Working the roads in Douglas County
The Kansas River defines much of Douglas County's northern edge and flows through Lawrence. I-70, as the Kansas Turnpike, runs east to west just north of Lawrence, and US-59 runs north to south through the middle of the county and the middle of the city. K-10 comes in from Johnson County, reaches Lawrence at 23rd Street and wraps the south and west sides as the South Lawrence Trafficway before meeting I-70 at the Lecompton interchange. US-40 heads west out of Lawrence along the line of the Oregon Trail, US-56 crosses the southern half through Baldwin City, and K-32 and K-33 lead off to Leavenworth and Franklin counties. Rural traffic uses the county's own highway network.
Lawrence is a college town, home to the University of Kansas on Mount Oread and to Haskell Indian Nations University, and Baker University sits in Baldwin City. The lakes bring campers and boat trailers: Clinton Lake and Clinton State Park just outside Lawrence, Lone Star Lake to the south-west, and Douglas State Fishing Lake north-east of Baldwin City. The Maple Leaf Festival draws crowds to Baldwin City in October, and Lecompton holds Territorial Days each June. The Kansas River splits Lawrence, so say which side you are on; out in the country, give the county highway number, because none of those highways runs inside the Lawrence city limits.
