West Lafayette is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in Coshocton County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States. The population was 2,321 at the 2010 census.

History

West Lafayette was laid out in 1850 by Robert Shaw and William Wheeler. In 1855, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad was built through the new town. The line became known as the

Panhandle Route The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route (Panhandle Route in later days), was a railroad that was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line, whi ...

and was operated in the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

system and currently by the

Columbus and Ohio River Railroad The Columbus & Ohio River Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Ohio owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The main line, formerly part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's "Panhandle," was acquired from Conrail in 1992. It begins in Columbus along C ...

(

Ohio Central Railroad System The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of ten short line railroads operating in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Headquartered in Coshocton, Ohio, the system operates of track divided among 10 subsidiary r ...

). Tragedy struck this track on September 11, 1950 when the crack passenger train "

Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlant ...

" hit another train carrying 600 men of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion of the Pennsylvania National Guard. 33 men were killed. A memorial was placed near the site of the accident in 1990. A 105mm howitzer is at the memorial also, commemorating the manufacture of 105mm shells at Moore Enamelling across the tracks during WWII. The village was once known as the "Enamel Center of the World". Before plastics were invented, steel vessels covered with a ceramic called enamelware were the norm in American homes. In 1903 the Lafayette Stamping and Enameling Co. was founded. Moore Enameling and Jones Metal also manufactured enamelware. Jones Metal remains. Another industry is Yankee Wire, manufacturer of wire screens. The West Lafayette Homecoming was begun in 1950 and continues today as the "Hometown Festival."

Geography

West Lafayette is located at (40.273956, -81.750857). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , all land. The village is built upon a level plain in the Tuscarawas River valley and is surrounded by forested hills and agricultural valleys. The Ohio Central Railroad passes through the town. Immediately north of the village is

U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...

. Both of these are major arteries connecting Columbus with points east. The aquifer under the village is the site of a well documented

trichloroethylene The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a halocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear, colourless non-flammable liquid with a chloroform-like sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, ...

(TCE) plume.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,321 people, 948 households, and 642 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,033 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 948 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the village was 39.1 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,313 people, 909 households, and 616 families living in the village. The

was 3,503.4 people per square mile (1,353.1/km). There were 990 housing units at an average density of 1,499.5 per square mile (579.2/km). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53%

, 0.22%

, 0.09% Native American, 0.26% from

, and 0.91% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 909 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were

living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $29,870, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $29,205 versus $20,341 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $14,913. About 5.7% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

West Lafayette has a public library, a branch of the Coshocton Public Library. The village is also home to the Ridgewood Local School district which accounts for the eastern half of the county and parts of surrounding counties. Ridgewood Local is a public K-12 district and has an elementary building (pre school - 3rd), a middle school (4-7) and a high school (8-12) more information can be found on the schools website at www.ridgewood.k12.oh.us

Transportation

Airport

Tri-City Airport is a public use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

located two

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...

s (4 km) southeast of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of West Lafayette.. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective May 31, 2012.

Notable people

J. Harry McGregor James Harry McGregor (September 30, 1896 – October 7, 1958) was an American World War I veteran who served nine terms as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio from 1940 to 1958. Biography James Harry McGreg ...

, politician *

Madison Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...

, professional wrestler

References

{{Authority control Villages in Coshocton County, Ohio Villages in Ohio 1850 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1850