| Lawrence, Kansas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
| The Douglas County Courthouse anchors the south end of downtown Lawrence. | |||
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| Nickname(s): Larryville[1] | |||
| Motto: From Ashes to Immortality | |||
| Location in Kansas | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Kansas | ||
| County | Douglas | ||
| Founded | 1854 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Aron Cromwell | ||
| • City manager | Dave Corliss | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 28.7 sq mi (74.3 km2) | ||
| • Land | 28.1 sq mi (72.8 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) | ||
| Elevation[2] | 866 ft (264 m) | ||
| Population (2010)[3] | |||
| • Total | 87,643 | ||
| • Density | 3,053.8/sq mi (1,179.1/km2) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| ZIP code | 66044-66047, 66049 | ||
| Area code(s) | 785 | ||
| FIPS code | 20-38900[4] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0479145[5] | ||
| Website | www.LawrenceKS.org | ||
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County. Located 25 miles east of Topeka, Kansas, and 41 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri, it is situated along the banks of the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 87,643.[3] Lawrence is a college town and is the home to the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University.
Lawrence has been named one of the best places to retire by U.S. News & World Report and one of America's 10 best college towns by Parents & Colleges.[6][7]
Contents |
Lawrence, was founded in 1854 for the New England Emigrant Aid Company by Charles Robinson, who later served as governor of Kansas. The city was named after Amos Adams Lawrence, a prominent politician and antislavery partisan and the son of famed philanthropist Amos Lawrence. Lawrence was Robinson's cousin and a major source of funds and support for the new settlement.
In the Bleeding Kansas era, Lawrence was a center of anti-slavery sentiment and "the headquarters of the free-state forces in the territory."[8] On May 21, 1856, a pro-slavery posse led by Sheriff Samuel J. Jones burned the Free-State Hotel, destroyed the equipment of two anti-slavery newspapers, and looted several other businesses in an attack known as the sack of Lawrence; one man was killed, struck dead by a stone falling from the burning hotel. The abolitionist John Brown led the nearby Pottawatomie Massacre, which was believed to be retaliation for the sack of the town. It continued as a magnet for conflict during the American Civil War.
On August 21, 1863, during the war, Confederate guerrillas led by William Quantrill burned most of the houses and commercial buildings in Lawrence and killed 150 to 200 of the men they found, in what became known as the Lawrence Massacre.
The University of Kansas was founded in Lawrence in 1865 by the citizens of Lawrence under a charter granted by the Kansas Legislature, with the donation of 40 acres (160,000 m²) of land on Mount Oread by former Kansas Governor Charles Robinson and his wife, Sara, and a small monetary gift from Amos Adams Lawrence. Of historical importance is the University of Kansas's Pioneer Cemetery, perhaps best known for being the final resting place of Thomas Barber, a free-state settler, and Elmer McCollum, KU alumnus who is credited with discovering Vitamin A. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, is buried in East Lawrence in Memorial Park Cemetery.
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.[9]
As a college town, Lawrence is known for its liberal philosophy and distinctive culture. In 1989, when the Free State Brewing Company opened in Lawrence, it was the first legal brewery in Kansas in more than 100 years.[10] The restaurant is in a renovated inter-urban trolley station in downtown Lawrence. The city is home to the state's only commercial hydro-electric plant.[11]
In the early 1980s, Lawrence grabbed national and later world attention because of 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 to average Americans, particularly those living in Lawrence and surrounding communities, if the United States was destroyed in a nuclear war. The movie was filmed in Lawrence with help from many people in the community.
Downtown Lawrence is located at (38.959902, -95.253199) at an elevation of 866 feet (264 m).[5] The city lies on the Kansas River on the southern edge of the Dissected Till Plains, bordering the Osage Plains to the south.[12][13] Mount Oread, the site of the University of Kansas campus, is at the center of the city, rising to an elevation of over 1,020 ft (310 m).[14][15]
The Kansas River flows windingly east-southeast through the northeast corner of the city, joined along its course by two small tributaries, Baldwin Creek and Burroughs Creek. Baldwin Creek runs northeast along the northwestern edge of the city; Burroughs Creek flows north then east through the eastern part of the city. Bounding Lawrence to the south is the Wakarusa River, another tributary of the Kansas River, which has been dammed immediately southwest of the city to form a reservoir, Clinton Lake. Yankee Tank Creek, a tributary of the Wakarusa, runs southeast through the southwestern part of the city and has been dammed to form to a small reservoir, Lake Alvamar.[16] A small lake, Potter Lake, is located on the University of Kansas campus.[17]
Located in northeastern Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 59, Lawrence is 23 miles (37 km) east of Topeka, 39 miles (63 km) west of Kansas City, and 143 miles (230 km) northeast of Wichita.[13][18]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.7 square miles (74 km2) of which 28.1 square miles (73 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), or 2.06%, is water.[19]
Lying in the transition zone between North America's humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), Lawrence experiences hot, humid summers and cold winters with precipitation year round. Over the course of a year, temperatures in Lawrence range from an average low of almost 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to an average high above 90 °F (32 °C) in July. The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 49 days a year and reaches or exceeds 100 °F (38 °C) on average of five days a year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point 32 °F (0 °C) on average of 96 days a year. Typically, the first fall freeze occurs between mid-October and the second week of November, and the last spring freeze occurs between the last week of March and the third week of April. The city receives nearly 40 inches (1,000 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received in May and June; the period from April to June averages 32 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year, the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 27 to 58 inches (1,500 mm). There are, on average, 100 days of measurable precipitation each year. Winter snowfall averages almost 18 inches, but the median is less than 10 inches (25 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 10 days a year with at least an inch of snow being received on six of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 18 days a year.[20] On average, January is the coldest month, July is the hottest month, and June is the wettest month. Extremes range from −21 to 111 °F (-29 to 44 °C) in 1989 and 1954, respectively.[21]
| Climate data for Lawrence, Kansas, USA | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) |
82 (28) |
90 (32) |
94 (34) |
98 (37) |
107 (42) |
111 (44) |
107 (42) |
108 (42) |
98 (37) |
84 (29) |
76 (24) |
111 (44) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
46 (8) |
57 (14) |
68 (20) |
77 (25) |
85 (29) |
91 (33) |
89 (32) |
81 (27) |
70 (21) |
54 (12) |
42 (6) |
66.6 (19.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 30 (−1) |
36 (2) |
46 (8) |
57 (14) |
66 (19) |
75 (24) |
80 (27) |
79 (26) |
70 (21) |
59 (15) |
45 (7) |
34 (1) |
56 (13.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 20 (−7) |
26 (−3) |
35 (2) |
46 (8) |
56 (13) |
65 (18) |
70 (21) |
68 (20) |
59 (15) |
48 (9) |
36 (2) |
25 (−4) |
46 (7.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) |
−11 (−24) |
−7 (−22) |
13 (−11) |
30 (−1) |
44 (7) |
51 (11) |
42 (6) |
31 (−1) |
20 (−7) |
2 (−17) |
−21 (−29) |
−21 (−29) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.25 (31.8) |
1.19 (30.2) |
2.74 (69.6) |
3.54 (89.9) |
5.30 (134.6) |
5.63 (143) |
4.01 (101.9) |
3.81 (96.8) |
4.54 (115.3) |
3.40 (86.4) |
2.57 (65.3) |
1.80 (45.7) |
39.78 (1,010.4) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 6.5 (16.5) |
5.0 (12.7) |
1.6 (4.1) |
0.3 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.5) |
1.1 (2.8) |
2.9 (7.4) |
17.6 (44.7) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.4 | 6.2 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 12.0 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 100 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 10.1 |
| Source: National Climatic Data Center;[20] The Weather Channel[21] | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,645 |
|
|
| 1870 | 8,320 | 405.8% | |
| 1880 | 8,510 | 2.3% | |
| 1890 | 9,997 | 17.5% | |
| 1900 | 10,862 | 8.7% | |
| 1910 | 12,374 | 13.9% | |
| 1920 | 12,456 | 0.7% | |
| 1930 | 13,726 | 10.2% | |
| 1940 | 14,390 | 4.8% | |
| 1950 | 23,351 | 62.3% | |
| 1960 | 32,858 | 40.7% | |
| 1970 | 45,698 | 39.1% | |
| 1980 | 52,738 | 15.4% | |
| 1990 | 65,608 | 24.4% | |
| 2000 | 80,098 | 22.1% | |
| 2010 | 87,643 | 9.4% | |
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As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 80,098 people, 31,388 households, and 15,725 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,849.4 people per square mile (1,100.2/km²). There were 32,761 housing units at an average density of 1,165.4 per square mile (450.0/km²). 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.
The median income for a household in the city 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.
City-Data.com compiled cost of living statistics for Lawrence and the surrounding communities. Household income has grown 12% in Lawrence since 2000. Housing costs have increased 52% during the same time.
Estimated median household income in 2009: $39,496 (it was $34,669 in 2000)
Lawrence: $39,826 / Topeka: $39,109 / Olathe: $75,009 / Kansas: $47,817
Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $125,500 (it was $112,800 in 2000)
Lawrence: $172,500 / Topeka: $95,400 / Olathe: $194,800 / Kansas: $125,500
Mean prices in 2007: All housing units: $202,400; Detached houses: $218,655; Townhouses or other attached units: $139,429; In 2-unit structures: $209,848; In 3-to4-unit structures: $122,636; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $75,000; Mobile homes: $19,003
Median gross rent in 2007: $711.
Lawrence: $711 / Topeka: $581 / Olathe: $767
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2007: 20.7%
Lawrence: 20.7% / Topeka: 15.3% / Olathe: 4.3%
The Unified School District 497 includes fourteen public grade schools, four junior high schools: Central, West, South, and Southwest, and two high schools: Lawrence High School and Lawrence Free State High School.[22] The athletic teams of the former are nicknamed the Chesty Lions, and those of the latter are the Firebirds. Both schools are Class 6A in enrollment size, and Lawrence High School leads the State of Kansas in most state championships won, with 103 championships. The Lawrence High School football team also leads the nation with most undefeated seasons at 31, though all of these occurred before Free State High School came into existence. Private high schools include Bishop Seabury Academy, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and Veritas Christian School. There is also St. John Catholic School, which teaches grades Pre-K through 6 and is funded by the Catholic communities of Lawrence and Corpus Christi Catholic School. Raintree Montessori School is a secular private school which teaches preschool through grade 6. The Prairie Moon School is a Waldorf school near Lawrence. The city has 15 public schools: Langston Hughes Elementary, which is named after Langston Hughes; Quail Run Elementary, Broken Arrow Elementary, Cordley Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy (pre-K-6), Pinckney Elementary, Prairie Park Elementary, New York Elementary, Schwelger Elementary, Sunflower Elementary, Sunset Hill Elementary, Sunset Hill Elementary, Woodlawn Elementary
The University of Kansas is the largest public university in the state, with a total enrollment of just over 30,000 students (including approximately 3,000 students at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, KS).[23] It has over 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 students representing all 50 states and 150 tribes. Haskell is the home of the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame and the Haskell Cultural Center.
In 2010, Lawrence was named one of America's 10 best college towns by Parents & Colleges. Lawrence also was included in lists of top college towns in 2010 by the American Institute for Economic Research, MSN and MSNBC.[6]
In September 2011, the town of Osceola, Missouri, asked KU to drop the Jayhawk mascot because of its association with Jayhawkers' burning of Osceola in 1861 shortly after the start of the American Civil War.[24]
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. Another east–west route, U.S. Route 40, runs through northern Lawrence roughly 2 miles south of I-70. Entering the city from the west, U.S. 40 runs concurrently east-west with U.S. 59 for approximately 1 mile, and then 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, exiting the city. K-10, an east-west state highway, enters the city from the east, 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.[17]
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.[25] Together, the two systems operate 17 bus routes in the city.[26] Both systems are free to KU students, faculty, and staff.[27] Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service with a stop in Lawrence.[28]
Lawrence Municipal Airport is located northeast of the city, immediately north of U.S. 40. Publicly owned, it has two runways and is used for general aviation.[29] The nearest airport with commercial airline service is Kansas City International Airport.[30]
Two Class I railroads, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad (UP), have lines which pass through Lawrence.[31] 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.[17] Using the BNSF trackage, Amtrak provides passenger rail service on its Southwest Chief line between Chicago and Los Angeles.[16][32] Amtrak's Lawrence station is located a few blocks east of downtown.[33]
The K-10 South Lawrence Trafficway is a project with the goal to connect K-10 and the Kansas Turnpike. Currently, 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.[34] 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.[35]
The following radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from Lawrence:
AM
| Frequency | Callsign[36] | Format[37] | City of License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1320 | KLWN | News/Talk | Lawrence, Kansas | - |
FM
| Frequency | Callsign[38] | Format[37] | City of License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90.7 | KJHK | Variety | Lawrence, Kansas | KU college radio[39] |
| 91.5 | KANU | Variety | Lawrence, Kansas | NPR[40] |
| 92.9 | KMXN | Country | Osage City, Kansas | Broadcasts from Lawrence[41] |
| 96.1 | K241AR | Christian Contemporary | Lawrence, Kansas | Air 1[42] |
| 103.7 | KCIU-LP | Religious | Lawrence, Kansas | - |
| 105.9 | KLZR | Hot Adult Contemporary | Lawrence, Kansas | - |
Lawrence is in the Kansas City television market.[43] The following television stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from Lawrence:
| Digital Channel | Digital Subchannel | Analog Channel | Callsign[44] | Network | City of License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 14 | KUJH-LP | - | Lawrence, Kansas | KU student station[45] |
| 38 (Virtual); 41 | 38.1 | - | KMCI-TV | - | Lawrence, Kansas | Broadcasts from Kansas City, Missouri[46] |
The city is known for a thriving music and art scene. Rolling Stone named Lawrence one of the "best lil' college towns" in the country in its August 11, 2005, issue.[47] They had previously named the local commercial radio station, KLZR 105.9 FM, as one of a top ten "Stations that Don't Suck" in 1998. The station, which was independently owned at that time, was soon after sold to corporate buyers and the format changed to Top 40.
KJHK 90.7 FM, the University of Kansas's student-run radio station, is a staple of the local music scene. It won a CMJ award in 2006 for "most improved station" and was nominated for a Plug Award for best college radio station in 2007. The New York Times said Lawrence had "the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver" in a travel column on February 25, 2005.[48] Locally owned bar and music venue The Replay Lounge was named one of Esquire magazines top 25 bars/venues in the country in 2007.[49] The Replay is known to locals for pinball machines, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, music and a heated outside smoking area, one of the largest in the city (indoor smoking is banned in the city).
Lawrence is home to many bands and record labels. Range Life Records, operated out of Lawrence and Brooklyn, features many artists, such as Fourth of July and White Flight. The Anniversary, Minus Story, The Appleseed Cast, and The Get Up Kids originated in Lawrence or its surrounding areas.
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 had grown dramatically by 2006, with almost 60,000 tickets sold, while developing 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.[50] 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.[51]
Each May, the city hosts the Art in the Park festival in South Park in downtown Lawrence.
The Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale is held the third Thursday of each July. Stores open early, offer deep discounts, and feature their merchandise on the sidewalk, creating a busy and lively atmosphere all day long. Customers are known to camp out on Massachusetts Street as early as 4 a.m. to wait for stores to open and get deals.
The Lawrence Busker Fest is held each August in downtown Lawrence. Street performers, such as acrobats and jugglers, provide entertainment. Governor Sam Brownback's decision to eliminate the Kansas Arts Commission in 2011 resulted in funding loss for the festival and left its future up in the air. However, the festival has been able to continue.
Final Fridays is a celebration of the arts on the last Friday of each month. It includes special exhibits, performances, and demonstrations in downtown Lawrence.
Each fall, KJHK hosts a local battle of the bands called Farmer's Ball. The competition is spread out over two to three days. Past winners have included Katlyn Conroy and The Will Nots.
Downtown Lawrence, in particular Massachusetts Street, has a lively atmosphere and is filled with restaurants, bars, galleries, shops and music venues.
The Bowersock Dam on the Kansas River provides hydropower to riverfront businesses like the Lawrence Journal-World. The city is also home to the Free State Brewery.
The Lawrence Public Library is located in downtown Lawrence.
The University of Kansas campus is home to many museums, including the KU Natural History Museum and the Spencer Museum of Art. The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics houses various artifacts from the life of the former Kansas Senator.
Another site of interest is the Lawrence Arts Center. It has daytime activities, organized plays and acts, and an art gallery filled with artwork created by the townspeople.
The Watkins Community Museum of History explains local history through lectures, events, and tours. It contains exhibits telling the stories of Langston Hughes and James Naismith. The museum building was originally built as a bank between 1885 and 1888, and was considered one of the most magnificent buildings west of the Mississippi River at the time of its construction.[52] The Watkins Museum opened at this location in 1975.
The historic Union Pacific Depot, 402 North Second, was opened on November 13, 1889. Designed by noted American architect, Henry Van Brunt, the depot continued in service as a passenger station until 1971. The depot survived the devastaing floods of 1903 and 1951. The building was saved for posterity and the newly renovated depot opened in 1996. The building houses the Lawrence Visitors Information Center, an important source for information on the area and other cultural and historic attractions throughout the state of Kansas. The depot also has a display of artifacts found during the renovation, as well as a display featuring the history of the depot and local transportation. It is opened to the public.
The Japanese Friendship Garden, on the 1000 block of Massachusetts Street, is an oasis in the middle of downtown Lawrence. It was built to honor the 10-year anniversary of Lawrence's relationship with its sister city Hiratsuka, Japan.
The Lawrence Farmers' Market, the oldest in Kansas, is held each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday — each at a different location. The season is from April to November.
Bonnie and Clyde robbed First National Bank in downtown Lawrence in 1932.[53] The bank is now Teller's Restaurant and Bar.
Allen Fieldhouse, on the University of Kansas campus, is one of college basketball’s most well-known and historical buildings. In 2010, ESPN The Magazine named Allen Fieldhouse the loudest arena in the country.[54]
The James Naismith Memorial, where Naismith, the inventor of basketball and the University of Kansas’ first basketball coach, is buried, is in Lawrence Memorial Park, just south of Oak Park Cemetery.[55]
Lawrence also features many characteristics of a college town, such as a radical library and infoshop, two microbreweries, and a half dozen locally owned coffeehouses.
While Kansas is a heavily Republican state, Lawrence is reliably Democratic.[56] 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 and one of only three that voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 election. Douglas County has supported the Democratic candidate the past five presidential elections.[57][58][59][60][61] Currently, Lawrence is served by both the 2nd and 3rd U.S. Congressional Districts of Kansas. Before reapportionment in 2002, Lawrence sat entirely within the third district.
Lawrence is the only city in the state of Kansas with an ordinance (enacted in 1995, after a campaign called Simply Equal) prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Douglas County, in which Lawrence is located, was the only county in the state to reject the amendment to the Kansas Constitution prohibiting both gay marriage and civil unions in April 2005. The vote against the amendment was primarily in the city of Lawrence; outside the city, the amendment carried in the rest of Douglas County. 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 Aug. 1, 2007, provides unmarried couples—both same-sex and other-sex—some recognition by the city for legal purposes.
Lawrence is also the home of the University of Kansas athletic teams. The perennially highly-ranked (and 1952, 1988, 2008 NCAA Champions) Kansas Jayhawks basketball team is closely followed by many residents during the winter. Massachusetts Street, the primary street of downtown Lawrence, flooded with fans in 2002, 2003, and 2008 after both KU's victories and defeats in the final rounds of the NCAA tournaments those years.
The school's football team has reached bowl eligibility in four of the past five years, including a 12-1 record in the 2007 season (the best in school history) and a victory in the Orange Bowl.
The city honored the university'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."
The local Kaw Valley Kickball League hosts games and a tournament every summer in Lawrence. Most of the teams revolve around downtown businesses and their employees, but the league is open to anyone.
In the 1983 TV movie The Day After, Lawrence was ravaged by fallout from detonations of nearby Soviet nuclear bombs, including one which destroyed Kansas City, Missouri. The TV movie was shot on location in and around Lawrence, and many locals were used to play small roles or perform as extras.
The protagonist brothers of the 2005 TV show Supernatural hail from Lawrence, and the city's significance has been referenced numerous times throughout the show's history.
Lawrence was also destroyed in the 2006 TV Series Jericho: In the seventh episode of the series, it is mentioned that Lawrence was destroyed by a nuclear blast. Some exterior shots for the CBS series Jericho were filmed in Lawrence.[62]
Lawrence was the town the Diffy's in Disney's Phil of the Future claimed to have come from (when trying to hide that they were really from the future).
There is a song entitled Lawrence KS on the 2002 album Golden Age of Radio by American folk singer Josh Ritter
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. 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. The Centron Corporation soundstage and residing building is now called Oldfather Studios and houses the University of Kansas film program.
Lawrence and the Jayhawks have been spotted several times on Saturday Night Live, including a sketch with Jack Black set at The Wheel (a popular student bar).[63] These appearances are the handiwork of Jason Sudeikis, SNL writer and performer, an Overland Park, KS native.
Lawrence is the setting for a number of science fiction writer James Gunn's novels, including The Immortals (1964), basis for the ABC television movie and TV series "The Immortal" (1969–1971). Gunn teaches at the University of Kansas.
United States of Tara, a TV show set in Overland Park, Kansas, features an episode where characters visit Lawrence.
Older versions of Google Earth, software that allows the user to "fly" over the surface of the earth, mapped with satellite photography and topographical data, has a default position that, when the program launches, is centered exactly on the city of Lawrence (specifically on Meadowbrook Apartments, lying between Compton Square and Regency Place). This may be verified by running the software and zooming in from the default start position without rotating the virtual globe at all. This location was set by Brian McClendon, a 1986 graduate of the University of Kansas and director of engineering for Google Earth.[64] Newer versions of the program center on Lawrence on the initial run, but center on the user's own location on subsequent launches.
Lawrence has three sister cities through Sister Cities International:[65]
Lawrence has one unofficial sister city through US-El Salvador Sister Cities
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