Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. 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


When European explorers first reached the area around what is now Tippecanoe County, it was inhabited by a tribe of Miami Indians known as the Ouiatenon or Weas. In 1717 the French government established Fort Ouiatenon 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 autumn.

The town of Lafayette was platted in May 1825 by a river trader William Digby. It was made county seat fof the newly formed Tippecanoe County the following year. Like many frontier towns, Lafayette was named for General Lafayette, a French soldier who significantly aided George Washington's Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lafayette toured the United States in 1824 and 1825

In its earliest days, Lafayette was a shipping center on the Wabash River. In 1838, Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, the first United States Patent Commissioner, published a booklet titled Valley of the Upper Wabash, Indiana, with Hints on Its Agricultural Advantages to promote settlement of the region. By 1845, Ellsworth had purchased 93000 acre of farmland in and around Lafayette and moved there from Connecticut to supervise land sales. By 1847 Ellsworth was distributing broadsides looking for farmers to purchase his farmland. He became president of the Tippecanoe County Agricultural Society in April 1851 – despite some local resentment over what was called "the Yale Crowd" – but he was defeated the same year when he ran for the Indiana House of Representatives. Lafayette's Ellsworth Street and Ellsworth Historic District are named for the early real estate developer.

The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840s further cemented Lafayette's regional prominence, which was also heightened 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.

Geography
Lafayette is located at 40.41058°N, -86.87468°W (40.410585, -86.874681) and lies in Fairfield and Wea Townships. Elevation at the court house is 550 ft, but city elevations range from a little over 500 ft at the Wabash River to approximately 700 ft 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.

Climate and weather
In recent years, temperatures in Lafayette have ranged from an average low of 17 °F in January to a high of 86 °F in July, although a record low of -23 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 105 °F was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.58 in inches in February to 4.24 in inches in June.

Demographics
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),  which had a combined population of 212,408 at the 2000 census.

As of the census 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 per square mile (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 individuals 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.

Government
The government consists of a mayor – elected in a citywide vote – and a city council which consists of nine members of whom six are elected from individual districts. Three members are elected at-large.

Colleges

 * Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
 * Harrison College
 * Purdue University

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 - FCSLafayette.org
 * First Assembly Christian Academy
 * Lafayette Christian School
 * Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School *lcss.org
 * St. Boniface Middle School
 * St. Lawrence Catholic School
 * St. Mary Cathedral Elementary School
 * St. James Lutheran School

News and media
Newspaper
 * Journal & Courier. The newspaper, which serves the Greater Lafayette area, has its newsroom and offices located on the East side of Lafayette.
 * Purdue Exponent. Purdue University's daily independent student newspaper serves Purdue, West Lafayette, and Lafayette, and has its newsroom and offices located just off campus on Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette.
 * The Lafayette Leader

Television
 * WLFI-TV
 * W51DU

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

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

Transportation


Airports
 * Purdue University Airport (LAF), West Lafayette. Currently no commercial flights.

Highways
 * [[Image:I-65.svg|25px]] Interstate 65 to Gary, Indiana (near Chicago) and Indianapolis
 * [[Image:US 52.svg|25px]] US 52 to Joliet, Illinois (also near Chicago) and Indianapolis
 * [[Image:US 231.svg|25px]] US 231
 * [[Image:Indiana 25.svg|25px]] State Road 25
 * [[Image:Indiana 26.svg|25px]] State Road 26
 * [[Image:Indiana 38.svg|25px]] State Road 38

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 rail lines that originally passed through the downtown were redirected in the mid-1990s to a rail corridor near the Wabash River.

Bus Service
 * CityBus local bus service by the Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation
 * Greyhound intercity bus service
 * Lafayette Limo shuttle service to the Indianapolis International Airport
 * Suburban Express operates weekend bus service between Purdue and Chicago Suburbs when Purdue is in session.
 * Star of America (provides shuttle service to the Indianapolis International Airport)

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
 * Wabash National, world's largest manufacturer of semi-truck trailers
 * Subaru of Indiana Automotive, producer of Subaru and Toyota vehicles
 * Evonik (Tippecanoe Laboratories) pharmaceuticals/chemicals
 * Tate & Lyle, manufacturer of Splenda(R) and other sweeteners
 * TRW Commercial Steering Systems
 * Landis+Gyr, manufacturer of electric meters for global ANSI markets
 * Rea Magnet Wire, manufacturer of high precision magnet wire used globally

Notable residents and natives
For notable residents associated with Purdue University, see List of Purdue University people.

Entertainment

 * Karen Black - actress
 * Jeremy Camp - Christian recording artist
 * Embeth Davidtz - actress;
 * Louise Fazenda - silent film comic actress, character actress in the "talkies";
 * 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
 * Troy Hickman - writer best known for his comic book work, including the Eisner-nominated Common Grounds, Twilight Guardian, City of Heroes, Witchblade, Turok, and others
 * Shannon Hoon - Former singer of Blind Melon
 * John Korty - Director, screenwriter, best known for Oliver's Story
 * Tammy Lynn Michaels - actress
 * Ken Navarro - smooth jazz guitarist
 * Chubby Parker - country music radio personality and recording artist
 * Sydney Pollack - actor, director, and producer
 * Victor Potel - silent film actor, worked for Mack Sennett and was "Slippery Slim" in the Snakeville series
 * Axl Rose - Guns N' Roses co-founder and vocalist
 * Julia Scheeres - author, best known for ALA Alex Award winning memoir Jesus Land
 * Izzy Stradlin - Guns N' Roses co-founder and rhythm guitarist
 * Staci Vice - motion picture editor / assistant editor The Oprah Winfrey Show, multiple other shows

Sports

 * Bob Friend - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher
 * 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
 * Chukie Nwokorie - NFL defensive player and Lafayette Jefferson 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
 * Eric Bruntlett - Philadelphia Phillies infielder
 * Clayton Richard - San Diego Padres pitcher
 * Erik Sabel - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher
 * Todd Dunwoody - Major League Baseball player
 * Clem Crowe - Two time All American for Notre Dame Football and All American Basketball

Business, law, politics

 * Roger D. Branigin - Governor of Indiana 1965-1969
 * Steve Carter - Indiana Attorney General
 * Henry Leavitt Ellsworth - First Commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; real estate developer
 * David W. Evans - U.S. Representative, 6th Congressional District Indiana 1975–1983
 * Clara Shortridge Foltz (1849–1934) - First female lawyer on the West Coast
 * Brian Lamb - Founder of C-SPAN
 * Barbara Ringer - First female Register of Copyrights
 * 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
 * Andrew McCammon - physical and theoretical chemist
 * David E. Nichols - pharmacologist and medicinal chemist, noted psychedelic researcher

Points of interest

 * Purdue University, located in West Lafayette;
 * Jerry E. Clegg Botanic Garden;Jerry Clegg gardens.jpg
 * Horticulture Gardens at Purdue University;

Notable buildings

 * The old Temple Israel (Lafayette, Indiana) building at 17 South 7th St. is one of the ten oldest synagogue buildings surviving in the United States.
 * Trinity United Methodist Church (formerly Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church – until 1969) – is the first church to have been started in the Lafayette, Indiana, area. Its current building was erected in 1869 by William Heath and has remained intact to this day.

Community events

 * The Feast of the Hunters' Moon (Mid to late September or early October)
 * A Taste of Tippecanoe (Mid June) Taste of Tippecanoe.jpg