Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities count up Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the east. Lawrence and Salem were the county seats of Essex County, until the Commonwealth abolished county executive in 1999. Lawrence is portion of the Merrimack Valley.

Manufacturing products of the city tally electronic equipment, textiles, footwear, paper products, computers, and foodstuffs. Lawrence was the dwelling of poet Robert Frost for his early studious years; his essays and poems were first published in the Lawrence High School newspaper. Lawrence is as a consequence the Birth Place of singer Robert Goulet who was born Haverhill St. in 1933.

Native Americans lived along the Merrimack River for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas. Evidence of crop growing at Den Rock Park and arrowhead manufacturing upon the site of where the Wood Mill now sits have been discovered.

At the become old of contact in the in the future 1600s, the Pennacook or Pentucket had a presence north of the Merrimack, while Massachusett, Naumkeag, and Agawam controlled territory south of the river. The territory which would innovative be aggregated into the city of Lawrence was purchased from Pennacooks Sagahew and Passaquo in 1642 for the English agreement of Haverhill, and from Massachusett sachem Cutshamekin in 1646 as a post-hoc payment for the lands surrounding the English deal of Andover (modern daylight North Andover center).