Lawrence, Kansas
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement
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, between the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 94,934.<ref name="Census-2020-Profile">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Census-2020-QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Lawrence is a college town and the home to both the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University.
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>Template:Cite web</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-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
[edit]Settlement and early years
[edit]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 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 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. 308Template:En dash09.</ref> While the territory was technically closed to settlement until 1854, there were a few "squatter settlements" in the area, especially just north of the Kansas River.<ref>Nelson (1995).</ref>
Lawrence was founded "strictly for political reasons"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> having to do with slavery, which was heavily debated in the United States in the early to mid-1800s. Northern Democrats, led by Senators Lewis Cass of Michigan and Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, promoted "popular sovereignty" as a 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>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Lincoln (1989), p. 441.</ref>) Douglas eventually made popular sovereignty the backbone of his Kansas–Nebraska ActTemplate:Em dashlegislation that effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and created the territories of Kansas and NebraskaTemplate:Em dashwhich passed Congress in 1854.<ref name=childers_2011 /><ref name=gilman>Gilman (1914), pp. 5Template:En dash10.</ref>
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 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. 1Template:En dash2.</ref><ref name="childers_2011">Childers (2011), pp. 48–70.</ref> These settlers soon became known as "Free-Staters".<ref>Template:Cite web</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. 2Template:En dash3.</ref> In his book A History of Lawrence (1895), Cordley wrote:
The most systematic and extensive movement [to populate Kansas], however, was made [by] "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 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 Robinson, of Fitchburg, and Mr. 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. 3Template:En dash4.</ref>
Branscomb was tasked with exploring the Kansas River up to about Fort Riley, while Robinson scouted land near Fort Leavenworth and the nearby 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. 4Template:En dash5.</ref><ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence">Andreas (1883), pp. 312Template:En dash14.</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 and the 1846 Military Trails.<ref>Federal Highway Administration (2002), p. A64.</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), p. 308.</ref>
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 Valley prevented it.<ref>Andreas (1883), p. 312.</ref> In the end, a group of only 29 menTemplate:Em dashwhich Eli Thayer later called the "pioneer colony"Template:Em dashvolunteered 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>Template:Cite web</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 9Template:En dash11, it had grown to about 114 people.<ref name="Cutler Douglas Lawrence" /><ref name=standard360 /><ref name=cordley6and7>Cordley (1895), pp. 6Template:En dash7.</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 8Template:En dash9, 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. 314Template:En dash16.</ref><ref name="Cutler Newspapers">Andreas (1883), pp. 316Template:En dash17.</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. 8Template:En dash9.</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-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 houses and "shanties made of clap-boards".<ref name=biennialreport /> About two miles (3.3 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>Template:Cite journal</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/>
By the end of 1854, two newspapers touting the 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">Template:Cite web 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 was started in September 1854 by Reverend S. Y. Lum, a missionary sent to Kansas from Middletown, New York.<ref name=cordley13>Cordley (1895), p. 13.</ref> The first post office in Lawrence was established in January 1855,<ref>Template:Cite web</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"
[edit]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. 28Template:Endash29.</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. 30Template:Endash31.</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, as well as smaller satellite settlements like Franklin and Lone Star)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Litteer (1987), p. 32.</ref><ref>Parker and Laird (1976), pp. 146Template:Endash62.</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>Template:Cite web</ref> Then, in October 1855, the outspoken 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>Template:Cite web</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 Dow in the head, killing him.<ref>Template:Cite web</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 Template:Convert south of Lawrence.<ref>Litteer (1987), pp. 4Template:En dash7.</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 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. 55Template:En dash56.</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
[edit]Template:Main 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. 13Template:En dash14.</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 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>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=wakwarcyc1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Fitzgerald (1988), pp. 74Template:En dash75.</ref> This conflict, despite its rather diminutive size and scale, would later be known as the "Wakarusa War".<ref name=wakwarcyc1 />
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 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-State legislature (a 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 presentment that "the building known as the 'Free State' Hotel' Template: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. 409Template:En dash26.</ref> Donaldson, Jones, and Missouri senator David Rice Atchison consequently raised another army of around 800 Southerners.<ref>Ball (2001), p. 175.</ref><ref>Monaghan (1984), pp. 55Template:En dash58.</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 deputized. The sheriff was then joined by more followers and together they began to 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>Template:Cite web</ref> to serve as his headquarters, Jones and his men attacked the offices of the antislavery newspapers. The attackers smashed the presses, tossed the 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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Although the city was thoroughly ransacked, the human cost of the attack was low: only one personTemplate:Em dasha member of Jones's possesTemplate:Em dashdied during the attack when he was struck by a piece of falling masonry.<ref>Template:Cite journal</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">Kansas State Board of Agriculture (1878), pp. 187–191.</ref><ref name="KSGenWeb Douglas1">Template:Cite web Kansas State Board of Agriculture 1878 Biennial Report.</ref>
Anti-slavery capital
[edit]In both 1855 and 1857, Lawrence received a 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>Template:Harvp.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July 1857, the citizens of Lawrence then attempted to secure an "official" city charter from the 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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref> By the start of the next year, Samuel JonesTemplate:Em dashlong the enemy of Lawrence's free state populationTemplate:Em dashresigned his post as sheriff and left the territory.<ref>Adams (1896), p. 276.</ref><ref name=tko>Template:Cite web</ref> On January 16, 1858, Lawrence was declared the seat of Douglas County (an honor that previously belonged to Lecompton),<ref>Kansas Territory Legislature (1858), pp. 218Template:En dash19.</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
[edit]
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">Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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, and "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. 4Template:En dash5.</ref> On August 21, 1863, Lawrence was attacked and destroyed by William Quantrill and hundreds of his irregular Confederate raiders. Most houses and businesses in Lawrence were burned and between 150 and 200 men and boys were murdered,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), pp. 321Template:En dash23.</ref> leaving 80 widows and 250 orphans.<ref name=biennialreport /> About $2,000,000 worth of property (Template:Inflation) was destroyed.<ref name=biennialreport /> The 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">Template:Cite web</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. 251Template:En dash56.</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. 253Template:En dash54, 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 companies to protect the city.<ref>Cordley (1895), p. 255.</ref> Around this time, the federal government also erected several 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>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Bisel and Martin (2013).</ref>
Post-Civil War
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Attempts to begin a university in Kansas were first undertaken in 1855,<ref name="Cutler KU">Andreas (1883), pp. 324Template:En dash25.</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 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 or Emporia—was debated. On January 13, 1863, Manhattan was made the site of the state's land-grant college,<ref name="Frontier">Template:Cite book</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 m2) to donate for the university had great weight with the 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" />
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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">Template:Cite web 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">Template:Cite web The Kansas Historical Quarterly, August 1947 (Vol. 15, No. 3), pages 225–239.</ref>
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>Template:Cite web</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 DeWitt Bowersock.<ref>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Andreas (1883), pp. 326Template:En dash27.</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">Template:Cite web 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">Template:Cite web 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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref>
20th century and beyond
[edit]
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, 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>Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Also in 1903, Theodore Roosevelt visited Lawrence on his way to Manhattan where he gave a short speech and dedicated a fountain at 9th & New Hampshire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The fountain was later moved to South Park next to the gazebo. Roosevelt would visit Lawrence again in 1910 after visiting Osawatomie where he dedicated the John Brown State Historical Site and gave a speech on New Nationalism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1871, the Lawrence Street Railway Company opened and offered citizens easy access to hotels and businesses along Massachusetts Street. The first 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>Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LJWorld roller coaster">Template:Cite web Lawrence Journal-World, mentioning the coaster.</ref>
In 1921, 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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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. The rock honors the two parties of the Emigrant Aid Society who first settled in Lawrence.<ref name="google">Template:Cite web</ref> Lawrence also dedicated the Lawrence Municipal Airport on October 14.<ref name="LawrenceDary" />
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 under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Lawrence.<ref>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 District would close by the end of the year, allowing the Francis family to focus on supplying uniforms and equipment to teams.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the early 1980s, Lawrence grabbed attention from the television movie The Day After. The TV movie first appeared on 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 war. The movie was filmed in Lawrence, and hundreds of local residents appeared in the film as extras and in speaking roles.<ref>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
[edit]
Lawrence is located approximately Template:Convert east of Topeka, and Template:Convert west of Kansas City, Kansas. Though Lawrence has a designated elevation of 866 feet (264 m),<ref name="GNIS"/> the highest elevation is Mount Oread on the University of Kansas campus with an elevation of 1,020 feet (310 m).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The city lies on the southern edge of the Dissected Till Plains, bordering the Osage Plains to the south.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=KDOT>Template:Cite web</ref> According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which, Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert is water,<ref name="Gazetteer files">Template:Cite web</ref> and is split between Wakarusa Township and Grant Township with small portions in Lecompton, Kanwaka and Clinton Townships.
Lawrence is between the Kansas and 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>Template:Cite web</ref> The Wakarusa River was dammed to form 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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lawrence has 54 parks which include community and neighborhood parks, trails, cemeteries and nature preserves.<ref name="lawrenceks parks1">Template:Cite web 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">Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</ref> The first cemetery in Lawrence, Pioneer Cemetery, is on the University of Kansas campus and is maintained by KU.
Climate
[edit]Lawrence has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), typically experiencing hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The hottest temperature recorded in Lawrence was Template:Convert on August 10, 1934 and August 14, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was Template:Convert on February 12, 1899.<ref name = NOWData/>
Cityscape
[edit]
Streets
[edit]The early settlers of the town named the city's main road "Massachusetts" to commemorate the 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">Template:Cite web 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, 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">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Neighborhoods
[edit]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>Template:Cite web</ref> Oread,<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> Hancock,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Breezedale,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and most of Rhode Island Street<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in East Lawrence.
North Lawrence
[edit]
Grant Township, north of the Kansas River, was annexed to Douglas County in 1870 from southern Sarcoxie Township in 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 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">Template:Cite web 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
[edit]
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, Gothic Revival, Tudor, Romanesque and many others.
Demographics
[edit]Lawrence is part of the Kansas City (MO)–Overland Park–Kansas City (KS) Combined Statistical Area.
The city's planning and urban development department estimates the city reached 100,000 people in early 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020 census
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 65,774 | 69,114 | 69,414 | 82.12% | 78.86% | 73.12% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,989 | 3,948 | 4,868 | 4.98% | 4.50% | 5.13% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 2,201 | 2,425 | 2,346 | 2.75% | 2.77% | 2.47% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 3,013 | 3,941 | 4,506 | 3.76% | 4.50% | 4.75% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 49 | 51 | 65 | 0.06% | 0.06% | 0.07% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 122 | 137 | 421 | 0.15% | 0.16% | 0.44% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 2,029 | 3,021 | 5,985 | 2.53% | 3.45% | 6.30% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,921 | 5,006 | 7,329 | 3.65% | 5.71% | 7.72% |
| Total | 80,098 | 87,643 | 94,934 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The 2020 United States census counted 94,934 people, 39,688 households, and 19,602 families in Lawrence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=:0 /> The population density was 2,779.7 per square mile (1,073.3/kmTemplate:Sup). There were 43,421 housing units at an average density of 1,271.4 per square mile (490.9/kmTemplate:Sup).<ref name=:0>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 75.32% (71,500) white or European American (73.12% non-Hispanic white), 5.32% (5,052) black or African-American, 2.83% (2,688) Native American or Alaska Native, 4.77% (4,532) Asian, 0.07% (67) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 2.42% (2,300) from other races, and 9.26% (8,795) from two or more races.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Separately, Hispanic or Latino of any race was 7.72% (7,329) of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref> The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 35.9% of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010 census
[edit]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">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 37,502 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or 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.
Template:As of 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">Template:Cite web</ref>
2000 census
[edit]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 Template:Convert. There were 32,761 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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 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.
Template:As of 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">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="policyblognh">Template:Cite web</ref>
Economy
[edit]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
[edit]As of 2020, Lawrence's unemployment rate had grown by 3.7%.<ref>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2023, the Lawrence City Commission approved an ordinance banning source of income discrimination, disallowing landlords from rejecting housing vouchers. The ordinance also banned discrimination in housing due to immigration status and being a survivor of sexual assault.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Historic sites and museums
[edit]
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">Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web 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 sister city Hiratsuka, Japan.<ref>Template:Cite web 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 Natural History Museum in Dyche Hall,<ref name="nris">Template:NRISref</ref> the Spencer Museum of Art<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Dole Institute of Politics among others.<ref name="LJW Dole1">Template:Cite web 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">Template:Cite web</ref> Sesquicentennial Park is near 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">Template:Cite web</ref>
Liberty Hall was built when the Bowersock Opera House burned down in 1911.<ref name="ljworld">Template:Cite web</ref> Liberty Hall is a theater typically showcasing independent movies and frequent live acts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Liberty Hall also runs a video rental next door.<ref name="servlet">Template:Cite web</ref> The 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.
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 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">Template:Cite web</ref> It is a popular rumor that the ghost of Eldridge haunts the hotel.<ref name="eldridgehotel2">Template:Cite web</ref>
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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Oak Hill Cemetery in east Lawrence was established in 1866 and was called by William Allen White the "Kansas Arlington".<ref name="lawrenceks2">Template:Cite web</ref> The cemetery features the burials of 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">Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="castletearoom">Template:Cite web</ref> There are many other houses of historic prominence in Lawrence, many of them on the National Register of Historic Places.
Arts and culture
[edit]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>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite web Article from the UDK about Beach Boys at the Lied Center.</ref>
In December 2005, the city announced International Dadaism Month, celebrating 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>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Lawrence is home to many bands and record labels. Many artists, such as Paw, Mates of State, The New Amsterdams, Kansas, Fourth of July, White Flight, The Anniversary, Minus Story, The Appleseed Cast, Old Canes, Ad Astra Per Aspera, 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.
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, 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>Template:Cite news</ref> Activities other than music include disc golf, yoga, hiking, and swimming in Clinton Lake. The festival was relocated to 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>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sports
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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>Template:Cite web</ref> and 1952,<ref name="SN1952">Template:Cite journal</ref> 1988,<ref name="title">Template:Cite news</ref> 2008,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 2022<ref>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite web</ref> 2012,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 2022,<ref>Template:Cite web</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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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 level Western Association and hosted home minor league games at the South Massachusetts Street Ballpark.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
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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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web The 2017 Douglas County, Kansas General Election sample ballot, which shows the multi-choice voting.</ref>
While Kansas is a heavily Republican state, Lawrence is often considered a bastion of the modern 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 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 presidential election. Douglas County has supported the Democratic candidate for the past nine presidential elections.<ref>For election results, see– Template:Cite web
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Lawrence is served by Democratic state representatives Christina Haswood, Mike Amyx, Barbara Ballard and Dennis Highberger, and by state senators Marci Francisco (Democrat), Tom Holland (Democrat), and Rick Kloos (Republican). Lawrence is represented federally by Republican Tracey Mann of the 1st and U.S. Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, both Republicans. Prior to 2002, Lawrence sat entirely within the 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">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, the Kansas State Legislature moved Lawrence into the 1st district after legal challenges failed in the Kansas Supreme Court.<ref>Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite webLawrence 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 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- Template:Cite web
- 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>Template:Cite news</ref>
Education
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Primary and secondary education
[edit]The Lawrence USD 497 public school district includes almost all of the Lawrence city limits.<ref name=DouglasCOSDmap>Template:Cite web - 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>Template:Cite web 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 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>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</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 School District,<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 school), Prairie Moon School (grades pre-K to 8) (Waldorf school), and Limestone Community School (as of 2023, grades K to 4).
Colleges and universities
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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">Template:Cite web</ref> A 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">Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Libraries
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The first library in Lawrence was started in October 1854 and was a subscription library costing $1 a year.<ref name="history">Template:Cite web</ref> After the 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">Template:Cite web</ref> During construction, the library moved to 7th and New Hampshire in the former Borders bookstore. The new library opened in July 2014.<ref name="ljworld4">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Lawrence Public Library was one of seven libraries in the United States that won the AIA/ALA Library Building Award in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Media
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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">Template:Cite web Brief overview of Kansas Herald of Freedom</ref> In August 1885, the Lawrence Daily Journal began<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Lawrence Daily World began in June 1895.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These papers would merge in 1911 to become the Lawrence Journal-World although the masthead lists the founding as 1858, probably in reference to the Herald of Freedom.<ref name="100years">(December 13, 1991). A 100-Year Newspaper Tradition, Lawrence Journal-World</ref><ref name="ljworldcombo">(Feb 20, 1911). "Journal-World, The Combination"</ref> Other newspapers include The University Daily Kansan, a student newspaper from the University of Kansas,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Open Kansan, an independent student newspaper from the University of Kansas,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lawrence Times, an online newspaper founded by former Lawrence Journal-World employees,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Change of Heart, a street newspaper sold by homeless vendors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Radio stations in Lawrence include KLWN an AM station that began in 1951. FM stations are KU's student station, KJHK, KANU, a NPR member station,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> K241AR, a Christian station that broadcasts Air 1,<ref>Template:Cite web</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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Listeners can also receive stations from Kansas City and Topeka.
Lawrence is in the Kansas City television market, but viewers can also receive stations from the Topeka market as well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Television stations licensed and/or broadcasting from Lawrence are KUJH-LP, a KU student station, and KMCI which broadcasts from Kansas City, Missouri.<ref>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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 cult film shot mostly in Lawrence and released in 1962.<ref name="LA Times1">Template:Cite web 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">Template:Cite web Lawrence Journal-World.</ref><ref name="KU Oldfather1">Template:Cite web University of Kansas – Oldfather Studios.</ref>
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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Radio
[edit]The following radio stations are licensed to Lawrence, Kansas:
| Frequency | Callsign<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Format<ref name="Arbitron">Template:Cite web</ref> |
|---|---|---|
| 1320 | KLWN | News and talk |
| Frequency | Callsign<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Format<ref name="Arbitron" /> | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90.7 | KJHK | Student radio, Sports, News, Alternative | |
| 91.1 | KCIU | Christian radio | |
| 91.5 | KANU | Kansas Public Radio (NPR) | |
| 92.9 | KMXN | Country | |
| 96.1 | K241AR | Christian radio | Air1 |
| 101.7 | KLWN | News and talk | |
| 105.9 | KKSW | Top 40 |
Television
[edit]The following television stations are licensed to Lawrence, Kansas:
| Digital channel | Analog channel | Callsign<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 31 | KUJH-LP | Student-run television for the University of Kansas |
| 32 | Template:N/a | Midco Sports Network | Local sports network broadcasting high school sports and college press conferences |
Infrastructure
[edit]Transportation
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Interstate 70, as the Kansas Turnpike, runs east–west along the northern edge of the city, interchanging with 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, 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. 24, exiting the city.
K-10, an east–west state highway, enters the city from the east along 23rd Street, then turns south, running concurrently with U.S. 59 for 1.5 miles before splitting off and continuing west and finally north around western Lawrence as a bypass, terminating at an interchange with I-70 northwest of the city.<ref name="CityMap" /> The K-10 South Lawrence Trafficway is a project with the goal to connect K-10 and the Kansas Turnpike. To transfer between K-10 and the Kansas Turnpike, drivers must use Lawrence city streets. The K-10 South Lawrence Trafficway, already partially built, was proposed as a solution to traffic, air quality, and safety concerns. However, the project has received criticism and been the subject of many protests for more than a decade because of opposition to the trafficway being built through the Haskell-Baker Wetlands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More recently, it appears completion of the project is underway. In June 2011, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced it would provide $192 million to complete the trafficway<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in July 2012, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling that all necessary permits were properly obtained and construction could commence.<ref name="ljworld5">Template:Cite news</ref> As for the wetlands, about 56 acres were taken for the construction of the South Lawrence Trafficway; because of this some 380 acres of human-made wetlands were developed next to the site.
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>Template:Cite web</ref> Together, the two systems operate 18 bus routes in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Both systems are free to KU students, faculty, and staff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service with a stop in Lawrence.<ref>Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</ref>
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>Template:Cite web</ref> The nearest airport with commercial airline service is Kansas City International Airport which is approximately 50 miles northeast of downtown Lawrence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Proper name provides service from Lawrence to Kansas City International Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Two Class I railroads, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad (UP), have lines which pass through Lawrence.<ref>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref> Amtrak's Lawrence station is a few blocks east of downtown.<ref>Template:Cite web</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 Lawrence residents worked at home.<ref name="ACS Lawrence">Template:Cite web 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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Health and utilities
[edit]Lawrence has one hospital, the non-profit community-owned Lawrence Memorial Hospital.<ref name="LMH">Template:Cite web 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">Template:Cite web 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, HughesNet, Allconnect, and 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, 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">Template:Cite web Lawrence's Street Maintenance Division information.</ref>
Sister cities
[edit]Lawrence has four <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> sister cities through Sister Cities International:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Template:Flagdeco Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany – October 27, 1989
- Template:Flagdeco Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan – September 21, 1990
- Template:Flagdeco Iniades, Greece – October 20, 2009
- Template:Flagdeco Tocopilla, Chile – July 18, 2024
Notable people
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also Template:See also
In popular culture
[edit]Template:In popular culture The city served as the setting for a number of science fiction writer James Gunn's novels, including The Immortals (1964), which was the basis for the ABC television movie and 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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sam and Dean Winchester, the protagonists of the 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>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lawrence was destroyed in the 2006 TV Series Jericho.<ref name="ljworld6">Template:Cite web</ref>
American folk singer Josh Ritter's song "Lawrence KS" is on the 2002 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>Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
[edit]- Great Flood of 1951
- Lied Center of Kansas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Kansas
References
[edit]Bibliography
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Further reading
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- History of Lawrence, Kansas: from the First Settlement to the close of the Rebellion; Richard Cordley; E.F. Caldwell; 360 pages; 1895. (Download 20MB PDF eBook)
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External links
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- Template:Official website
- Lawrence – Directory of Public Officials
- Lawrence – Chamber of Commerce
- Daily Record, Google news archive. —PDFs for 998 issues, dating from 1889 through 1893.
- Daily World, Google news archive. —PDFs for 1,062 issues, dating from 1892 through 1895.
- Lawrence city map, KDOT
Template:Lawrence, Kansas Template:Douglas County, Kansas Template:Kansas Template:Authority control