Lafayette, Oregon

Lafayette is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States on the Yamhill River and Oregon Route 99W. It was founded in 1846 and incorporated in 1878. The population was 4,423 at the 2020 census.

History

110px|thumb|left|alt=Marquis de Lafayette|General Lafayette, 1792

thumb|alt=Black and white photograph of the Lafayette steamboat landing.|Lafayette steamboat landing, 1938

Lafayette was founded in 1846 by Joel Perkins, an American pioneer and entrepreneur, who had previously lived in Lafayette, Indiana and named the new settlement similarly after Marquis de Lafayette, a general involved in the American Revolutionary War.

The post office was established in 1851,

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

It is located on State Highway 99W between McMinnville and Dundee.

Landmarks

thumb|alt=The exterior of a log cabin housing the Yamhill County Museum.|Yamhill County Museum

thumb|upright|alt=Exterior of the Evangelical Church of Lafayette. It's a white church building with a steeple.|The [[Evangelical Church of Lafayette on Market St. is one of four sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]

Lock and dam

In 1900, the Yamhill River lock and dam 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 on the river. The site of the lock and dam is now a county park.

Parks

Parks in Lafayette include:

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

Other locations

Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery
Alfred P. Fletcher Farmhouse
Evangelical Church of Lafayette (listed on the National Register of Historic Places)
James M. and Paul R. Kelty House
Joseph Mattey House
Wascher Elementary School
Yamhill County Museum

Demographics

thumb|Lafayette City Hall|alt=Photograph of the city hall building exterior.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Lafayette had a population of 4,423. The median age was 33.6 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.4 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,424 households in Lafayette, of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.1% were married-couple households, 13.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 3,112 || 70.4%

| Black or African American || 13 || 0.3%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 114 || 2.6%

| Asian || 52 || 1.2%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 17 || 0.4%

| Some other race || 563 || 12.7%

| Two or more races || 552 || 12.5%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,086 || 24.6%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,742 people, 1,209 households, and 938 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,315 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.6% White, 0.3% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 9.8% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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

Notable people

Pauline Alderman (1893–1983), musicologist and composer
Stan Bunn (born 1946), politician
Matthew Deady (1824–1893), judge
Bert E. Haney (1789–1943), judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Anson G. Henry (1804–1865), Lafayette-area physician, deputy surveyor of Yamhill County, surveyor general of Washington Territory, and lifelong friend and physician of Abraham Lincoln
George W. McBride, member of Oregon Legislative Assembly and Speaker of the House, Oregon Secretary of State, and U.S. Senator from Oregon
James McBride, politician and diplomat
John R. McBride (1832–1904), politician
Thomas A. McBride (1847–1930), judge
William Marion Ramsey (1846–1937), judge

References

External links

Official website for the government of Lafayette
Entry for Lafayette in the Oregon Blue Book
Lafayette Locks Historical Park