Location

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Lawrence and the University of Kansas

"Stretching out on its own unbounded scale, unconfined… Combining the real and the ideal, and beautiful as dreams."

–Walt Whitman on the view from the campus of The University of Kansas

Located in the forested hills surrounding the Kansas River, Lawrence offers the charms of a small city on the edge of the prairie with the resources of Kansas City (and its major airport) a short drive to the east. As home to both the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence is frequently cited as one of the United States' best college towns, and was recently ranked by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of its "Dozen Most Distinctive Destinations." The lovely KU campus sits atop Mount Oread and is a short walk, bike, or bus ride from Lawrence's vibrant downtown, as well as the river and a number of area parks. At the center of downtown is very pedestrian-friendly Massachusetts Street, offering two miles of local shops, galleries, independent bookstores, coffeehouses, bars and live music venues, as well as a burgeoning foodie and locavore culture spearheaded by a range of downtown restaurants. For those seeking outdoor activities, the town offers extensive cycling and walking trails through town and along the Kansas River; hiking, camping, and boating at Clinton Lake and Perry Lake (each about a fifteen-minute drive from campus); and walking trails through the Wakarusa wetlands.