Lafayette, Tennessee

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Lafayette is a city in Macon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,885 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Macon County^GR6.

Unlike most places in the United States, Lafayette is pronounced lә▪FAY▪әt instead of LAH▪fee▪et. A true southern mentality town. The welcoming catch phrase is "You doin' alright today." There are still many roadways within Macon County that are gravel based and bridges are not present when arriving upon streams. Several foot bridges still exist leading to homes that have been family owned for generations. Of course tobacco is the cash crop and tobacco warehouses from a long ago era still exist. All in all, Lafayette is a home style family based town that thrives on southern principles. The 'whittlers bench' is a scene from bygone days where men of aged years whittle cedar just for the fun of it. The old man gossip runs rampant over the course of the day in front of the stately courthouse.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Notable people born here
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Lafayette is located at 36°31′32″N, 86°1′34″W (36.525595, -86.026246)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.3 km² (4.4 mi²), all land.

The Macon County courthouse, located on the town square of Lafayette

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,885 people, 1,718 households, and 1,089 families residing in the city. The population density was 343.3/km² (888.4/mi²). There were 1,845 housing units at an average density of 163.0/km² (421.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.89% White, 0.15% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.11% of the population.

There were 1,718 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,750, and the median income for a family was $34,125. Males had a median income of $28,994 versus $19,676 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,348. About 12.1% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.

The official web site of Lafayette is www.LafayetteTN.com.