Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette is a good place to raise a family. Homeownership and rentals alike are both affordable, with a diverse housing selection throughout the city and the greater metropolitan area. In addition, Lafayette County’s public school system is highly lauded, and there are plenty of parochial schools as well. Add into that an excellent public library, a high number of youth-oriented sports and recreation programs, a growing economy, and a low-ish crime rate, and you have all of the charms of a rural midwestern community combined with amenities of bigger cities that you typically get with college cities and you have a great spot for a young family.

The divide between Lafayette’s lifelong residents and its student population, which is mostly in West Lafayette, is real. This is true of many college towns, and it is felt keenly in Lafayette due to the political divide between its more conservative native population and the more liberal and ethnically diverse population of Purdue University. This, in turn, leads to arguments over the perception of the town, with the student population often describing the crime rate as being greater than it is, and the lifelong residents greeting students with hostility. Please be aware of this before you make your move.

Lafayette is, in many ways, a sleepy countryside town. Outdoor activities are the primary pastime, with canoeing, cycling, hunting, fishing, and gardening especially popular. Combined with the local love of Purdue’s athletics programs, you have a town that gathers together eagerly despite its differences in a basketball or football game. That being said, for those for whom these activities hold no interest, there are more artistic options such as the Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. And for those desiring bigger city options, Indianapolis and Chicago are within driving distance.

Check out the Lafayette calendar of events for a flavor of what goes on during the year.

We highly recommend visiting Lafayette and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can also receive discounted travel fares via our partnership with Expedia.

Lafayette is home to a diverse and growing economy. Purdue University and the Ivy Tech Community College provide work for academics, administrators, and facilities workers. The city also has numerous manufacturing operations, such as Arconic, Caterpillar Large Engine Division, and Subaru of Indiana Automotive employ thousands of workers. This, in addition to Purdue’s esteemed engineering program and legacy of having produced multiple astronauts, makes Lafayette an excellent home for scientists and engineers.