Historic Downtown Lafayette near Indianapolis, IN is a city in Tippecanoe County. Lafayette is 63 miles from Indianapolis and has a population of over 56,000. Lafayette is rate 215th in size of the metropolitan areas in the United States.
Originally the area was inhabited by Miami Indians know as Weas or Ouiatenon. Fort Ouiatenon was established three miles from Lafayette to be used for trading for merchants, Indians and fur trappers. Each year they have a festival and annual reenactment called The Feast of the Hunters' Moon. Lafayette got its name from Marquis de Lafayette, a French general that assisted the Americans during the Revolutionary War. In its beginning, it was used as a shipping center on the Wabash River. The development of the canals (Wabash and Erie) and railroad helped to further cement its importance for travel and shipping. Lafayette was, in fact, the first city to see an airmail delivery in the United States.
Downtown Lafayette is the site of many interesting events and activities. One true source of pride for Lafayette is being home to Purdue University, which has helped many students get the career they wanted with their great graduate programs and student campus.
The downtown Lafayette/West Lafayette offers much in the way of shopping and dining. There are many individual shops as well as malls and plazas. Regardless of what you're looking for, you're sure to find it in one of their shopping plazas and centers. Grocery shopping is actually fun in Lafayette with all their stores each competing with each other for your business by offering the best prices. You'll find more antique and specialty shops in this small area than you can imagine. You can choose from bed & breakfast, hotels, motels or camping when you stay at Lafayette. This is a booming town with a lot of activity to offer.
