- West Lafayette, Indiana
-
"West Lafayette" redirects here. For the village in Ohio, see West Lafayette, Ohio.
City of West Lafayette — City — West Lafayette Public Library, the Purdue Bell Tower, and Ross–Ade Stadium
Coordinates: 40°26′31″N 86°54′45″W / 40.44194°N 86.9125°WCoordinates: 40°26′31″N 86°54′45″W / 40.44194°N 86.9125°W Country United States State Indiana County Tippecanoe Township Wabash Incorporated 1888 Government - Mayor John Dennis (R) Area - City 7.625 sq mi (19.7 km2) - Land 7.615 sq mi (19.7 km2) - Water 0.010 sq mi (0 km2) - Metro 904.6 sq mi (2,342.9 km2) Elevation[1] 614 ft (187 m) Population (2010) - City 29,596 - Density 5,381.1/sq mi (1,962.3/km2) - Metro 182,821 Time zone EST (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP code 47906 Area code(s) 765 FIPS code 18-82862[2] GNIS feature ID 0445775[3] Website http://www.city.west-lafayette.in.us/ 
Chauncey Village area of West Lafayette (2005)
West Lafayette (
/ˌwɛst ˌlɑːfiˈɛt/) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. It is located about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and across the Wabash River from its sister city, Lafayette. As of the 2010 census, its population was 29,596.[4] It is the most densely populated city in Indiana and is home to Purdue University. West Lafayette is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.Contents
History
Wabash River from the John T. Meyers Pedestrian BridgeAugustus Wylie laid out a town here in 1836, in the Wabash River floodplain south of the present Levee. Due to regular flooding of the site, Wylie's town was never built. The present city was formed in 1888 by the merger of the adjacent suburban towns of Chauncey, Oakwood, and Kingston, located on a bluff across the Wabash River from Lafayette, Indiana.[5] The three towns had been small suburban villages which were directly adjacent to one another. Kingston was laid out in 1855 by Jesse B. Lutz. Chauncey was platted in 1860 by the Chauncey family of Philadelphia, wealthy land speculators. Chauncey and Kingston formed a municipal government in 1866 which selected the name "Chauncey".[5]
The new town of Chauncey remained a small suburban village until Purdue University opened in 1869. In 1871 Chauncey voted to be annexed by Lafayette because it was unable to provide the infrastructure (such as improved streets, waterworks, police and fire protection). Lafayette voted against annexing Chauncey because of the high cost of the many improvements that the village lacked.[6] By the time of West Lafayette's formation in 1888, the growth of the university was fueling the growth of the little town. The address of Purdue University was given as "Lafayette, Indiana" until well into the twentieth century. West Lafayette never gained a railroad depot and lagged several years behind Lafayette in the establishment of municipal infrastructure and services. While no one is sure when the city adopted the title of 'West Lafayette', by the 1940s it had emerged as an independent, suburban city. Today, West Lafayette has established itself as a separate city, with independent services and unique neighborhoods distinct from those of its sister city, Lafayette.
Geography
West Lafayette lies in central Tippecanoe County and overlooks the Wabash River, which borders the city on the east and south. Most of the city lies in eastern Wabash Township, though a small portion on the northeast side extends into Tippecanoe Township. Elevations range from a little over 500 feet (150 m) near the river to more than 720 feet (220 m) in northern parts of the city near U.S. Route 52.
According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 7.625 square miles (19.75 km2), of which 0.010 square miles (0.026 km2) (or 0.13%) is water.[7]
Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1880 717 — 1890 1,242 73.2% 1900 2,302 85.3% 1910 3,867 68.0% 1920 3,830 −1.0% 1930 5,095 33.0% 1940 6,270 23.1% 1950 11,873 89.4% 1960 12,680 6.8% 1970 19,157 51.1% 1980 21,247 10.9% 1990 25,907 21.9% 2000 28,778 11.1% 2010 29,596 2.8% Source: US Census Bureau As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile (2,069.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population.[8]
There were 10,462 households out of which 14.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.6% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 65.7% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.
The age distribution is spread out with 10.4% under the age of 18, 54.6% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 10.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. This age distribution reflects the high percentage of Purdue University students living in the city. For every 100 females there are 133.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.2 males. The unusual sex distribution can also be explained by Purdue's presence; the school has large programs in several male-dominated academic fields such as engineering.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,869, and the median income for a family was $71,510. Males had a median income of $46,787 versus $30,218 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,337. About 9.5% of families and 38.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over. However, traditional measures of poverty can be highly misleading when applied to communities with a large proportion of students, such as West Lafayette.
Government
The city's elected officials consist of the mayor, the clerk-treasurer and a seven-member Common Council. The mayor is the city's chief executive officer and chairs the Common Council and the Board of Public Works and Safety. The clerk-treasurer serves as the finance officer of the city, the clerk of the city, and the court clerk.
The 7-member Common Council holds the city's legislative authority and makes the laws through ordinances, orders, resolutions and motions. The city is divided into 5 districts, and the Common Council consists of one council member from each district, plus two at-large council members. Elected by the council members, the president of the Common Council is first in the line of succession should the mayor not finish his or her term of office. He or she also presides over the council in the mayor's absence.
All city elected officials have term of office of four years with no limit on the number of terms. Regular elections for all offices are held at the same time in the odd year preceding the presidential election year.[9]
Education
Purdue Engineering Campus, FountainWest Lafayette is the home of Purdue University's main campus, with an enrollment of nearly 40,000 students.[10]
Loeb Fountain @ PurdueThe West Lafayette Community School Corporation administers three schools. Students attend Cumberland Elementary School through third grade, while students in grades 4-6 attend Happy Hollow Elementary School. Students in the 7th grade and above attend West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School.[11]
The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates Pleasantview SDA School which offers courses for grades K-8, and the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette teaches K-6. There are other schools, both public and private, that have a West Lafayette address, but these are actually located outside the city limits.
Approximately 77% of West Lafayette's population age 25 or older hold a bachelor's degree or higher according to the U.S. Census 2005-2007 American Community Survey. The city ranks sixth highest on this measure among U.S. municipalities between 20,000 and 65,000 population.[12]
Economy
The economy of West Lafayette is heavily influenced by the presence of Purdue University, with an enrollment of nearly 40,000, more than the city's population. The university employs 12,000 people, most of whom live in either West Lafayette or Lafayette.
The 725-acre (2.93 km2) Purdue Research Park, established in 1961, is home to more than 140 companies of which nearly 100 are technology related. As of 2009, these companies employ more than 3,000.[13] The Park offers communications infrastructure, research facilities, a business incubation complex to help start-up firms and scenic walking trails and lakes. It is one of the largest university-affiliated research parks in the United States. The Purdue Research Park is owned by Purdue Research Foundation, the University's non-profit funding and technology licensing arm.
As of July 2006, the unemployment rate for the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes West Lafayette, is 4.5%.[14]
Wabash Landing, Scotty's Brewhouse picturedCommercial activities, however, take place mostly across the river in Lafayette. The largest commercial area in West Lafayette is the 90-acre (360,000 m2) Wabash Landing/Levee area, which has become a thriving urban-type district since the entire area was reconstructed and the Pedestrian Bridge to Lafayette replaced the old State Street bridge. The Levee features Wabash Landing, a complex containing shops, restaurants, coffee houses, a 9-screen movie theater, a Hilton Garden Inn, and the Riverside Skating Center.
News and media
West Lafayette residents use many of the news and media outlets located in its twin city of Lafayette. Media located in West Lafayette proper include:
- The Purdue Exponent. Purdue University's daily independent student newspaper serving Purdue, West Lafayette, and Lafayette. Newsroom and offices located just off campus on Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette.
- Journal & Courier. The newspaper serves the Greater Lafayette area. The newsroom and offices are located in downtown Lafayette.
- WLFI-TV. Channel 18, a CBS affiliate
- WBAA Radio. (920AM, 101.3FM), a National Public Radio affiliate with studios located on the Purdue University campus
- WKHL Radio. (106.7FM)
Transportation
Public transportation in West Lafayette is managed by the Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation.
Airports
Highways
- U.S. Highway 52 to Joliet, Illinois (near Chicago) and Indianapolis
- U.S. Highway 231 to Rensselaer and Crawfordsville
- Indiana state highways 26, 43, 443, 526 , 126
- Interstate 65 passes just east as it cuts diagonally through Indiana (Northwest to Southeast)
Railroads
Bus Service
- Express Air Coach (provides express shuttle service between Purdue University and Chicago's O'Hare Airport)
- Lafayette Limo (provides express shuttle service to Indianapolis Airport)
- Star of America (provides shuttle service to the Indianapolis International Airport)
- City Bus(provides bus service around West Lafayette, Purdue campus, and Lafayette)
Points of interest
- Purdue University
- Purdue University Horticulture Gardens
- Harry's Chocolate Shop, a bar that is part of the 19th century Von's Shops building
- Fort Ouiatenon, an early French trading post
- Purdue State Bank, 1914 bank created by architect Louis Sullivan
- Samara (John E. Christian House), a Usonian home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
- Celery Bog
Celery Bog Nature Area & Lilly Nature Center (not pictured)
Notable natives
For notable residents associated with Purdue University, see List of Purdue University people.
For notable natives from the neighboring city Lafayette, Indiana, see that page.- Brian Binnie - One of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne
- Bob Friend - Major League Baseball player
- Gen Fukunaga - Founder of Funimation Entertainment
- Anissa Jones - Actress, best known as Buffy on CBS's Family Affair
- Cleve Jones - Conceived the AIDS quilt
- Tom Kelly - Songwriter
- Harry G. Leslie - Governor of Indiana
- Sameer Mishra - Winner of the 2008 National Spelling Bee
- Toby Moskowitz - Financial economist
- Chike Okeafor - NFL football player
- Eric Rodwell - Multiple world champion bridge player
- Erik Sabel - Major League Baseball player
- Randy Truitt - Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
See also
References
- ^ "USGS detail on West Lafayette". http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:445775. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "2010 Population Finder". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/popfinder/. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
- ^ a b "The History of West Lafayette". City of West Lafayette. http://www.westlafayette.in.gov/egov/docs/1225677108990.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ Robert Kriebel (1990). Old Lafayette volume 2: 1854-1876. Tippecanoe County Historical Association.
- ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Places". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
- ^ "Census data for West Lafayette, Indiana". http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=86000US47906&_geoContext=01000US%7C86000US47906&_street=&_county=west+lafayette&_cityTown=west+lafayette&_state=04000US18. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
- ^ "West Lafayette City Code". http://ordlink.com/codes/westlaf/index.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
- ^ "Student Enrollment and Demographics, West Lafayette Campus Fall 2011". Purdue University. http://admissions.purdue.edu/Academic_Profile/Student_Enrollment.html. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
- ^ "West Lafayette Community School Corporation". http://www.wl.k12.in.us/.
- ^ http://www.indystar.com/article/20090108/LOCAL/901080425
- ^ Purdue Research Foundation. "Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette". http://www.purdueresearchpark.com/parks/PRPWL.asp. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ "Preliminary State Unemployment Figures Released". Indiana Workforce Development. August 23, 2006. http://www.in.gov/dwd/newsroom/news_releases/NR_08-23-06.pdf. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
Bibliography
- General R. P. DeHart, ed (1909). Past and Present of Tippecanoe County Indiana. 1. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen and Company. pp. 193,462–464. http://www.archive.org/stream/pastpresentoftip01indeha#page/462/mode/2up. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
External links
- City of West Lafayette, Indiana website
- West Lafayette Community School Corporation Website
- WLFI-TV, News Channel 18 (Local TV station, owned by LIN TV Corporation)
Municipalities and communities of Tippecanoe County, Indiana Cities Lafayette | West Lafayette
Towns Battle Ground | Clarks Hill | Dayton | Otterbein‡ | Shadeland
Townships Unincorporated
communitiesAmericus | Ash Grove | Buck Creek | Cairo | Colburn | Concord | Monitor | Monroe | Montmorenci | North Crane | Odell | Pettit | Romney | South Raub | Stockwell | Westpoint
Ghost towns Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- Cities in Indiana
- Populated places established in 1888
- Populated places in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
- University towns in the United States
- West Lafayette, Indiana
- Lafayette, Indiana metropolitan area
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
