In 1863, the first windmill in Kansas was built in Lawrence. It burned during Quantrill's Raid. In 1864, people rebuilt it. It cost them $9,700. People used it until July 1895. On April 30, 1905, the windmill burned, and it was not rebuilt.
In 1884, a school for Native Americans was built in Lawrence. It was named the United States Industrial Training School. Boys learned farming, blacksmithing, and more. Girls learned cooking and homemaking. In 1887, the name changed to the Haskell Institute. It was named after Dudley Haskell, a state legislator who helped make sure the school was built in Lawrence. In 1993, it was renamed the Haskell Indian Nations University.
In 1888, Jabez B. Watkins opened the Watkins National Bank at 11th Street and Massachusetts Street. It closed in 1929. The building was given to the city to become the city hall. In 1970, Lawrence built a new city hall, so the building became a museum. It was called the Watkins Community Museum, and it opened in 1975.
In 1903, the Kansas River flooded, which did a lot of damage. The water was high. The damage in North Lawrence was very bad. Lawrence was hit by other floods in 1951, when the water was 30 feet high. It was hit again in 1993. However, the damage was not very bad because of the reservoir and a levee.
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt came to Lawrence. He gave a short speech, and he dedicated a fountain at 9th & New Hampshire Street. In 1910, Roosevelt came to Lawrence again after visiting Osawatomie.
In 1871, the Lawrence Street Railway Company was created. It made it easy for people to go to hotels and businesses on Massachusetts Street. They had the first streetcar in Lawrence. Horses and mules were used to pull the streetcar. They could be used only on Massachusetts Street. After the 1903 flood, the Kansas River Bridge had to be rebuilt. It was not safe for streetcars to go on the bridge. The Lawrence Street Railway Company closed in 1903. In 1902, C. L. Rutter tried to start a bus system. He failed. In 1907, he tried again. In 1909, a new streetcar system was built which caused Rutter's buses to close. The streetcar system stayed until 1935. In 1909, the streetcar company made a roller coaster. It was called "Casey's Coaster." Some people called it "Daisy's Dozer." It was made out of wood. It stayed until the 1920s.
In 1921, the Lawrence Memorial Hospital opened with 50 beds. By 1980, it had 200 beds. It has won many awards for good quality care and service.
In 1929, Lawrence had its 75th birthday. To celebrate, a big rock was placed. It is called "Founder's Rock" to remember the early settlers who came to Lawrence from the New England Emigrant Aid Company. On October 14, 1929, they opened the Lawrence Municipal Airport to the public.
In 1943, during World War II, the United States government brought prisoners of war to Lawrence. They were mostly German and Italian people. The government brought them because farmers needed more workers. They were forced to live in camps which were like prisons. Lawrence's camp was near 11th Street and Haskell Avenue. The camp closed in 1945.
In 1983, a famous movie, "The Day After", was filmed in Lawrence. The movie is about a fictional nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In 1989, the Lawrence Free State Brewing Company opened on Massachusetts Street. It was the first brewery in Kansas in over 100 years. The brewery is also a restaurant.
In 2007, "U.S. News & World Report" said Lawrence was one of the best places to retire. In 2011, "Parents & Colleges" said Lawrence was one of the 10 best college towns in the United States.
Lawrence is in northeastern Kansas. It is about east of Topeka and west of Kansas City, Kansas. The tallest place in Lawrence is Mount Oread at the University of Kansas, which is tall.
Lawrence is on the southern part of the Dissected Till Plains. To the south are the Osage Plains. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . Of that, is land and is water.
Lawrence is between the Kansas River and the Wakarusa River. Many creeks flow through Lawrence. The Wakarusa River was dammed to create Clinton Lake. The University of Kansas has a small lake called Potter's Lake. The Haskell-Baker Wetlands is a big area with wetlands, plants, trails, and more. They are supported by Haskell University and Baker University. The wetlands are southeast of Lawrence.
Lawrence has 54 parks, cemeteries, and community parks. The community parks are 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. Pioneer Cemetery is a cemetery that has some of the earliest people from Lawrence. It was created in 1854. It is at the University of Kansas.
Lawrence has a humid continental climate (Köppen "Dfa"), so it has hot and humid summers, with cold and dry winters. The highest temperature recorded was on August 11, 1934. The lowest temperature recorded was on February 12, 1899.
Every year, it gets of precipitation on average. Most of it happens during the summer.
The main street in Lawrence is called Massachusetts Street. Many early residents of Lawrence came because of the New England Emigrant Aid Company which was from Massachusetts. Streets that went north and south were named after US states in the order they became part of the country. Streets that go east and west were name after famous Revolutionary War heroes. Over time, people broke the first rule. Some states were never used, and some states were put in the wrong order. In 1913, the east and west streets became numbered streets.
Lawrence is organized into neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are close to downtown Lawrence like Old West Lawrence, North Lawrence, East Lawrence, Oread, Hancock and Pinckney. There are a few neighborhoods west of Iowa Street like Sunset Hills, Prairie Meadows, Deerfield, and Alvamar. Some neighborhoods are on the National Register of Historic Places like Old West Lawrence, Oread, Hancock, Breezedale, and most of Rhode Island Street in East Lawrence.
North Lawrence is a neighborhood north of the Kansas River. It used to be its own place called Grant Township. It renamed itself North Lawrence in 1869. Lawrence claimed it in 1870.
Northeast of North Lawrence, there was a popular park called Bismarck Grove. In the late 1800s, the park had picnics, fairs, and temperance meetings (meetings about getting rid of alcohol). The first meeting was in 1878. The park had its last fair in 1899. In 1900, the park closed and was sold.
There are many architecture styles in Lawrence. Many early buildings were burned in Quantrill's Raid. Lawrence has Victorian, Gothic, Tudor, Romanesque, and other styles.
In 2010, there were 87,643 people, 34,970 households, and 16,939 families living in Lawrence. 82.0% of the people were White, 4.7% were African American, 3.1% were Native American, 4.5% were Asian, 0.1% were Pacific Islander, 1.5% were from other races, and 4.1% were from two or more races. 5.7% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 34,970 households. 24.4% of them had children under 18 years old. 35.6% of them had married people. 8.8% had only a woman as the main person (with no man). 4% had only a man as the main person (with no woman). 51.6% were not families. 32% were people living alone, and 6.5% were people over 65 years old living alone.
17.5% of the people were under 18 years old. 28.7% of the people were between 18 and 24 years old. 27.4% of the people were between 25 and 44 years old. 18.5% of the people were between 45 and 64 years old. 8% were 65 years old or older. 50.2% of the people were women, and 49.8% of the people were men.