one. It was made better in July 2014.

In 2016, the library won an award because the building is beautiful.

Media
One of the first businesses started in Lawrence was a newspaper. The newspaper was called the Herald of Freedom. It started in October 1854 and ended in 1859. In August 1885, the newspaper the Lawrence Daily Journal started. In June 1895, the newspaper the Lawrence Daily World started. In 1911, the Daily Journal and the Daily World joined together, and they became the Lawrence Journal-World. There is also a student newspaper by the University of Kansas. It is called the University Daily Kansan. Change of Heart is a street newspaper sold by homeless people in Lawrence.

Lawrence mostly gets television shows from Kansas City, but people can get it from Topeka, too.

From 1947 to 1981, the Centron Corporation was in Lawrence. The Centron Corporation was a big movie company. They made many big industrial and educational movies. Two students from the University of Kansas made it. Some residents of Lawrence were able to get into the movie industry through Centron. One resident, Herk Harvey, worked at Centron for over 30 years as a director. He created a full-length theatrical movie, Carnival of Souls. It was a horror cult movie shot mostly in Lawrence. It was released in 1962.

Newspaper
Lawrence has the Lawrence Journal-World, a local newspaper that publishes every day. Many people also get the University of Kansas student newspaper, The University Daily Kansan.

Radio
These radio stations are in Lawrence, Kansas:

AM

FM

Television
These television stations are in Lawrence, Kansas:

Transportation
Interstate 70, U.S. Route 40, U.S. Route 59, and U.S. Route 24 go through Lawrence. Interstate 70 goes east-west in the northern part of Lawrence. It connects with U.S. Route 59. Route 59 goes north-south along North 2nd Street, Iowa Street, and 6th Street. U.S. Route 40 is about two miles south of Interstate 70. It also goes east-west through northern Lawrence. It goes along 6th Street. K-10 is a state highway that goes east-west. It enters Lawrence on 23rd Street, then it goes south. It goes to west Lawrence, and it stops northwest of Lawrence.

Two bus systems are in Lawrence. One is called the Lawrence Transit, and the city runs it. The other is called KU on Wheels, and the University of Kansas runs it. There are 18 bus routes. KU students and teachers can use them for free. Greyhound Lines has a bus stop in Lawrence. It can take people to other cities. Also, the Johnson County, Kansas bus system can take students to and from the colleges in Lawrence and Overland Park. This bus is known as the "K-10 Connector."

The Lawrence Municipal Airport is northeast of Lawrence. It is very close to U.S. Route 40. It is used for people who have airplanes. No companies have planes there. Kansas City International Airport is the closest airport that companies use. It is about 50 miles northeast of downtown Lawrence.

Two railroads go through Lawrence. One railroad is owned by Union Pacific Railroad. The other is owned by BNSF Railway. The BNSF Railroad track starts in the eastern part of Lawrence, and it goes west. It follows the path of the Kansas River. The Union Pacific track also starts in eastern Lawrence and goes west. It also follows the path of the Kansas River. It is north of the Kansas River. The BNSF railroad track is south of the Kansas River. There is an Amtrak station in Lawrence. It is very close to downtown. Lawrence is a stop on Amtrak's "Southwest Chief" route. It is a route that goes from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Health and Utilities
Lawrence has one hospital, the "Lawrence Memorial Hospital." It has won awards for good care and quality.

The biggest electric company in Lawrence is Westar Electric. The biggest gas company is Black Hills Energy. Lawrence has television providers like Midco and DirecTV. Lawrence has Internet service providers like Midco, Wicked Broadband, CenturyLink, HughesNet, Allconnect, ViaSat Satellite, Exede, Wild Blue Internet, and others. Lawrence has telephone providers like Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Midco, and others.

Sister cities
Lawrence has three sister cities through Sister Cities International:
 * 🇩🇪 Eutin, Germany - October 27, 1989
 * 🇯🇵 Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan - September 21, 1990
 * 🇬🇷 Oiniades, Greece - October 20, 2009

In popular culture
Lawrence was the setting for many books by science fiction writer James Gunn. The book The Immortals (1964) took place in Lawrence. It was used for the ABC television movie and TV series The Immortal (1969–1971).

The 1983 television movie The Day After was set in Lawrence. Parts of the movie were filmed in the city.

Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester, the main characters of the Supernatural TV series, are from Lawrence. Lawrence was referenced many times in the show. Lawrence was destroyed in the 2006 TV Series Jericho.

Josh Ritter, an American folk singer, has a song called Lawrence KS on the 2002 album Golden Age of Radio. Cross Canadian Ragweed's 2007 album Mission California has a song entitled "Lawrence." It was inspired by a homeless family the band saw while visiting the town around Christmas.

Lawrence is the normal starting place for the map program Google Earth (2005). Brian McClendon chose the place. McClendon graduated from the University of Kansas in 1986, and he was the director of engineering for Google Earth.

Related pages

 * Jayhawker
 * University of Kansas
 * Haskell Indian Nations University

Other websites

 * Lawrence – Chamber of Commerce
 * Lawrence – Visitor Center
 * Lawrence City Map, KDOT
 * Lawrence City Map, KDOT