Living in Lawrence

The city of Lawrence lies in the Kaw Valley, bordered on the north and south by the Kansas (Kaw) and Wakarusa rivers, and overlooked by Mount Oread, the hill on which the KU campus is built. Early settlers called the hill “Hogback Ridge,” but it was later renamed after the Oread Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts. The word “oread” comes from Greek, meaning “mountain nymph.”



Lawrence is home to two universities, the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University. Because it is a small city (90,000 people) with a large student population, Lawrence has a small town, friendly atmosphere as well as many of the attractions of a big city. It is known for its art and music scene, along with its wide array of local specialty shops, cafés, and restaurants. In addition, Lawrence is a short one-hour drive to Kansas City, a metropolitan area with a population of over 1.5 million.