LAFAYETTE

city, seat (1826) of Tippecanoe county, west central Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 63 mi (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. Laid out by William Digby on May 24, 1825, it was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, who was making his last visit to America. It is 4 mi northeast of the first white settlement in Indiana (Ft. Ouiatanon), built by the French in 1719 to exploit fur trade with the Indians. Lost to the English in 1763 and then to the Americans in 1779, it was a centre of Indian agitation. The fort, destroyed by the Scott and Wilkinson expeditions in 1791, has been restored as a memorial-museum. Tippecanoe County was named for the battle fought Nov. 7, 1811, when Gov. William Henry Harrison and his small army defeated an Indian confederacy under the leadership of the (Shawnee) Prophet, brother of Tecumseh. The battleground site, now a state park, is 7 mi north of the city. Lafayette is well industrialized (manufactures include aluminum, electrical and rubber products, prefabricated houses, and pharmaceuticals), and has a busy grain market. West Lafayette, across the river, is the seat of Purdue University (1869), a state institution and land-grant college named for a local businessman, John Purdue, whose gift secured its establishment there. Inc. 1853. Pop. (1990) city, 43,764; LafayetteWest Lafayette MSA, 130,598. city, seat (1824) of Lafayette parish, south-central Louisiana, U.S., on the Vermilion River, 55 miles (88 km) southwest of Baton Rouge. The area was first settled by exiled Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1763. The earliest village, Vermilionville, was established in 1824 but was renamed for the French general the marquis de Lafayette in 1884. Until World War II the economy was dependent upon intensive sugarcane, cotton, and corn (maize) cultivation. After the war the city became a supply centre for much of the booming oil and gas industry of southern Louisiana. Heymann Oil Center (1952), headquarters for many companies, has its own post office and shopping facilities. The city also remains a major distribution centre for cotton, sugar, lumber, and livestock. Before the oil boom Lafayette was primarily a Cajun town, and the older culture is evident in the prevalence of French and the local Cajun dialect. A growing population attracted to the local oil industry has created a more cosmopolitan community. Although many of the older customs have disappeared, the Live Oak Society works to preserve native southern live oak trees, and the Camellia Show and Mardi Gras are still celebrated. Nearby is Acadian Village, a restored community of authentic Acadian homes, museums, and other buildings dating from the early 1800s. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1898) is there, as is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese. Inc. 1836. Pop. (1990) city, 101,865; Lafayette MSA, 345,053; (1998 est.) city, 113,615; (1996 est.) Lafayette MSA, 368,635.