Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is a city located in Douglas County, Kansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 80,098. Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, and is the home of the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University.

Politics and Culture

While Kansas may be one of the reddest states in America, Lawrence is a tiny island of blue. Douglas County, where Lawrence is located, was one of only two counties in Kansas to vote for the Democratic candidate in the past four presidential elections. Douglas County was the only county in the state to reject the amendment to the Kansas Constitution prohibiting both gay marriage and civil unions in April, 2005. Many Lawrence residents consider Lawrence a bastion of high culture more akin to such famously-liberal college towns as Berkeley, California, and Madison, Wisconsin, than to the rest of Kansas. This attitude, together with the fact that the city was founded upon the above-mentioned Mount Oread, has garnered Lawrence the nickname "Snob Hill" among some Kansas residents.

Related Topics:
Kansas - Reddest - Democratic - Gay marriage - Civil unions - Berkeley, California - Madison, Wisconsin - Mount Oread

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Lawrence does feature such staples of college-town liberalism as an anarchist bookstore, two microbreweries, a half-dozen locally owned coffeehouses, and a law protecting gay people from discrimination. The city is known for a thriving music and art scene; the New York Times called Lawrence "the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver" in a travel column on February 25, 2005, and Rolling Stone named Lawrence one of the "best lil' college towns" in the country in their August 11, 2005 issue. They had previously named the local commercial radio station, KLZR 105.9 FM, as one of a top ten "Stations that Didn't Suck" in 1998. The station, which was independently owned at that time, was soon after sold to the Zimmer Radio Group on Sept 1, 1998, and the format changed to Top 40. It has since softened its image again, and since mid 2005 is a Hot AC format station.

Related Topics:
Anarchist - Microbreweries - New York Times - Rolling Stone - KLZR - 1998 - Zimmer Radio Group - Top 40 - Hot AC

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Lawrence's culture isn't just political activism and the arts; the town is famous for the University of Kansas's athletic teams as well. The highly-ranked Kansas Jayhawks basketball team becomes the town's obsession during the winter, and the football team occasionally qualifies for a bowl game.

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