Lawrence is a city happy to be what it is: a city doing things in its own way, with free thinkers not trying to be anyone else. Founded by pioneers driven to create a state where people of all races would be free, Lawrence has continually defined itself as an open, energetic and welcoming community. Quirky? Different? Unexpected? Yes! But more importantly, we invite you to define your own version of a city that offers an escape from the ordinary.

Lawrence is home to two universities: the University of Kansas (KU) and Haskell Indian Nations University.
Approximately 28,000 undergraduates attend KU, which is ranked as one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses.
Haskell Indian Nations University is the nation’s only inter-tribal university for Native Americans. Haskell’s students represent more than 150 tribes from all across the country.
Lawrence boasts one of the most vibrant downtown shopping, dining, and entertainment districts in the Midwest. Massachusetts Street, named after the home state of the city’s founders, and the entire downtown district, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s known to the locals as Mass Street. It’s been called “the best destination in Kansas.”

Today, Lawrence hosts a vibrant art scene and is known for its live music venues that host national touring and local acts.

Kansas’ first legal brewery since prohibition, Free State Brewing Co., is located in Lawrence’s historic downtown.
Dr. James Naismith, inventor of basketball, is buried in Lawrence, where he lived and coached most of his adult life.

Naismith’s Original Rules of “Basket Ball” are housed in the DeBruce Center adjacent to the top college basketball venue in the nation, Allen Fieldhouse.

The Kansas Jayhawk men’s basketball team is consistently ranked among the best in the country.