Lafayette

City and administrative headquarters of Tippecanoe County, north-west Indiana, USA, on the Wabash River, 93 km/58 mi northwest of Indianapolis; population (2000) 56,400. It is a distribution centre for the area's agricultural products; industries include building materials, sheet metal, chemicals, wire, pharmaceuticals, truck trailers, and motor-vehicle engines and parts. Purdue University (1865) is nearby.

Lafayette was laid out in 1825 and was incorporated in 1853. The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought here in 1811, when US forces under General William Henry Harrison defeated the Shawnee American Indians.

Lafayette

City and administrative headquarters of Lafayette Parish, southern Louisiana, USA, on the Vermilion River, 230 km/143 mi west of New Orleans; population (2000) 110,300. Situated in an agricultural region, its economy centres around the area's oil industry. Other industries include the manufacture of cordage (ship rigging and lines), packing materials, and processed food. Lafayette is home to a Carmelite monastery and the University of Southwestern Louisiana (1898).

Settled by Acadians from Nova Scotia in the late 18th century, Lafayette lies in the heart of the area of Louisiana that is associated with Cajun French-speakers. It was incorporated in 1836. The Camellia Show and Mardi Gras and the Festivals Acadiens are celebrated here annually.