The territory which would later be aggregated into the city of Lawrence was purchased from Pennacooks Sagahew and Passaquo in 1642 for the English settlement of Haverhill, and from Massachusett sachem Cutshamekin in 1646 as a post-hoc payment for the lands surrounding the English settlement of Andover (modern day North Andover center). Īt the time of contact in the early 1600s, the Pennacook or Pentucket had a presence north of the Merrimack, while Massachusett, Naumkeag, and Agawam controlled territory south of the river. Evidence of farming at Den Rock Park and arrowhead manufacturing on the site of where the Wood Mill now sits have been discovered.

Native Americans lived along the Merrimack River for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas. Lawrence is also the birthplace of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in 1918, and singer Robert Goulet in 1933. Lawrence was the residence of poet Robert Frost for his early school years his essays and poems were first published in the Lawrence High School newspaper. Manufacturing products of the city include electronic equipment, textiles, footwear, paper products, computers, and foodstuffs. Lawrence is part of the Merrimack Valley. Lawrence and Salem were the county seats of Essex County, until the Commonwealth abolished county government in 1999. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the east. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River.

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