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Cities: West Lafayette West Lafayette West Lafayette (2000 population = 28,778) is best known as the home of Purdue University. It is located across the Wabash River from Lafayette, in Tippecanoe County. A town known as West Lafayette was first platted in 1836, but the original location on the flood plain of the Wabash proved problematic. Kingston (1855) and Chauncey (1860) were subsequently platted on progressively higher ground. Purdue began classes in 1874, and the name of the settlement was changed to West Lafayette in 1888. The principal employer is Purdue University, but a number of other businesses, including many high-tech firms started by faculty members, have become established in the vicinity.