Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette, Indiana
City
Downtown Lafayette and the Riehle Plaza and CityBus depot
Nickname: 
"Star City"
Lafayette
Lafayette
Coordinates: 40°24′02″N 86°52′43″W / 40.40056°N 86.87861°W / 40.40056; -86.87861
Country United States
State Indiana
CountyTippecanoe
TownshipsFairfield, Perry, Sheffield, Union, Wea
Platted1825
Incorporated1853
Founded byWilliam Digby
Named afterGeneral Lafayette
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorTony Roswarski (D)
Area
 • City
29.50 sq mi (76.41 km2)
 • Land29.38 sq mi (76.09 km2)
 • Water0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
 • Metro
904.6 sq mi (2,343 km2)
Elevation663 ft (202 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City
70,783
 • Density2,409.39/sq mi (930.27/km2)
 • Metro
223,716 (205th)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
47901, 47904, 47905, 47909
Area code765
Interstate Highways I-65
U.S. Highways
  • US 52
  • US 231
Major state roads
  • SR 25
  • SR 26
  • SR 38
WaterwaysWabash River
AirportsPurdue University Airport
(West Lafayette)
Public transitCityBus
FIPS code18-40788[3]
GNIS feature ID[4]2395583[2]
Websitewww.lafayette.in.gov

Lafayette (/ˌlɑːfiˈɛt, ˌlæf-/ LA(H)F-ee-ET) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States.[4][5] The population was 70,783 at the 2020 census.[6] It sits across the Wabash River from West Lafayette, home to Purdue University, which plays a major role in both communities. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette make up the core of the Lafayette metropolitan area, home to 235,066 people in 2020.

Lafayette was founded in 1825 on the southeast bank of the Wabash River near where the river becomes impassable for riverboats upstream, though a French fort and trading post had existed since 1717 on the opposite bank and three miles downstream. It was named for the French general Marquis de Lafayette, a Revolutionary War hero. Lafayette is 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis and 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Chicago.

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lafayette, Indiana
  3. ^ "US Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Lafayette, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  5. ^ Smith 3, Fletcher (2014). "Find a name". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Lafayette IN – QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.