West Lafayette, Indiana Totally Explained

Everything about West Lafayette Indiana totally explained

West Lafayette is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, 65 miles (105km) northwest of Indianapolis. Named in honor of General Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War (initially Marquis de Lafayette until June 1790, when he permanently renounced both the nobility and aristocratic title).
The population was 28,778 at the 2000 census. It is located across the Wabash River from Lafayette, Indiana and is home to Purdue University.

History

The original "West Lafayette" was laid out by Augustus Wylie in 1836 and located in the Wabash River floodplain south of the present Levee. Due to regular flooding of the site, Wylie's town was never built. The present city was formed in 1888 by the merger of the adjacent suburban towns of Chauncey, Oakwood, and Kingston, located on a bluff across the Wabash River from Lafayette, Indiana. The three towns had been small suburban villages which were directly adjacent to one another. Kingston was laid out in 1855 by Jesse B. Lutz. Chauncey was platted in 1860 by the Chauncey family of Philadelphia, wealthy land speculators. Chauncey and Kingston formed a municipal government in 1866 which selected the name “Chauncey.”
The new town of Chauncey remained a small suburban village until Purdue University opened in 1869. In 1871 Chauncey voted to be annexed by Lafayette because it was unable to provide the infrastructure (improved streets, waterworks, police and fire protection). Lafayette voted against annexing Chauncey because of the high cost of the many improvements that the village lacked. By the time of West Lafayette’s formation in 1888, the growth of the university was fueling the growth of the little town. The address of Purdue University was given as "Lafayette, Indiana" until well into the twentieth century. West Lafayette never gained a railroad depot and lagged several years behind Lafayette in the establishment of municipal infrastructure and services. However, by the 1940s, West Lafayette had emerged as an independent suburban city.

Geography

West Lafayette is located at (40.441935, -86.912409) and overlooks the Wabash River, which borders the city on the east and south. It occupies Wabash Township and has an elevation that ranges from a little over 500 feet near the river to more than 720 feet in northern parts of the city near U.S. Route 52.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²) of it's land and 0.18% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,778 people, 10,462 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,219.6 people per square mile (2,016.6/km²). There were 10,819 housing units at an average density of 1,962.3/sq mi (758.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.34% White, 11.34% Asian, 2.38% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.20% of the population.
There were 10,462 households out of which 14.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.6% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 65.7% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.
The age distribution is spread out with 10.4% under the age of 18, 54.6% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 10.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. This age distribution reflects the high percentage of Purdue University students living in the city. For every 100 females there are 133.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.2 males. The unusual sex distribution can also be explained by Purdue's presence; the school has large programs in several male-dominated academic fields such as engineering.

Population income

The median income for a household in the city was $24,869, and the median income for a family was $71,510. Males had a median income of $46,787 versus $30,218 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,337. About 9.5% of families and 38.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over. However, traditional measures of poverty can be highly misleading when applied to communities with a large proportion of students, such as West Lafayette.

Government

The city's elected officials consist of the mayor, the clerk-treasurer and a 7-member Common Council.
   The mayor is the city's chief executive officer and chairs the Common Council and the Board of Public Works and Safety.
   The clerk-treasurer serves as the finance officer of the city, the clerk of the city, and the court clerk.
   The 7-member Common Council holds the city's legislative authority and makes the laws through ordinances, orders, resolutions and motions. The city is divided into 5 districts, and the Common Council consists of one council member from each district, plus two at-large council members. Elected by the council members, the president of the Common Council is first in the line of succession should the mayor not finish his or her term of office. He or she also presides over the council in the mayor's absence.
   All city elected officials have term of office of 4 years with no limit on the number of terms. Regular elections for all offices are held at the same time in the odd year preceding the presidential election year.

Education

West Lafayette is the home of Purdue University's main campus, with an enrollment of nearly 40,000 students.
The West Lafayette Community School Corporation administers three schools. Students attend Cumberland Elementary School through third grade, while students in grades 4-6 attend Happy Hollow Elementary School. Students in the 7th grade and above attend West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates Pleasantview SDA School which offers courses for grades K-8, and the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette teaches K-6. There are other schools, both public and private, that have a West Lafayette address, but these are actually located outside the city limits.

Economy

The economy of West Lafayette is heavily influenced by the presence of Purdue University, with an enrollment of nearly 40,000, more than the city's population. The university employs 12,000 people, most of whom live in either West Lafayette or Lafayette.
The 591-acre Purdue Research Park, established in 1961, is home to more than 140 high-tech companies with 2,500 employees and offers state-of-the-art communications infrastructure, world-class research facilities, a business incubation complex to help start-up firms and scenic walking trails and lakes. It is one of the largest university-affiliated research parks in the United States. The Purdue Research Park is owned by Purdue Research Foundation, the university's funding and technology licensing arm. Companies located in the Purdue Research Park include:

As of July 2006, the unemployment rate for the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes West Lafayette, is 4.5%.
Commercial activities, however, take place mostly across the river in Lafayette. The largest commercial area in West Lafayette is the 90-acre Levee area, which has become a thriving urban-type district since the entire area was reconstructed and the Pedestrian Bridge to Lafayette replaced the old State Street bridge. The Levee features Wabash Landing

which has shops, restaurants, coffee shops, a 9-screen movie theatre, the Hilton Garden hotel, and the Riverside Skating Center.

News and media

West Lafayette residents use many of the news and media outlets located in its twin city of Lafayette. Media located in West Lafayette proper include:

The Purdue Exponent. Purdue University's daily independent student newspaper serving Purdue, West Lafayette, and Lafayette. Newsroom and offices located just off campus on Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette.

WLFI-TV. Channel 18, a CBS affiliate

WBAA Radio. (920AM, 101.3FM), a National Public Radio affiliate with studios located on the Purdue University campus

WGLM Radio. (106.7FM)

Transportation

Public transportation in West Lafayette is managed by the Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation.

Airports

Purdue University Airport

Highways

U.S. Highway 52 to Joliet, Illinois (near Chicago) and Indianapolis

U.S. Highway 231 to Rensselaer and Crawfordsville

Indiana state highways 26, 43, 443, 526

Interstate 65 passes just east as it cuts diagonally through Indiana (Northwest to Southeast)

Railroads

CSX Transportation

Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad

Norfolk Southern Railway

Points of interest

Purdue University

Purdue University Horticulture Gardens

, a bar that's part of the 19th century Von's Shops building.

Fort Ouiatenon (External Link

), located approximately 3 miles southwest of West Lafayette on South River Road.

Notable natives

For notable residents associated with Purdue University see List of Purdue University people
For notable natives from the neighboring city Lafayette, Indiana see that page.

Anissa Jones - Actress, best known as Buffy on CBS's Family Affair.

Brian Binnie - One of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, born and spent first five years in West Lafayette

Paul Stanley Emrick - U.S. Air Force lieutenant general, chief of staff of the Pacific Command

Cleve Jones - Conceived the AIDS quilt

Harry G. Leslie - Governor of Indiana; State Road 26 Bridge over the Wabash River between West Lafayette and Lafayette is named the "Governor Leslie Memorial Bridge."

Erik Sabel - Major League Baseball player

Thomas Weldon - Co-founder and chairman of The Innovation Factory, an Atlanta life sciences incubator; co-founder and chairman of Accuitive Medical Ventures, a $55 million medical device venture capital fund.

Bob Friend - Major league baseball player

Tom Kelly - Musician, wrote "True Colors" & "Like a virgin" recorded by MadonnnaFurther Information

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