Lafayette, Indiana

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Lafayette
nickname = Star City
settlement_type = City
motto =

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imagesize =
image_caption = Lafayette in 2008.


flag_size =
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seal_size =
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Indiana
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Tippecanoe
subdivision_type3 = Townships
subdivision_name3 = Fairfield, Wea
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Tony Roswarski (D)
established_title = Platted
established_date = 1825
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1853
founder = William Digby
named_for = General Lafayette
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 20.1
area_total_km2 = 52.0
area_land_sq_mi = 20.1
area_land_km2 = 52.0
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi = 904.6
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of = 2005
population_note =
population_total = 60,459
population_metro = 190386
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 1083.6
population_density_sq_mi = 2679
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 40 |latm = 25 |lats = 2 |latNS = N
longd = 86 |longm = 52 |longs = 43 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 211
elevation_ft = 692
elevation_footnotes = cite web|url=Gnis3|437501|title=USGS detail on Lafayette|accessdate=2007-09-21]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 47901, 47904, 47905, 47909
area_code = 765
twin1 = Ōta City
twin1_country = Japan
website = [http://www.lafayette.in.gov/ www.lafayette.in.gov]
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 18-40788GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0437501GR|3
footnotes =

Lafayette (pronEng|ˌlɑːfijˈɛt) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, U.S., 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,397. The city is the county seat of Tippecanoe CountyGR|6. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on both communities. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette form the core of the Lafayette, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which, as of the 2000 census, had a total population of 183,340, the 215th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

History

The area around what is now Tippecanoe County was inhabited by a tribe of Miami Indians known as the Ouiatenon or Weas. The French government established Fort Ouiatenon in 1717 across the Wabash River and three miles (5 km) south of the location of present-day Lafayette. The fort became the center of trade for fur trappers, merchants and Indians. An annual reenactment and festival known as The Feast of the Hunters' Moon takes place there each fall.

Lafayette was platted by the river trader William Digby, in May 1825. The town was made county seat for the newly formed Tippecanoe County soon after in 1826. Like many small frontier towns, Lafayette was officially named for General Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War (September 6, 1757—May 20, 1834).

In its earliest days Lafayette was a shipping center on the Wabash River. The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840s further cemented Lafayette's regional prominence, which was also escalated by the arrival of the railroads in the 1850s. The Monon Railroad connected Lafayette with other sections of Indiana.

Lafayette was the site of the first official air mail delivery in the United States, which took place on August 17, 1859, when John Wise piloted a balloon starting on the Lafayette courthouse grounds. Wise hoped to reach New York; however, weather conditions forced the balloon down near Crawfordsville, Indiana, and the mail reached its final destination by train. In 1959, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 7¢ airmail stamp commemorating the centennial of the event. [ [http://www.rootsweb.com/~intippec/airmail.htm First Air Mail Flight ] ]

Modern history owes a fair debt to Robert Kriebel, a reporter since retired from the [http://www.jconline.com/ Lafayette Journal and Courier] newspaper. By way of his books and columns the curious are provided a convenient, accessible, and even colorful way to grasp the events around and preceding him. "Old Lafayette" in two volumes is highly recommended. For further reading, the curious might look into some other notable historians of Lafayette appearing below. These were compiled by Kriebel for his "short list" as provided in the Lafayette Bank & Trust's "The Best of Lafayette" (2000): Sandford C. Cox, Richard P. DeHart, Sallie Sample, Sarah M. Crockett, Thomas B. Helm, Jesse Henderson Levering, Paul K. Mavity, Logan Esarey, and Herbery H. Heimlich.

Geography

Lafayette is located at coor dms|40|24|38|N|86|52|29|W|city (40.410585, -86.874681)GR|1 and lies in Fairfield and Wea Townships. Elevation at the court house is convert|550|ft|m|0, but city elevations range from a little over convert|500|ft|m at the Wabash River to approximately convert|700|ft|m|-1 in the areas of Murdock Park and Columbian Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.1 square miles (52.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

thumb|left|200px|Location of the Lafayette-Frankfort CSA and its components:

Lafayette is the larger principal city of the Lafayette-Frankfort CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Lafayette metropolitan area (Benton, Carroll, and Tippecanoe counties) and the Frankfort micropolitan area (Clinton County), [ [http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List4.txt METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS] , Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.] [ [http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List5.txt MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS] , Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.] [ [http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List6.txt COMBINED STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENT CORE BASED STATISTICAL AREAS] , Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.] which had a combined population of 212,408 at the 2000 census.GR|2

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 56,397 people, 24,060 households, and 13,666 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,806.5 people per square mile (1,083.9/km²). There were 25,602 housing units at an average density of 1,274.1/sq mi (492.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.91% White, 3.22% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.61% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.11% of the population.

There were 24,060 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 14.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,859, and the median income for a family was $45,480. Males had a median income of $32,892 versus $23,049 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,217. About 8.0% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges

*Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
* [http://www.ibcschools.edu/index.htm Indiana Business College]

Public

K-12 public education in the Lafayette area is provided by the Lafayette School Corporation.New Community School is a tuition-free elementary charter school (sponsored by Ball State University) located in downtown Lafayette.

Private

*Faith Christian School - [http://www.fcslafayette.org FCSLafayette.org]
* [http://firstag.org/250943.ihtml First Assembly Christian Academy]
* [http://www.lafayettechristian.org Lafayette Christian School]
*Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School * [http://www.lcss.org/CC/CC_Home.html LCSS.org]
* [http://www.lcss.org/StB/StBHome.html St. Boniface Middle School]
* [http://www.lcss.org/StL/index.html St. Lawrence Catholic School]
* [http://www.lcss.org/StM/school_web/home.htm St. Mary Cathedral Elementary School]
* [http://www.stjameslaf.org/stjamesschoolmainpg.htm St. James Lutheran School]

Notes

*Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana.
*Public schools outside of Lafayette are administered by the West Lafayette Community School Corporation or the Tippecanoe School Corporation (suburban).

News and Media

Newspaper
* Journal & Courier
* Purdue Exponent
* The Lafayette Leader

Television
* WLFI-TV
* W51DU

Commercial Radio Stations
* WASK
* WASK-FM
* WAZY-FM
* WKHL-FM
* WKHY-FM
* WKOA-FM
* WBPE-FM
* WSHP-FM
* WSHY-AM
* WXXB-FM

Non-commercial Radio Stations
* WBAA-AM/FM
* WHPL-FM
* WJEF-FM
* WQSG-FM
* WTGO-LP FM
* WWCC-LP FM

Transportation

Airports
*Purdue University Airport, West Lafayette. No commercial flights.

Highways
*Interstate Highway 65 to Gary, Indiana (near Chicago) and Indianapolis
*U.S. Highway 52 to Joliet, Illinois (also near Chicago) and Indianapolis
*U.S. Highway 231
*Indiana state highways 25, 26, 38, 43

Railroads

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides passenger rail service to Lafayette through the Cardinal to Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. Norfolk Southern, CSX, Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad, and Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway (RailAmerica) provide freight rail service. Many of the rails lines that originally passed through the downtown were redirected in the mid-1990s to a rail corridor near the Wabash River. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVyCfPx0lho Amtrak in Lafaytte, Indiana 1994] gregarnst] [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_iE_GFeViU Amtrak in Lafaytte, Indiana May 1995] gregarnst]

Bus Service
*CityBus local bus service by the Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation
*Greyhound intercity bus service

Economy

Much of the economy of the city of Lafayette and the surrounding area is centered around the academic and industrial activities of Purdue University. The university and its associated businesses employ the largest portion of the Lafayette workforce. However, private industry and commerce independent of the university also exist in the community. Some notable examples include:
*Alcoa, a producer of aluminum extrusions and tubes.
*Caterpillar Large Engine Division, producer of large diesel and natural gas engines.
* [http://www.fairfieldmfg.com Fairfield Manufacturing] , producer of gears.
*Wabash National, world's largest manufacturer of semi-truck trailers
*Subaru of Indiana Automotive, producer of Subaru and now, Toyota vehicles.
*Eli Lilly and Company (Tippecanoe Laboratories) pharmaceuticals.
* [http://www.llic.com Lafayette Life Insurance Company] The Lafayette Life Insurance Company, insurance and annuity services
*Tate & Lyle, manufacturer of Splenda(R) and other sweeteners
*TRW Commercial Steering Systems
*Landis+Gyr, manufacturer of electric meters for global ANSI markets

Notable residents and natives

"For notable residents associated with Purdue University see List of Purdue University people"

Entertainment

* Richard Barbee - Vaudevillian stage actor, silent film comedic actor [http://www.us.imdb.com/name/nm0053327/]
* Karen Black - Actress
* Jeremy Camp - Christian recording artist
* Embeth Davidtz - Actress
* Louise Fazenda - Silent film comic actress, character actress in the "talkies"
* Kevin Galbraith - Professional Dancer on MTV's "The Grind" and "Prince" (also former guitarist of "Rattail Grenadier")
* Mass Giorgini - Record producer (Alkaline Trio, Anti-Flag, Rise Against) and bassist of Screeching Weasel, bassist and vocalist of Squirtgun, and bassist and saxophonist of Common Rider
* Jason Groth - Guitarist for Magnolia Electric Company
* Mitch Henck - Radio talk show host
* Troy Hickman - Writer best known for the Eisner-nominated comic series Common Grounds, as well as 2008 Pilot Season winner Twilight Guardian, City of Heroes, Turok, Witchblade, and others.
* Shannon Hoon - Former singer of Blind Melon
* Michael Kelsey - Solo guitarist
* John Korty - Director, screenwriter, best known for "Oliver's Story"
* Tammy Lynn Michaels - Actress
* Zachariah Nagy - Musician, producer, and guitar technician for Joan Jett
* Sydney Pollack - Actor, director, and producer
* Victor Potel - Silent film actor, worked for Mack Sennett and was "Slippery Slim" in the "Snakeville" series [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0693055/]
* Axl Rose - Guns N' Roses co-founder and vocalist
* Churchill Ross (Ross Weigle) - actor, mostly small parts from 1924-1936
* Peter Sattler - graphic designer for the feature film Walk the Line [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972104/]
* Julia Scheeres - Author, best known for ALA Alex Award winning memoir Jesus Land
* Lori Sellers - Pianist, poet, philanthropist
* Izzy Stradlin - Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist
* Adam Vanderwielen - Actor [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1372334/]

ports

* Ray Ewry - Ten-time Olympic champion
* Bernard "Bernie" Flowers - Purdue All American and NFL Baltimore Colts 1950s, born in the Cleveland area, made Lafayette home
* Dustin Keller - New York Jets NFL Tight end and Lafayette Jefferson High School graduate
* Chuckie Nwokorie - NFL defensive player and Lafayette Jefferson High School graduate
* Clayton Richard - Chicago White Sox MLB Pitcher and McCutcheon High School graduate
* George Souders - Won the Indianapolis 500 during his rookie season in 1927
* William Fritz Afflis - Wrestled as Dick the Bruiser from 1950s to 1980s and Lafayette Jefferson High School graduate

Business, law, politics

* Roger D. Branigin - Governor of Indiana 1965-1969
* Steve Carter - Indiana Attorney General
* Clara Shortridge Foltz (1849-1934) - first woman lawyer on the Pacific coast.
* Brian Lamb - Host of "Booknotes" TV series, 1989. C-SPAN founder
* John Purdue - Purdue Block, Tippecanoe County founder, founding benefactor of Purdue University
* Alvah Curtis Roebuck - founded Sears, Roebuck and Company

Academic, science, technology

* Daniel X Freedman - pioneer in biological psychiatry, discovered link of hallucinogens to brain transmitters.
* Donald E. Williams - astronaut

Local civic organizations

* [http://www.bachchorale.org/ The Bach Chorale Singers]
* [http://www.lafayettecivic.com/ Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette]
* [http://downtownbusinesscenter.org/ Downtown Business Center]
* [http://www.ninthstreethill.org/ Historic Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Association]
* [http://www.lafayettecitizensband.org Lafayette Citizens Band]
* [http://www.lafayettemusicleague.com/ Lafayette Music League]
* [http://lafayettesymphony.org/main Lafayette Symphony Orchestra]
* Opera de Lafayette
* [http://www.wabashvalleytrust.org/ Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation]
* [http://www.tippecanoearts.org/ Tippecanoe Arts Federation]
* [http://www.tcha.mus.in.us/ Tippecanoe County Historical Association]
* Friends of BOB live Music Co-op

Points of interest

* Purdue University, located in West Lafayette
* Jerry E. Clegg Botanic Garden
* Horticulture Gardens at Purdue University
* [http://www.lafayettefarmersmarket.com/ Lafayette Farmer's Market] in historic downtown (May through October)
* [http://www.ninthstreethill.org/ Ninth Street Hill Historic District]
* Tippecanoe Battlefield (in Battle Ground, IN)
* Farmer's Institute (Friends Meeting House)
* [http://www.wolfpark.org/ Wolf Park] (Battle Ground, IN)
* [http://www.prophetstown.org/ Prophetstown State Park] (Battle Ground, IN)
* [http://www.lafayette.in.gov/zoo/ Columbian Park and Zoo]

Community Events

* The Feast of the Hunters' Moon (Mid to Late September or Early October)
* A Taste of Tippecanoe (Mid June)
* [http://www.coltworldseries.com/ Colt World Series] (August)
* [http://www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/ Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering ] (in Battle Ground in June)
* [http://firsteditionhauntedmansion.org/ First Edition's Haunted Feargrounds] (October)
* [http://www.lafayettecitizensband.org/ Lafayette Citizens Band] concerts (Thursdays in the summer)
* [http://www.roundthefountain.org/ Round The Fountain Art Fair] (Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend - celebrating 35 years in 2008!)
* [http://www.longcentertheater.com/ Long Center for the Performing Arts] Historical theater providing Lafayette's not-for-profits and other with vibrant venue.
* BMF Wrestling Alliance featuring some of the Midwest's best professional wrestling (usually once a month all year round)

See also

* Neighborhoods of Lafayette

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.lafayette.in.gov/ Official website]
* [http://www.lafayette-online.com/ Lafayette Online]
*
* [http://www.jconline.com/ Lafayette Journal and Courier] (Local newspaper, owned by Gannett)