Lawrence's vibrant social environment and competitive tuition rates helped it finish first in Kansas in a ranking of best college towns and cities published last week by the personal financial website WalletHub.

Austin, Texas, placed first nationwide out of 415 communities of varying sizes on the list, which WalletHub created while taking into account 31 key metrics, including student life, cost of living and quality of education.

Finishing second through fifth nationwide were the following:

Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Orlando, Florida.

Tampa, Florida.

Raleigh, North Carolina.

Wichita finished first statewide in terms of wallet friendliness

Lawrence’s first-place finish in Kansas was buoyed by rankings it received of first place statewide in social environment and second place, behind

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