Lafayette

Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. It is located 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis and 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette form the core of the Lafayette metropolitan area, which had a population of 224,709 in the 2021 US Census Bureau estimates. Lafayette was named for General Lafayette, a French officer who significantly aided George Washington's Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of the first official airmail delivery in the United States on 17 August 1859, when John Wise piloted a balloon starting on the Lafayette courthouse grounds. In 1959, the US Postal Service issued a 7¢ airmail stamp commemorating the centennial of the event. Lafayette is located at 40°2438N 86°5229W (40.410585, 86.874681) and is located in Fairfield and Wea Townships. Elevation at the court house is 550 feet (168 m), but city elevations range from a little over 500 feet (150 m) at the W Kabash River to approximately 700 feet (210 m) in the Columbian Park area. According to the 2010 census, Lafayette has a total of 27.74 square miles (71.85 km²) of land, all of which is land.

History

Lafayette is the primary city name, but also Colburn, La Fayette are acceptable city names or spellings. The town of Lafayette was platted in May 1825 by William Digby, a trader. Lafayette was named for General Lafayette, a French officer who significantly aided George Washington's Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The town was the site of the first official airmail delivery in the United States on 17 August 1859, when John Wise piloted a balloon starting on the Lafayette courthouse grounds. In 1959, the US Postal Service issued a 7¢ airmail stamp commemorating the centennial of the event. The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840s stimulated trade and affirmed Lafayette's regional prominence. Railroads arrived in the town in the 1850s, connecting it with other major markets. The Monon Railroad connected Lafayette with other sections of Indiana. It was designated as the county seat of the newly formed Tippecanoe County the following year. In 1838, Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, the first United States Patent Commissioner, published a booklet titled Valley of the Upper Wabashing, Indiana, with Hints on Its Agricultural Advantages, to promote settlement of the region. By 1845, Ellsworth had purchased 93,000 acres (380 km²) of farmland around Lafayette and moved there from Connecticut to supervise land sales. He was defeated the same year when he ran for the Indiana House of Representatives. Ellsworth Street and Ellsworth Historic District are named for him. In April 1851, he became president of the TippECanoe county Agricultural Society.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Lafayette has a total area of 27.74 square miles (71.85 km²), all land. Elevation at the court house is 550 feet (168 m), but city elevations range from a little over 500 feet (150 m) at the Wabash River to approximately 700 feet (210 m) in the areas of Murdock Park and Columbian Park. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.58 inches (40mm) in February to 4.24 inches (108 mm) in June. In recent years, temperatures in Lafayette have ranged from an average low of 17 °F (8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °C (30 °F) in July. A record low of 33 °F was recorded in January 1985 and again in January 1994; and a record high of 105°F (41°C) was recorded in June 1988. The city is located at 40°2438N 86°5229, 86.874681 (40.410585W) and is located in Fairfield and Wea Townships. It has a population of 1,816,000 (1.9 million people) with a population density of 98.2 per square mile (30.4 per km²) The city's area is 27.4 square miles, or 71.85 square km², and it has a climate of 0.7 degrees F (0.4 degrees C) with an average monthly precipitation of 1.7 inches (39 mm).

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 67,140 people, 28,545 households, and 15,863 families in the city. 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 U.S. Census. The city population contained 23.2% under the age of 18; 14.2%, 31.3% from 25 to 44; 19.3%, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The racial makeup of the city was 88.91% White; 3.22% African American; 0.37% Native American; 1.22%; 0.04% Asian; 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. The median income for a household in theCity was $35,859, and the median income. for a family was $45,480. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the median age was 31.9 years. For every 100 females, there are 97.7 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there. were 95.3 males.

Government

The government consists of a mayor elected in a citywide vote and a city council of nine members. Six are elected from individual districts; three are elected at-large. The mayor is elected for a four-year term, and the city council is re-elected for another four years. The city is governed by a mayor, who is elected by a city-wide vote. The council is made up of six members, six of whom are elected for four years, and three of which are at- Large. The Mayor is chosen by a vote of the city's residents, who are then chosen by the council. The City Council is then elected by the City Council, which is then voted for by the citizens of the City. The Council has a term of three years, with a maximum term of five years, after which it can only be replaced by a new mayor if it wins a re-election bid in the next election. The next election is scheduled for November 2014. The election will be for a new Mayor, who will be elected in the same way as the previous one had been elected. The current mayor was elected in November 2013. The last mayor was elected in November 2012, and was re-elected in April 2013, after a run-off election in which he won a third of the votes he had previously won. The new mayor will be chosen in November 2014, and will be elected for a fourth term in November 2015. The elections will be held for a total of nine seats, with three of them being at- large.

Education

K-12 public education in Lafayette is provided by the Lafayette School Corporation. The Tippecanoe School Corporation also administers county schools nearby. New Community School was a tuition-free elementary charter school (sponsored by Ball State University) located on the north side of Lafayette that permanently closed at the end of 2016. Beacon Academy was a charter school that was located in West Lafayette and closed in 2018. The Lafayette area has three branch locations of the TippECanoe County Public Library: Downtown, Wyandotte and West Lafayette Klondike Branch. Lafayette is home to the Purdue Polytechnic Institute and the Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. It is also home to a branch of the Indiana State University system, the University of Indiana at Lafayette, and the Indiana Institute of Technology. It also has its own public library, the Lafayette Public Library, which is located in downtown Lafayette. It has a branch in the West Lafayette section of the city, as well as two branches in the East Lafayette area, one in the town of West Lafayette, the other in the city of LaPorte, and two in the Town of Lafayette, Indiana. The city is also the home of the Lafayette High School, which was founded in 1883. It was the first high school in the state of Indiana, and is now the state's second oldest high school. It opened in 1887. It closed in 1891. It reopened in 1894. It became the first public high school, Lafayette High, in 1892.

News and media

From 1953 until the 2016 launch of WPBI-LD, WLFI-TV had been the only "Big Three" (ABC, CBS and NBCor, including Fox, "big four") commercial network television broadcaster in the Lafayette market. WRTV, WTHR, WTTV, and WXIN, the respective ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox affiliates in Indianapolis, remain viewable in the area via a large over-the-air antenna or, in some cases, via a subscription satellite or streaming service. Cable provider Comcast Xfinity discontinued its remaining carriage of Indianapolis-based " big four" stations on March 7, 2018, but resumed carriage of WTHr and WRTV two days later. Purdue University's independent student newspaper serves Purdue, West Lafayette, and Lafayette and has its newsroom and offices located off campus on Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette. The Lafayette Leader serves the Greater Lafayette area and is published by the Lafayette Press Company. The Journal & Courier also has its own printing services for itself and other papers in the region on the eastside of Lafayette.

Transportation

No airports are located within Lafayette city limits. The nearest general aviation airport is Purdue University Airport (LAF) in West Lafayette. Indianapolis International Airport is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Lafayette in Indianapolis. Amtrak 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 lines that originally passed through the downtown were redirected in the mid-1990s to a rail corridor near the Wabash River. Lafayette is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the center of the city. It is also on the Indiana Turnpike, which cuts through the city and connects to the Indiana-Illinois border. Lafayette also has a number of state highways, many of which are used by the Indiana Department of Public Transportation (IDOT) and the Indiana State Department of Transportation (ISD), which provides bus service to and from Lafayette. The city is also served by the University of Indiana-Lafayette, which is located in the city's central business district. Lafayette has a population of 3,000 (3,000 people) and is located near the Indiana state line, which connects to Indiana, Illinois, Indiana, and Illinois via the Indiana Toll Road (I-70) and I-80. The town is also home to the Lafayette High School, which was founded in 1883.

Economy

Much of the area's economy centers around the academic and industrial activities of Purdue University. Private industry and commerce independent of the university also exist in the community. There are multiple large manufacturing operations in the city employing thousands of workers. Some examples of the city's economy include: Purdue University, Purdue Pharma, and Purdue University Medical Center. The city is also home to the University of Wisconsin-Purdue University, which was founded in 1883. It is also the home to Purdue University's medical school, which opened in 1894. The town is home to a number of colleges and universities, including Purdue, Indiana, and Indiana State University. It also has a large number of high schools and colleges, many of which are located in the area. The area is also known for its manufacturing industry, with many large factories in the region. It has also been the site of several World War II-era battles, including the Battle of the Bulge and Battle of St. Valentine's, which took place in the 1930s and 1940s. It was also the birthplace of the U.S. Air Force, which is based in the town of West Lafayette, Indiana. The community's history dates back to the 18th century, when the city was founded by the Pottawatomie family. The first post-bellum town, the town was named after the town's founder, William Purdue, who was born in 1805. The current mayor of the town is the son of William Purdue and his wife, Mary.

Arts and culture

Arts and culture includes arts organizations, festivals, fairs and festivals. Arts organizations include museums, galleries, conservatories, theaters, museums, theaters and galleries. Fairs and festivals include fairs, festivals and other arts and culture events. Arts and culture also includes music, dance, theater, film, television, radio, music, television and music videos. The arts are a part of the culture of the U.S. and the world in general.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana = 36.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 44. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 90. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Lafayette = 3.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 70,783 individuals with a median age of 32.8 age the population grows by 4.99% in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,409.39 residents per square mile of area (930.27/km²). There are average 2.27 people per household in the 25,780 households with an average household income of $37,184 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.87% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 20.86%. The number of physicians in Lafayette per 100,000 population = 227.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lafayette = 36.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 21.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 112. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 187. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 16.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 44, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana which are owned by the occupant = 48.65%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 40 years with median home cost = $99,890 and home appreciation of -0.48%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.89 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,172 per student. There are 16.2 students for each teacher in the school, 492 students for each Librarian and 456 students for each Counselor. 5.46% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.90% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.39% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).