West Lafayette, Indiana

West Lafayette (IPA: ) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. 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 the mid-1870s. 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 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).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²). 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.18% is water.

Education

West Lafayette is the home of the main campus of Purdue University.

The West Lafayette Community School Corporation is the main public school district for the city. The district consists of three schools. Students in grades K-3 attend Cumberland Elementary school, while students in grades 4-6 attend Happy Hollow Elementary School. Students 7th grade and up are located in the West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School.

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 2,016.6/km² (5,219.6/mi²). There were 10,819 housing units at an average density of 758.1/km² (1,962.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.34% White, 2.38% African American, 0.16% Native American, 11.34% Asian, 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 town. 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.

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.

Points of interest

Notable natives

For notable residents associated with Purdue University see List of Purdue University people

Anissa Jones Actress

External links

Cities in Indiana | Tippecanoe County, Indiana | University towns

West Lafayette (Indiana) | West Lafayette, Indiana | Lafayette Occidens