West Lafayette, Ohio

West Lafayette is a village in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census.

History

West Lafayette was laid out in 1850 by Robert Shaw and William Wheeler. In 1855, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad was built through the new town. The line became known as the Panhandle and was operated in the Pennsylvania system and currently by the Ohio Central Railroad. Tragedy struck this track in 1950 when the crack passenger train "Spirit of Saint Louis" hit another train carrying National Guard troops from Pennsylvania. They had been called up for the Korean War. Over 30 were killed. A monument has recently been placed near the site of the accident.

The village was once dubbed the "Enamel Center of the World." Before plastics were invented, steel vessels covered with a ceramic-like material called Enamelware were the norm in American homes. In 1903 the Lafayette Stamping and Enameling Co. was founded. Moore Enameling and Jones Metal also manufactured enamelware. Jones Metal remains. Another industry still prospering is Yankee Wire, manufacturer of wire screens.

The West Lafayette Homecoming was begun in 1950 and continues today. The more recently started Strawberry Festival also bring many visitors. The fertile soil in the river valley provide ideal conditions to grow strawberries. Other crops commercially grown in the area include raspberries, sweet corn, pumpkins, field corn and soybeans.

Geography

West Lafayette is located at coor dms|40|16|26|N|81|45|3|W|city (40.273956, -81.750857)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.7 km²), all of it land.

The village is built upon a level plain in the Tuscarawas River valley and is surrounded by forested hills and agricultural valleys. The Ohio Central Railroad passes through the town. Immediately north of the village is U.S. Route 36. Both of these are major arteries connecting Columbus with points east.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 2,313 people, 909 households, and 616 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,503.4 people per square mile (1,353.1/km²). There were 990 housing units at an average density of 1,499.5/sq mi (579.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.22% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.26% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.

There were 909 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $29,870, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $29,205 versus $20,341 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,913. About 5.7% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links