LaFayette, Alabama Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids LaFayette
City
The Chambers County Courthouse Square in LaFayette.
Location of La Fayette in Chambers County, Alabama.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Chambers
Incorporated	January 7, 1835
Named for	Marquis de Lafayette
Area
• Total	8.88 sq mi (23.01 km²)
• Land	8.86 sq mi (22.94 km²)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.07 km²)
Elevation	843 ft (257 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,684
• Density	303.04/sq mi (117.00/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	36862
Area code	334
FIPS code	01-40672
GNIS feature ID	0164071

LaFayette is a city in Chambers County, Alabama, United States. It is the main city of the county, meaning it's where the county government is located. LaFayette is about 47 miles northwest of Columbus, Georgia. In 2010, the city had a population of 3,003 people.

History of LaFayette
Geography of LaFayette
Population and People
- 2020 Census Information
Education in LaFayette
Famous People from LaFayette
Images for kids
See also

History of LaFayette

Chambers County was created in 1832. The county leaders decided to place the county seat as close to the center of the county as possible. Land lots for the new town were sold in October 1833. The money from these sales helped build a courthouse and a jail.

The town was first called "Chambersville." However, by the time it officially became a city on January 7, 1835, its name had changed to "Lafayette." This name honored the Marquis de Lafayette, a French hero who helped America during the Revolutionary War. The spelling later changed to "LaFayette." This was influenced by a newspaper editor named Johnson J. Hooper. He created a funny character who pronounced the town's name as "La Fait."

The city's newspaper, The LaFayette Sun, started in April 1841 as The Alabama Standard. It got its current name on August 3, 1881.

Some parts of the movie Mississippi Burning were filmed at the Chambers County Courthouse and in downtown LaFayette.

LaFayette is famous as the birthplace of Joe Louis. He was a heavyweight boxing champion. An 8-foot tall bronze statue of him stands in front of the Chambers County courthouse. This statue was made by sculptor Casey Downing Jr.

LaFayette is also the hometown of Hoyt L. Sherman. He was an art professor and a key teacher for the famous artist Roy Lichtenstein at Ohio State University.

Geography of LaFayette

LaFayette is located at 32°53'54.859" North and 85°24'2.822" West. The city covers a total area of about 23.0 square kilometers (8.88 square miles). A very small part of this area, about 0.07 square kilometers (0.03 square miles), is water.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	1,113	—
1870	1,382	24.2%
1880	1,061	−23.2%
1890	1,369	29.0%
1900	1,629	19.0%
1910	1,632	0.2%
1920	1,911	17.1%
1930	2,119	10.9%
1940	2,138	0.9%
1950	2,353	10.1%
1960	2,605	10.7%
1970	3,530	35.5%
1980	3,647	3.3%
1990	3,151	−13.6%
2000	3,234	2.6%
2010	3,003	−7.1%
2020	2,684	−10.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

2020 Census Information

In 2020, there were 2,684 people living in LaFayette. There were 1,017 households and 610 families.

About 26.45% of the people were White (not Hispanic).
About 68.89% were Black or African American (not Hispanic).
A small number of people were Native American or Asian.
About 2.79% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Education in LaFayette

The Chambers County School District runs the public schools in LaFayette.

There are two high schools: LaFayette High School and Chambers County Career Technical School.
There is one middle school: JP Powell Middle School.
There is one elementary school: Eastside Elementary School.

Chambers Academy is a private school in LaFayette. It teaches students from pre-kindergarten all the way through 12th grade.

Famous People from LaFayette

Many interesting people have come from LaFayette:

William B. Bowling: He was a U.S. Representative from 1920 to 1928.
Dave Butz: A former player in the NFL.
James R. Dowdell: A judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
Morris Finley: A professional basketball player who graduated from LaFayette High School.
Hal Finney: A former Major League Baseball player.
Lou Finney: Also a former Major League Baseball player.
Perry Griggs: A former player for the Baltimore Colts.
James Thomas "Cotton Tom" Heflin: A U.S. Representative.
Johnson J. Hooper: A well-known author and humorist.
Jay Jacobs: He was the athletic director at Auburn University.
Joe Louis: A legendary heavyweight boxing champion.
Leon Renfroe Meadows: He was the president of East Carolina University.
Arthur W. Mitchell: The first African American to be elected to the United States Congress as a Democrat.
Gertrude Morgan: A preacher, artist, musician, and poet.
Hoyt L. Sherman: An art professor who taught the famous pop artist Roy Lichtenstein.
Jimmy Stewart: A former Major League Baseball player.
Mike Williams: A former tight end for the Washington Football Team.

Images for kids

The Chambers County Courthouse in LaFayette. It was featured in the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning.
LaFayette City Hall and Police Department.
LaFayette Post Office (ZIP code:36862).
LaFayette High School.
The Chambers County Museum. It's in the old Central of Georgia railway depot, built in 1908.
The Ernest McCarty Oliver House.
Vines Funeral Home and Ambulance Service.
The LaFayette Presbyterian Church, built in 1836.
Downtown LaFayette, Alabama.
Another view of Downtown LaFayette, Alabama.
An old theatre in Downtown LaFayette, which later became a church.
A statue of Lady Justice on top of the courthouse.
The cornerstone of the courthouse, placed by Masons in 1899.
An aerial photo of downtown LaFayette, showing the courthouse in the center.