Lafayette

/laf'ee et", laf'ay-, lah'fee-, -fay-/; for 1 also Fr. /lann fann yet"/, n.

1. Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier /mann rddee" zhaw zef" pawl eev rddawk zheel berdd" dyuu maw tyay"/, Marquis de. Also, La Fayette. 1757-1834, French soldier, statesman, and liberal leader, who served in the American Revolutionary Army and took a leading part in the French revolutions of 1789 and 1830.

2. a city in S Louisiana. 81,961.

3. a city in W Indiana, on the Wabash River. 43,001.

4. a town in W California. 20,879.

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(as used in expressions)

Dickey James Lafayette

Hunt Haroldson Lafayette

Lafayette Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier marquis de

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▪ Indiana, United States

      city, seat (1826) of Tippecanoe county, west-central Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. Laid out by William Digby on May 24, 1825, it was named for the American Revolutionary War hero the marquis de Lafayette (Lafayette, Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de), who was then making his last visit to the United States. The settlement soon became an important shipping centre on the Wabash, with the first steamboats arriving in 1826. The Wabash and Erie Canal reached Lafayette in 1843, further contributing to the community's growth as a river entrepôt. It is about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the first fortified white settlement in Indiana, Fort Ouiatenon, built by the French in 1717 to exploit fur trade with Native Americans. Lost to the English in 1761 and then to Pontiac's confederation during the uprising of 1763, the fort was not regarrisoned after it reverted to British control two years later. It remained a small trading post and Native American village, and at times it was a centre of Native American agitation before being destroyed by General Charles Scott in 1791. The fort has been restored as a memorial-museum. The Battle of Tippecanoe (Tippecanoe, Battle of) (Nov. 7, 1811), for which the county was named, was fought several miles north of the city; the battleground site is now a state memorial and national historical landmark. Lafayette is well industrialized (manufactures include aluminum, industrial, electrical, and rubber products, motor vehicles, 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. The Feast of the Hunters' Moon (October) is a popular annual event at which participants re-create an 18th-century gathering of Native Americans and French voyageurs and soldiers. Inc. 1853. Pop. (2000) city, 56,397; Lafayette MSA, 178,541; (2005 est.) city, 60,459; (2004 est.) Lafayette MSA, 181,512.

▪ Louisiana, United States

      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 (Acadia) from Nova Scotia in 1763. The earliest village, Vermilionville, was established in 1824 but was renamed for the French general the marquis de Lafayette (Lafayette, Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de) 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, 94,440; Lafayette MSA, 344,953; (2000) city, 110,257; Lafayette MSA, 385,647.

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