Lafayette, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lafayette, Indiana
City
Downtown Lafayette and the Riehle Plaza and CityBus depot
Flag
Nickname(s):  "Star City"
Lafayette, Indiana Location in Indiana Show map of Indiana Lafayette, Indiana Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States of America
State	Indiana
County	Tippecanoe
Townships	Fairfield, Perry, Sheffield, Wea
Platted	1825
Incorporated	1853
Founded by	William Digby
Named for	General Lafayette
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• City	29.50 sq mi (76.41 km2)
• Land	29.38 sq mi (76.09 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
• Metro	904.6 sq mi (2,343 km2)
Elevation	663 ft (202 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	70,783
• Density	2,409.39/sq mi (930.27/km2)
• Metro	223,716 (205th)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	47901, 47904, 47905, 47909
Area code(s)	765
Interstate Highways	I-65
U.S. Highways	US 52 US 231
Major state roads	SR 25 SR 26 SR 38
Waterways	Wabash River
Airports	Purdue University Airport (West Lafayette)
Public transit	CityBus
FIPS code	18-40788
GNIS feature ID	2395583

Lafayette (pronounced LAH-fee-ET) is a city in Indiana, United States. It is the main city of Tippecanoe County. Lafayette is about 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. It is also about 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Chicago.

In 2020, Lafayette had a population of 70,783 people. Across the Wabash River is West Lafayette. This city is home to Purdue University. Purdue University is a big part of both communities. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette form the Lafayette metropolitan area. This area had over 235,000 people in 2020.

Lafayette was started in 1825 by William Digby. It was built on the southeast side of the Wabash River. The city was named after General Lafayette. He was a French hero who helped America in the American Revolutionary War.

History of Lafayette

When European explorers first came here, the Miami Native Americans lived in this area. They were known as the Ouiatenon or Weas tribe. In 1717, the French built Fort Ouiatenon. It was across the Wabash River from where Lafayette is today. This fort became a busy place for trading furs. Trappers, merchants, and Native Americans all came here to trade. Every autumn, a fun festival called Feast of the Hunters' Moon is held there. It reenacts life from the past.

Lafayette, 1868

William Digby, a trader, planned the town of Lafayette in May 1825. The next year, it became the main city for the new Tippecanoe County. Lafayette was named after General Lafayette. He was a French officer who greatly helped George Washington's army during the American Revolutionary War. General Lafayette visited the United States in 1824 and 1825.

In its early days, Lafayette was a key shipping center on the Wabash River. In the 1840s, the Wabash and Erie Canal opened. This canal helped trade grow even more. It made Lafayette an even more important city in the region. Railroads came to Lafayette in the 1850s. They connected the city to other big markets. The Monon Railroad linked Lafayette with other parts of Indiana.

Lafayette was the site of the first official airmail delivery in the United States. This happened on August 17, 1859. John Wise flew a balloon from the Lafayette courthouse. He wanted to reach New York. But bad weather forced his balloon to land near Crawfordsville, Indiana. The mail finished its journey by train.

Lafayette's Geography

Lafayette skyline from West Lafayette

Lafayette is located in Fairfield and Wea Townships. The city covers about 27.74 square miles (71.8 km2) of land.

City Neighborhoods

Lafayette has many different neighborhoods. Some of them include:

Some neighborhoods are also historic. These include Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Historic District and Upper Main Street Historic District.

Weather and Climate

Lafayette has a changing climate with four seasons. In January, the average low temperature is about 17°F (-8°C). In July, the average high is about 86°F (30°C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was -33°F (-36°C) in January 1985 and 1994. The hottest was 105°F (41°C) in June 1988.

Rainfall varies throughout the year. February usually has the least rain, about 1.58 inches (40 mm). June typically has the most, about 4.24 inches (108 mm).

People of Lafayette

Lafayette is the main city in the Lafayette metropolitan area. This area also includes Benton, Carroll, and Tippecanoe counties.

Population in 2010

In 2010, Lafayette had 67,140 people living in the city. There were 28,545 households. About 74.2% of the people were White. About 11.2% were African American. About 16.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 29.4% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.30 people. The average family had 3.00 people. The median age in the city was 31.9 years old.

Lafayette's Economy

Wabash River, and wind turbines at CityBus facility

Many important companies have locations in Lafayette. These companies help the city's economy.

• Wabash National: This company is the world's largest maker of semi-truck trailers.
• Subaru of Indiana Automotive: This is the only place outside of Japan that makes Subaru cars.
• Evonik (Tippecanoe Laboratories): This company works with medicines and chemicals.
• Primient: This factory processes corn to make corn syrup.
• Landis+Gyr: This company makes electric meters that are used around the world.
• Caterpillar: This company has a large engine center here.

Arts and Culture

Main Street

South Street historic row

Fun Festivals

• A Taste of Tippecanoe: This is a popular festival where you can try different foods.

Public Library Branches

The Tippecanoe County Public Library has four locations in the Lafayette area:

• Downtown Library
• Wyandotte Branch
• West Lafayette Klondike Branch
• Wea Prairie Branch

Places to Visit

• Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art: This museum has a collection of Indiana art.

Important Buildings

Education in Lafayette

Colleges and Universities

• Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana: Offers many different programs.
• Purdue University: A large university located in West Lafayette.
• Purdue Polytechnic Institute: One of Purdue University's colleges, with a location in Lafayette.

Public Schools

The Lafayette School Corporation provides public education for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The Tippecanoe School Corporation also manages schools in the county nearby.

Private Schools

There are several private schools in Lafayette:

Elementary Schools

Middle School

• St. Boniface Middle School

Junior/High School

• Catholic Central Junior-Senior High School

K-12 Schools

• Faith Christian School

Media in Lafayette

Newspapers

• Journal & Courier: This newspaper covers news for the Greater Lafayette area.
• Purdue Exponent: This is Purdue University's student newspaper. It also serves West Lafayette and Lafayette.
• The Lafayette Leader

Television Channels

For many years, WLFI-TV was the only major commercial TV station in Lafayette. Now, all "big four" networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) have local broadcasts. Lafayette is one of the few TV markets without its own PBS station. Instead, it gets PBS from WFYI in Indianapolis.

Radio Stations

Commercial Radio

Non-Commercial Radio

Transportation in Lafayette

Sagamore Parkway (as seen from West Lafayette)

Riehle Plaza and the railway station

Airports

There are no airports directly inside Lafayette city limits. The closest airport with regular flights is the Purdue University Airport (LAF) in West Lafayette.

Major Highways

Lafayette is connected by several important highways:

Railroads

Amtrak, the national passenger train system, serves Lafayette. The Cardinal train stops here. It connects Lafayette to Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. Several freight train companies also use the rail lines in Lafayette. In the mid-1990s, many train lines that used to go through downtown were moved to a special rail area near the Wabash River.

Buses and Shuttles

• CityBus: This is the local bus service run by the Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation.
• Greyhound: Provides bus service to other cities.
• Flixbus: Stops here on its route between Chicago and Indianapolis/Bloomington.
• Lafayette Limo and Reindeer Shuttle: These services take people to Indianapolis International Airport and O'Hare International Airport.
• Express Air Coach: Also goes to O'Hare International Airport.

Famous People from Lafayette

Many interesting people have connections to Lafayette. For people linked to Purdue University, see List of Purdue University people.

Entertainment Stars

Sports Heroes

Science and Technology Leaders

Sister Cities

Lafayette has two sister cities. These are cities in other countries that have special friendly ties with Lafayette.

• Longkou, Shandong, China
• Ōta, Gunma, Japan (since October 1993)

See also

In Spanish: Lafayette (Indiana) para niños