Lafayette is a city in Yamhill County,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States on the

Yamhill River The Yamhill River is an tributary of the Willamette River, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the South Yamhill River and the North Yamhill River about east of McMinnville, it drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast R ...

and

Oregon Route 99W Oregon Route 99W is a state-numbered route in Oregon, United States, that runs from OR 99 and OR 99E in Junction City north to I-5 in southwestern Portland. Some signage continues it north to US 26 near downtown, but most signage agrees wi ...

. It was founded in 1846 and incorporated in 1878. The population was 4,423 at the 2020 census.

History

Lafayette was founded in 1846 by

Joel Perkins Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" in Hebrew and may refer to: * Joel (given name), including a list of people named Joel or Yoel * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazilian football ...

, an

American pioneer American pioneers, also known as American settlers, were European American,Asian American, and African American settlers who migrated westward from the British Thirteen Colonies and later the United States of America to settle and develop areas ...

and entrepreneur, who had previously lived in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

and named the new settlement similarly after

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

, a general involved in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The post office was established in 1851, and the city was incorporated by the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...

on October 17, 1878. Lafayette was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Yamhill County from its founding until 1889, when county residents voted to move the county seat to McMinnville.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land. It is located on State Highway 99W between McMinnville and

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

Notable landmarks

In 1900 a

Yamhill River lock and dam Yamhill or Yam Hill may refer to: * Yamhill County, Oregon, a county in Oregon * Yamhill, Oregon, a city in the western Willamette Valley, located between McMinnville and Forest Grove * The Yamhill River, a river in northwest Oregon, that flows i ...

was completed about downriver from Lafayette, Oregon. The lock was decommissioned in 1954. The dam was deliberately destroyed in 1963 to allow better passage for

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

on the river. The site of the lock and dam is now a county park.

Lock and dam

Parks

* Abigail Scott Duniway Park * Commons Park * Community Pride Park * Joel Perkins Park * Plantation Park * Terry Park * Veteran's Park

Other locations

* Alfred P. Fletcher Farmhouse * Evangelical Church of Lafayette - listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

* James M. and Paul R. Kelty House * Joseph Mattey House * Wascher Elementary School * Yamhill County Museum

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,742 people, 1,209 households, and 938 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,315 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 9.8% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 22.0% of the population. There were 1,209 households, of which 47.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.4% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.45. The median age in the city was 33.2 years. 32.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.

2000 census

In the census of 2000, there were 2,586 people, 841 households, and 656 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 888 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.89% White, 0.43% African American, 1.62% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.23%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 8.35% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.22% of the population. There were 841 households, out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.43. In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,611, and the median income for a family was $41,283. Males had a median income of $31,351 versus $22,466 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,542. About 10.7% of families and 13.0% 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 ...

, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Pauline Alderman Edith Pauline Alderman (January 16, 1893 – October 11, 1983) was an American musicologist and composer. She was the founder and the first Chairwoman of the Department of Music History and Literature (musicology) at the University of Southern Ca ...

, musicologist and composer *

Stan Bunn Stan Bunn (born June 25, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer in the U.S. state of Oregon. Born and raised in Yamhill County, he is part of a political family that includes his brother Jim Bunn who served in Congress. A self-described mode ...

, politician * * Bert E. Haney, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit * Anson G. Henry, Lafayette physician, deputy surveyor of Yamhill County, surveyor general of Washington Territory, and lifelong friend and physician of Abraham Lincoln *

George W. McBride George Wycliffe McBride (March 13, 1854June 18, 1911) was an American politician and businessman from the U.S. state of Oregon. An Oregon native, he served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly as Speaker of the House and as Oregon Secretary of St ...

, member of Oregon Legislative Assembly and Speaker of the House, Oregon Secretary of State, and U.S. Senator from Oregon * * * *

References

External links

*
Entry for Lafayette
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...

''
Lafayette Locks Historical Park
{{Authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Yamhill County, Oregon Populated places established in 1846 Portland metropolitan area 1846 establishments in Oregon Country Former county seats in Oregon