The University of Kansas sports teams are in Lawrence. They are called the Jayhawks. The most famous team is the men's basketball team. Many people watch the men's basketball team. Many fans came together on Massachusetts Street in 2002, 2003, 2008, and 2012. This was when the Jayhawks won or lost the last games in the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks won the 1952, 1988, and 2008 NCAA tournaments. KU's football team had their best year in 2007–2008. They won 12 games, and they lost only one game. That year, they won the Orange Bowl. The city honored the mascot in 2003 when the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau created 30 statues of the Jayhawk. They placed them around town. They called this event "Jayhawks on Parade." The Jayhawks also have a soccer team, a baseball team, a softball team, track and field teams, a cross country team, and a men's club hockey team. KU also has a club rugby team. The KU Rugby Football Club runs it. They often meet at North Johnny's Tavern. They also run high school rugby teams.
A city commission and city manager run Lawrence. Five people who are elected make up the commission. Every year, three people can be elected. The two people who get the most votes are elected for four years. The person who gets 3rd place is elected for two years. Every April, the commission chooses a mayor and a vice mayor, and they hire a city manager.
Even though Kansas is a Republican state, Lawrence often chooses the Democrat for president. Lawrence has been Democratic since the late 1980s. In the 2004 presidential election, Douglas County was one of two Kansas counties to choose John Kerry. In the 2008 presidential election, Douglas County was one of three Kansas counties to choose Barack Obama. In the 2016 presidential election, Douglas County chose Hillary Clinton. It was one of only two Kansas counties to choose Hillary Clinton. In the 2020 presidential election, Douglas County chose Joe Biden. Douglas County chose the Democratic candidate in the last eight presidential elections.
As of July 2019, Lawrence has four state representatives: Mike Amyx, Eileen Horn, Barbara Ballard, and Dennis "Boog" Highberger. All of them are Democrats. Lawrence has two state senators: Marci Francisco and Tom Holland. Jake LaTurner represents Lawrence in the House of Representatives. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran represent Lawrence in the Senate. All three of them are Republicans. Before 2002, Lawrence was part of the 3rd district. This changed when Lawrence was split in both the 3rd and 2nd districts. Since 2012, all of Lawrence is in the 2nd district.
On May 4, 1995, Lawrence became the first city in Kansas that made discrimination against gay people illegal. On October 4, 2011, Lawrence made discrimination against transgender people illegal. Lawrence was the first city in Kansas to do this. In April 2005, there was a change to the Kansas Constitution which made same-sex marriage and civil unions for gay people illegal. Douglas County was the only county to vote against the change. Lawrence created a domestic partner registry on May 22, 2007. The registry gave unmarried couples —both same-sex and other-sex— some recognition by the city for legal reasons.
Lawrence has 14 elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools. The high schools are Lawrence High School and Lawrence Free State High School. The middle schools are Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, West Middle School, Billy Mills Middle School and Southwest Middle School. The elementary schools are Langston Hughes Elementary, Quail Run Elementary, Broken Arrow Elementary, Cordley Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy, Pinckney Elementary, Prairie Park Elementary, New York Elementary, Schwegler Elementary, Sunflower Elementary, Sunset Hill Elementary, Woodlawn Elementary, and Deerfield Elementary.
The University of Kansas is in Lawrence. It is the biggest university in Kansas and has over 30,000 students. It has more than 170 fields of study. It is a part of the Big 12 Conference, a famous college sports organization. The Haskell Indian Nations University is also in Lawrence. It has more than 1,000 students. It gives free tuition to all Native American students. It also has the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Haskell Cultural Center.
In 2010, MSN, MSNBC, and the American Institute for Economic Research said Lawrence was one of the best college towns in the United States. In 2011, "Parents & Colleges" said Lawrence was one of the 10 best college towns in the United States.
The first library in Lawrence was built in 1854. It was burned in Quantrill's Raid. A new library was built in 1865. In 1902, Andrew Carnegie gave a lot of money to build a new library. Built it in 1904, and it was called the "Lawrence Public Library." A new library was built in 1972. In July 2014, the design changed.
In 2016, the library won an award for the building's beauty.
One of the first businesses started in Lawrence was a newspaper called the "Herald of Freedom". It started in October 1854 and ended in 1859. In August 1885, the newspaper the Lawrence "Daily Journal" started and in June 1895, the "Daily World" started. In 1911, they joined together, and became the "Lawrence Journal-World". There is also a student newspaper published by the University of Kansas. It is called the "University Daily Kansan". "Change of Heart" is a street newspaper sold by homeless people in Lawrence.
Lawrence mostly gets television shows from Kansas City, but people can get them from Topeka, too.
From 1947 to 1981, the Centron Corporation was in Lawrence. The Centron Corporation was a big movie company which made many big industrial and educational movies. Two students from the University of Kansas started the company. Some residents of Lawrence were able to get into the movie industry through Centron. One resident, Herk Harvey, worked at Centron for over 30 years as a director. He created a full-length theatrical movie, "Carnival of Souls", a horror cult movie shot mostly in Lawrence, and released in 1962.
Lawrence has the "Lawrence Journal-World", a local newspaper that publishes every day. Many people also get the University of Kansas student newspaper, "The University Daily Kansan".
These radio stations are in Lawrence, Kansas:
AM
FM
These television stations are in Lawrence, Kansas:
Interstate 70, U.S. Route 40, U.S. Route 59, and U.S. Route 24 go through Lawrence. Interstate 70 goes east-west in the northern part of Lawrence and connects with U.S. Route 59. Route 59 goes north-south along North 2nd Street, Iowa Street, and 6th Street. U.S. Route 40 is about two miles south of Interstate 70. It also goes east-west through northern Lawrence along 6th Street. K-10 is a state highway that goes east-west. It enters Lawrence on 23rd Street, then it goes south. It goes to west Lawrence, and it stops northwest of Lawrence.
Two bus systems are in Lawrence. One is called the Lawrence Transit, and the city runs it. The other is called KU on Wheels, and the University of Kansas runs it. There are 18 bus routes. KU students and teachers can use them for free. Greyhound Lines has a bus stop in Lawrence. It can take people to other cities. Also, the Johnson County, Kansas bus system can take students to and from the colleges in Lawrence and Overland Park. This bus is known as the "K-10 Connector."
The Lawrence Municipal Airport is northeast of Lawrence. It is very close to U.S. Route 40. It is used for people who have airplanes. No airplane companies have planes there. Kansas City International Airport is the closest airport that airplane companies use. It is about 50 miles northeast of downtown Lawrence.