West Lawrence Lawrence, KS

Lawrence started as a settlement for a group of New Englanders, and gained a reputation as a bloody battleground during the Civil War. Kansas University was founded in 1866 and became the focus of the city's growth.

The KU Natural History Museum marks the closest museum to this neighborhood. The four floors of the museum give visitors a window to prehistoric flora and fauna with an emphasis on Kansas wildlife. Throwback Thursdays keep the museum open late for movie events and talks with scientists.

In addition to KU's Spencer Museum of Art, the Lawrence Arts Center anchors the cultural district near downtown. The arts center sponsors dozens of annual events, including benefit auctions, arts festivals and stage performances. The three-day Lawrence Busker Festival in May features street performers, musicians and artists along three blocks of downtown, running at the same time as the Art Tougeau Art Car Parade.

Several fast food restaurants, casual eateries and a few local ethnic restaurants dot the length of west 6th Street. Most of the music venues are closer to the University of Kansas campus or downtown.

Henry T's menu offers a delectable selection of chicken wings. Order your wings one of seven ways, including with sriracha honey sauce. Nachos come several ways, including piled high with meat and with fresh-made guacamole, or order the chipotle fish tacos with crispy basa, shredded cabbage, cheese and tomatoes alongside chipotle aioli. Most hamburgers come in half-pound sizes, including the Kobe beef burger or the ground turkey burger. The burgundy hamburger has mushrooms and onions sautéed in burgundy wine and topped with provolone cheese and A.1 steak sauce.

Salty Iguana features classic Mexican favorites cooked with careful spicing and attention to detail. The tacos azul have blue-corn taco shells stuffed with beef or chicken and onions, lettuce and tomato. Avocado burritos come with green-chili seasoned pork topped by melted cheese and verde sauce. Or try the house specialty, the Iguana Burrito, stuffed with beef, pork, egg, onion, cheese and tomato underneath enchilada sauce. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Salty Iguana serves up breakfast burritos, Mexican-style skillets and huevos rancheros until early afternoon.

Glory Days Pizza on Lawrence's west side prides itself on honey-baked pizza crusts for every cheese stick and pie that leave the oven. The best-selling Works pizza holds pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, sausage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives. If you want a bit of comfort food, try the baked potato pizza, which comes to your table loaded with ranch dressing, potatoes, two types of cheese and real bacon bits. A dash of sour cream and chives completes the pizza.

Six Mile Chop House serves food until late night, depending on the day of the week. After a long work day, you can knock back a glass of your favorite beer until 2 a.m. seven nights a week. Don't forget to try the turkey fries, a unique dish with deep-fried turkey meat while you watch the Jayhawks, Chiefs or Royals on the television.

Most residential streets have sidewalks for daylight walks with family or pets. Though there are few dedicated bike lanes, the lightly-traveled side streets leave plenty of room for cyclists. Monterey Way and Lawrence Trafficway contain dedicated bike lanes, and a bike trail follows much of 6th Street on the western side of Lawrence.

Take 6th Street to Lawrence Trafficway North before it intersects with I-70. Businesses and parks have plentiful free public parking in this neighborhood. A few taxi services work in Lawrence, but Uber does not service this area.

Lawrence Transit System buses for route 6 pick up passengers at 6th and Wakarusa from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Take an Amtrak train on the Southwest Chief to reach downtown Kansas City on public transportation.

Martin Park features 19 acres of unspoiled wilderness with miles of unpaved nature trails through hardwood groves and a grassland prairie habitat. Lawrence Nature Park has more than 100 acres filled with walking trails and wildlife that use the forest as a home. Leashed dogs are welcome in these nature preserves.

Rock Chalk Park, home of Sports Pavilion Lawrence, contains softball fields, soccer fields, indoor basketball and volleyball courts, workout equipment and a running track. Individuals, teams and tournaments must pay a fee to use indoor facilities.

Lawrence's annual Fall Arts & Crafts Festival occurs every September in South Park. Thousands of people peruse artisan booths, listen to live music and sample local food during this one-day event.

Living in Lawrence costs about the same as it does in downtown Kansas City. Housing expenses are higher, but food and transportation bring the cost of living lower. A one-bedroom apartment in this neighborhood runs you $680 per month.

A pint goes for $3 at local watering holes during happy hour specials, and a gallon of gasoline typically runs 10 percent lower than the national average. Getting to downtown Kansas City on public transportation costs $2.75 for a day pass on the bus or $12 for a round-trip fare on an Amtrak train.

Most of the retail locations in this neighborhood sit along 6th Street, including the Westgate Shopping Center at 6th and Wakarusa. High-value national retail chains give residents lower-cost items for everyday needs. A Walmart Supercenter, Hy-Vee and Dillons provide grocery items, and the Lawrence Farmers Market sells locally grown produce by downtown from April to November.

Get cozy at The Fire Place, which sells and installs fireplaces and barbecues for your home. This store provides more than 20 brands of gas, wood or pellet fireplaces to help keep your house warm in the winter. The staff installs and services everything they sell.

At City Wine Market, shoppers can buy any type of popular wine on the market as a small collection of craft beers and liquor. Join any of three clubs to get monthly tastes of wine and beer including limited vintages and rare bottles from all over the world. Weekly tastings occur every Saturday afternoon, when the staff picks wines for patrons to taste as they shop.