The Outlook of Small Towns like West Lafayette, Indiana, US

For 15 years, I lived in West Lafayette, Indiana and saw many changes happen. When I moved to West Lafayette, there were many empty fields and even the neighborhood that I lived in was pretty empty. Most of the neighborhood had not been developed yet and there were only around a dozen houses on my street with several just starting to be built. In the year 2000, the population of West Lafayette was 28,788 people.

            Education was and still is a large part of the West Lafayette community. Residents had a choice of going to West Lafayette School Corporation, Tippecanoe School Corporation, and Lafayette School Corporation. After grade school, students had the choice of going to Ivy Tech Community College and Purdue University in the community. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report (2005-2007) over 77% of West Lafayette’s population over the age of 25 earned at least a bachelor’s degree.

            In terms of business, West Lafayette has made many efforts to bring retailers and employment opportunity to the area. The Purdue Research Park grows every year and employs more than 3,000 people. Over the years, much have been developed around the Purdue Research Park such as hiking trails, a scenic lake, and a roundabout to control the growing amount of traffic that comes through. West Lafayette also added a Payless, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Menards, and multiple businesses around the levee.

            The levee is West Lafayette’s attempt to create a spot for people to walk around and see the shops, but the main store that was built there was a Border’s, which closed a couple years ago when the company went bankrupt. Over the levee’s development, many stores have come and gone with the exception of Scott’s Brewhouse and Goodrich Quality Theaters Wabash Landing 9. Some more recent businesses that have opened and remained within the last 5-10 years are 9 Irish Brothers, Puccini’s, and Echo Karaoke. One of the reasons why businesses have struggled at the levee and why it hasn’t flourished as much as it should have is the terrible smell from the over polluted Wabash River. Millions of dollars is spent each year to figure out a way to reduce the smell since it is hurting so much business. Another factor that plays into the struggles of so many businesses in West Lafayette is the fact that Purdue students make up an important part of the population and students will leave in the summer causing business to be slow. This has caused Purdue to consider going on a trimester schedule within the last two years.

             Not only has West Lafayette created numerous businesses over the years, but it has also built a new elementary school due to the ever-growing population of West Lafayette. According to a 2010 census report, the population of West Lafayette (city limits) increased by 2,000 people. From the year 2000 to 2010, the race of the population has also had pretty big changes. In 2000, the population of White: 83%, African-American: 2.4%, Asian: 11.3%, and Latino: 3.2%. For the 2010 census report, the White population was: 76.8%, African-American: 2.7%, Asian: 17.3%, and Latino: 3.6%. A large factor that has a significant influence on racial diversity in West Lafayette is Purdue University. Many professors/researchers come from India, China, and South Korea, which give West Lafayette its vast diversity.

             The median household income in the year 2009 as reported by the city of West Lafayette was around $23,000. This could be a result of the multiple factories located throughout Tippecanoe County that employ a large amount of Tippecanoe County’s population. The median non-family income reported by the city in 2009 was around $16,000. Fortunately, West Lafayette has reported slow, but steady increases in income each year showing positive growth for the city.

            One of the largest projects in the city of West Lafayette is the development of highway 231. This highway has gone through many changes and now expands throughout Lafayette’s south side and goes up through West Lafayette. This connects U.S. 52 and adds an opportunity for West Lafayette to bring more business to the area and will be the future site of multiple developments. On completion of this highway, a bike trail was also added, which will allow the 5 neighborhoods within a block of this new road to exercise and travel throughout West Lafayette. This project has been on hold for at least 15 years because I remember many people talking about this road being built when I first moved to the area and the city just now managed to build it. If it were not for President Obama giving the state additional funds for such projects, there is no telling if the road ever would have been built.

            As the road was being built, the city of West Lafayette was attempting to annex the area that I lived in. Many of the people were opposed to idea of being annexed into the city because they believed taxes would have greatly increased and after filing a petition, the area remained out of the city. I think this is a terrible mistake because not only will the city not expand, but neither will the economy or services provided for that area. After living in West Lafayette for so many years, it shows great potential and growth, but is usually stalled by a lack of leadership at the state level.