Last modified: 2013-12-04 by rick wyatt
Keywords: lafayette | indiana | tippecanoe county |
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image by Ivan Sarajcic, 25 June 2007
Lafayette is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,397. The city is the county seat of Tippecanoe County. West Lafayette, just across 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; Lafayette is thus the 215th largest metropolitan area in the United States.
The area around what is now Tippecanoe County was inhabited by a tribe of Miami Indians known as the Ouiatenon or Weas. The French government established Fort Ouiatenon in 1717 across the Wabash River and three miles 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 fall.
Lafayette was planted by the river trader William Digby, in May 1825. The town was made county seat for the newly formed Tippecanoe County soon after in 1826. Like many small frontier towns, Lafayette was officially named for the French general, Marquis de Lafayette (September 6, 1757—May 20, 1834) who aided the American armies during the Revolutionary War. In its earliest days Lafayette was a shipping center on the Wabash River. The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840s further cemented Lafayette's regional prominence, which was also escalated by the arrival of the railroads in the 1850s. The Monon Railroad connected Lafayette with other sections of Indiana."
from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette,_Indiana.
"In 2006, Mayor Tony Roswarski asked the Mayor's Youth Council to design a flag for Lafayette. After months of studying Lafayette history, researching flags, learning about graphic design, and developing many flag prototypes, the Youth Council's final design was officially adopted by the City Council on April 9, 2007. The new city flag was unveiled on Thursday, June 14 (2007)at Riehle Plaza. During Thursdays concert at Riehle Plaza the city flag was hoisted for the first time. Members of the Mayors Youth Council were on hand for the ceremony.