Founded in 1825 and named for the French general Marquis de Lafayette, Lafayette grew as a shipping and trade center on the busy Wabash River. The city, surrounded by farmland, is a center for food processing and is a manufacturing site for pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electrical equipment and other diversified products. The site of Fort Ouiatenon, the first military post in Indiana, is on South River Road. Purdue University is across the Wabash River in West Lafayette. Learn More...