Lawrence, what's the story? (Topeka, Salina: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[ivanh3]

Always looking for that perfect place and through a sequence of events Lawrence has come up. Would love to hear some opinions. Good and bad.
My wife and I are both registered nurses, I am working on my masters for family nurse practitioner. My wife is a photographer and artist, and I am a musician.
We have a son so I am wondering about schools, crime, drug problems, etc. I ask these questions generically not because I have heard anything specific about Lawrence except that it is liberal leaning college town.
What is housing like? Is it a bike-friendly town? Are people there "green".
What kind of out door activities are there. I understand there is lake nearby. What size is it? Man-made, natural? Hiking, camping?
What is the hospital like? Size, patient population, public, private, trauma center?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Ivan

[ozradio]

Good schools, crime and drug problems are minimal. It's a liberal town by midwestern standards, moreso by Kansas standards. Housing is expensive compared to the surrounding region, but nothing compared to the coasts. 175-200k will get you a good house with plenty of space. It's bike friendly in areas and we have a bus system which is not especially good if you want to use it as your primary transportation. I can't say much about Clinton Lake as I never go out there. I'm sure it's manmade; I think all lakes in Kansas are manmade. Can't say much specifically about Lawrence Memorial Hospital either, but you can probably google it. It's a nice town, a good place to raise kids. Certainly one of the nicer places you'll find in the western midwest.

[GraniteStater]

Lawrence is definitely the most progressive town in Kansas. It is home to the University of Kansas. It is a very diverse city with students and professors from all over the US and the world. The city is very bike friendly and I believe their are bike lanes on some streets. Many residents are "green" and environmental and development issues are strongly debated about here. Housing costs are quite affordable if you are coming from the coasts. The average price for a house in a good neighborhood would likely be 200K or less.
The only problem is that the wages in Lawrence overall are low in relation to the cost of housing. The population is booming in the outlying smaller towns where the cost of housing is very low. An example would be Eudora or Baldwin City. The advantages of Lawrence is that it is also in close proximity to the KC metro area and Topeka metro area. These two areas have more jobs and many people who live in Lawrence commute to these two metro areas for jobs.
Other new development projects for Lawrence may include industry near the Lawrence Municipal Airport. The project could involve up to 900 acres if it is approved, but the land is divided among many landowners. Economic development issues have become more important to the city after electing new members to the city commission.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ivanh3

Always looking for that perfect place and through a sequence of events Lawrence has come up. Would love to hear some opinions. Good and bad.
My wife and I are both registered nurses, I am working on my masters for family nurse practitioner. My wife is a photographer and artist, and I am a musician.
We have a son so I am wondering about schools, crime, drug problems, etc. I ask these questions generically not because I have heard anything specific about Lawrence except that it is liberal leaning college town.
What is housing like? Is it a bike-friendly town? Are people there "green".
What kind of out door activities are there. I understand there is lake nearby. What size is it? Man-made, natural? Hiking, camping?
What is the hospital like? Size, patient population, public, private, trauma center?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Ivan

The newer area of the city is known as West Lawrence while the older area is known as East Lawrence. West Lawrence is much more suburbia-like with cookie cutter houses. East Lawrence has much older neighborhoods dating back to the early 1900s with tree lined streets. The downtown area is on Massachusetts street and is just south of the Kansas River. I-70 is north of town and it is an easy drive to KC or Topeka using the Highway. K-10 is the highway that leads to Johnson County, which is the job-rich area of Kansas. Many people live in Lawrence and commute to work in Johnson County as well.
The lake that you mentioned is Clinton Reservoir which is located just 6 miles West of Lawrence. The reservoir provides a portion of the city drinking water. Typical lake style outdoor activities are popular. Hiking is good in the area.
Here is a link regarding the Lawrence Hospital: Lawrence Memorial Hospital - Home

[ivanh3]

Thanks for the info! I noticed while looking up Clinton Lake something about snow skiing. They are referring to what type of snow skiing? Cross country? There are points with any elevation are there? Anybody have any more insight into wages?

[jazztrumpet5]

Depending on what kind of musician you are, I think you and your wife would like Lawrence. Some genres are found more commonly in KC, such as classical and jazz - I'm a working jazz musician, so I'm more attuned to the scene in KC (not really much jazz in Lawrence, even though they have a place called the Jazzhaus that... doesn't have jazz. They have some good indie-rock type stuff though), but Lawrence has a kind of bohemian vibe to it that is refreshing in pedestrian Kansas. It's kind of like Boulder but without the mountains.

The only skiing I can think of are the man-made parks around. I didn't know Clinton had one. They do have a kind of Woodstock of the plains in the Wakarusa festival, however. That's not much like skiing, though.

[2005hawk]

Ivan, I am not sure if you are still considering Lawrence, but I thought I would add my $.02

All that you have heard about Lawrence on this board is true. It is quite liberal, especially so relative to the remainder of the state. Its a very socially conscious community. There is cultural and social diversity, but little racial diversity. The community has a ongoing debate regarding development activity and growth, as well as environmental sustainability. The City recently hosted a sustainable development forum, and separately hosted a sustainablity town hall meeting. In the older areas of town and near campus, you will find many bicyclists - many of whom cycle for their primary form of transportation. The newer streets (most of which are in the newer areas of town - where there are fewer bicyclists) feature bike lines. In the downtown areas, bike lanes arent really necessary because there are enough cyclists, that drivers in this area expect it, and drive accordingly.

I dont know about any ski area. Clinton Lake is a large man made lake which provides the City drinking water. It is a significant source of regional recreation and there are many trails and hiking areas out there. Additionally, the City has many trails and parks that are heavily used, one of which goes from the City to Clinton Park.

Hope this helps.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by ivanh3

Always looking for that perfect place and through a sequence of events Lawrence has come up. Would love to hear some opinions. Good and bad.
My wife and I are both registered nurses, I am working on my masters for family nurse practitioner. My wife is a photographer and artist, and I am a musician.
We have a son so I am wondering about schools, crime, drug problems, etc. I ask these questions generically not because I have heard anything specific about Lawrence except that it is liberal leaning college town.
What is housing like? Is it a bike-friendly town? Are people there "green".
What kind of out door activities are there. I understand there is lake nearby. What size is it? Man-made, natural? Hiking, camping?
What is the hospital like? Size, patient population, public, private, trauma center?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Ivan

All the lakes in KS are man-made but there are 2 in your immediate vicinity.
You could live out in the boondocks and drive 15minutes to work if you so desire. Biking IN lawrence might be a little tough....it's really hilly in places.

Basically, it's a college town.
You can drive almost anywhere in the KC metro area from lawrence in about 1 hour so that opens up a lot in terms of art and music.

[ivanh3]

This is all really good information, and I really appreciate it. My wife, son, and I are coming for sort of a working vacation at the end of Feb 08. We are going to stay for about 1 week or so. We will be checking out neighborhoods and job stuff.
Does anyone have any more insight on the family aspect of Lawrence? Things to do for small (toddler) children. Also my wife and I are 40 ish (37 and 41). With it being such a college town, will there be anyone to play with that are our age?

[KevK]

It is rather pricey and yes, Douglas and Saline (Salina) are about the only "blue" places in Kansas these days.