Lafayette–West Lafayette, one of the largest communities in northwestern Indiana, consists of two incorporated cities forming a unified populace. Lafayette, the county seat of Tippecanoe County, has a population of nearly 61,244, and West Lafayette has about 29,000 residents.

On the banks of the famous Wabash River, surrounded by the rich, green farmlands of mid-America, Lafayette-West Lafayette is 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis, the state capital, and 126 miles southeast of Chicago. It can be reached by U.S. highways 52 and 231, Interstate 65, or state roads 25, 26, 38, and 43.

Amtrak trains stop in Lafayette en route to Chicago and Indianapolis. Major intercity bus lines provide transportation services to other cities. CityBus operates bus lines in Lafayette and West Lafayette. There are several taxi and limousine services.

The community’s radio stations are WBAA-AM and WBAA-FM cable, owned and operated by Purdue; WASK-AM and WASK-FM; WAZY-AM and FM; WCFY-AM; WGLM-FM; WHPL-FM; WJEF-FM; WKHY-FM; WKOA- FM; WLFF-FM; WNJY-FM; and WSHW-FM.

The community’s television station is WLFI-TV, a UHF channel. Television reception also is available from Indianapolis, and a television cable system provides reception of commercial and Public Broadcasting System stations in Lafayette, Indianapolis, and Chicago, plus specialty and subscription television channels.

The Lafayette Journal and Courier publishes daily, and the Lafayette Leader publishes weekly. The Purdue Exponent is published five days a week during the fall and spring semesters and three times a week during the summer session. Purdue fans can follow the Boilermakers closely through Gold & Black Illustrated, a newspaper published weekly during football and basketball seasons.

The city of Lafayette is home to three colleges — Ivy Tech State College-Lafayette, a Community College of Indiana partner; Indiana Business College; and Lafayette Bible College.

Lafayette School Corporation encompasses a senior high school, two middle schools, and 10 elementary schools. The city also has a Lutheran grade school, two Christian schools, a Seventh-Day Adventist school, a First Assembly of God school, three Catholic grade schools, and a Catholic high school. Special facilities include the Wabash Center, Inc., aiding people with disabilities and special needs.

West Lafayette has a junior/senior high school and two elementary schools. Special facilities include the Reading Clinic on the Purdue Campus, which provides diagnoses and remedial tutoring for children who have reading problems.

Within the county, the Tippecanoe School Corporation operates two high schools, five middle schools, and nine elementary schools.

Tippecanoe County also has a wide variety of physicians, dentists, and health-care providers.

Lafayette–West Lafayette has two general hospitals — Home Hospital and St. Elizabeth Medical Center, owned and operated by Greater Lafayette Health Services, Inc. Each facility is licensed for more than 360 beds. Wabash Valley Hospital, Inc., just outside West Lafayette, offers inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care and addiction services.

The Indiana Veterans’ Home, the only one in the state, overlooks the Wabash River near West Lafayette.

Lafayette–West Lafayette offers many voluntary agencies providing recreation, health, and welfare services. Consult the community services section of the Lafayette–West Lafayette telephone directory for more information.

The average mean temperature of Lafayette-West Lafayette is 75 degrees in the summer and 31 degrees in the winter. The annual average rainfall is 37 inches, and the annual mean snowfall is 21 inches. The West Lafayette campus is about 600 feet above sea level.