Lawrence at a glance
Lawrence sits on both banks of the Merrimack River, about 7.4 square miles wedged between Methuen to the north and Andover and North Andover to the south and east. The Essex Company laid the city out in 1845 as a planned industrial city, and the Great Stone Dam and the two power canals that fed the textile mills still shape the street grid. The mills along the North Canal, the stone Everett Mill at 15 Union Street among them, are the most visible pieces of that history, and the canal district is listed on the National Register as the North Canal Historic District.
That history explains the housing. Lawrence was built to house mill workers close to the mills, so the streets nearest the river are packed with two-, three- and four-unit buildings, while the hills that rise away from the water carry larger single-family homes from the same era. Browse current Lawrence listings and you will see that mix on almost every street.
Neighborhoods and housing stock
Tower Hill, on the northwest side near the Methuen line, takes its name from the 1896 High Service Water Tower, a red brick standpipe on the National Register. A large share of the residential buildings in Tower Hill have two to four units, and much of the stock dates from the mill era. This is triple-decker and two-family territory, with corner storefronts and older single-family homes mixed in.
Prospect Hill, north of the river toward the Methuen border, is where Lawrence General Hospital settled in 1899, and the neighborhood still carries turn-of-the-century homes on tree-lined streets. Expect larger single-family houses alongside two-families and converted multi-units.
South Lawrence, across the river, borders Andover and holds Den Rock Park, a 120-acre wooded preserve with trails and granite outcroppings along the Shawsheen River. Housing here runs from triple-deckers near Broadway and South Union Street to smaller single-family homes and capes toward the Andover and North Andover lines.
Downtown and the mill district add a different product: rental lofts in converted mills. Stone Mill Lofts opened in September 2024 with 86 apartments inside the 1840s stone mill on Union Street, and the Riverwalk complex in the former Wood and Pacific mills mixes offices, restaurants and loft apartments. For buyers, condos are a smaller slice of the Lawrence market than multi-families, but they are there.
Commute and daily life
The McGovern Transportation Center at 211 Merrimack Street is the Lawrence stop on the MBTA Haverhill Line, with trains to Boston North Station, about 400 parking spaces and the hub for MeVa regional buses. I-495 runs along the south edge of the city with interchanges at Route 28 (Broadway, exits 99A and 99B) and Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue, exit 100). Route 114 starts in Lawrence at the O'Leary Bridge and continues east into North Andover's retail corridor. Route 28 runs north on Broadway into Methuen and on to Salem, New Hampshire.
Northern Essex Community College has its Lawrence campus downtown, including the Dimitry Building at 45 Franklin Street and the El-Hefni Allied Health and Technology Center at 414 Common Street. Lawrence General Hospital, now operating as Merrimack Health Lawrence Hospital, is at 1 General Street. Campagnone Common, across Common Street from City Hall, is the city's main park, with a baseball field, a playground and the Robert Frost Fountain, and it hosts the Bread and Roses Festival. The Lawrence Heritage State Park visitor center at 1 Jackson Street tells the story of the mills and the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike.
The Lawrence market today
Lawrence's median sale price as of May 2026 is $550,000, and the bulk of sales land between $430,000 and $680,000. Listings are going under agreement in about 27 days, and it is a seller's market. Multi-family buildings tend to sit at the top of that range and condos toward the bottom, though a renovated two-family on Tower Hill can outprice a tired single-family on the same block.
In practice, a well-priced Lawrence listing draws multiple offers quickly, and buyers need financing lined up before they tour. Sellers of two- and three-families have a deep pool of buyers: owner-occupants who plan to live in one unit and rent the others, and investors who buy for the rent roll.
Who Liriano Realty helps in Lawrence
Liriano Realty's office is at 240 Pleasant St Unit: 10, Methuen, MA 01844, minutes from Tower Hill and Prospect Hill. Broker and owner Jefri Liriano and the team work in English and Spanish and handle a steady flow of Lawrence transactions.
The buyers we see most often in Lawrence are first-time buyers looking at a two- or three-family so rent from the other units helps carry the mortgage, renters in Lawrence who want to own in the same neighborhood, and investors adding a building to a small portfolio. Sellers are often long-time owners of a multi-family who want to know what the building is worth with tenants in place, and heirs settling an estate.
Shopping for a two- or three-family? The Lawrence buyer guide covers financing, inspections and offers on multi-unit buildings. Own one and wondering what it is worth today? The Lawrence seller guide covers pricing, preparation and how we market multi-families. You can also contact Liriano Realty or call (617) 685-1515 with a question about any Lawrence address.