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Lawrence, KS

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Lawrence, Kansas — From Wikipedia

Lawrence, Kansas
Aerial view of downtown Lawrence (2025)
Nicknames: 
LFK,[1] Larryville[2]
Motto: 
From Ashes to Immortality[3]
Location within Douglas County and Kansas
Interactive map of Lawrence, Kansas
Coordinates: 38°57′35″N 95°15′51″W / 38.95972°N 95.26417°W / 38.95972; -95.26417[4]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyDouglas
Founded1854
IncorporatedFebruary 20, 1858[5]
Named forAmos A. Lawrence
Government
 • TypeCity commission
 • MayorBrad Finkeldei[6]
 • City managerMajed Al-Ghafry[7]
Area
 • Total
34.97 sq mi (90.57 km2)
 • Land34.14 sq mi (88.42 km2)
 • Water0.83 sq mi (2.14 km2)
Elevation991 ft (302 m)
Population
 • Total
94,934
 • Estimate 
(2024)[12]
97,271
 • Density2,781/sq mi (1,074/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
66044–66047, 66049
Area code785
FIPS code20-38900
GNIS ID485609[9]
Interstate highwayI-70
Public transportationLawrence Transit
Websitelawrenceks.gov

Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States,[4] 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.[10][11] The city is a college town with a significant student population, because it is home to both the University of Kansas (KU) and Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU).

Lawrence was founded by the New England Emigrant Aid Company (NEEAC) and was named for Amos A. Lawrence, an abolitionist from Massachusetts, who offered financial aid and support for the settlement.[13] 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.