Lafayette, Tennessee

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Coordinates: 36°31′32″N 86°1′34″W / 36.52556, -86.02611
Lafayette, Tennessee
Macon County Courthouse in Lafayette, Tennessee
Motto: You Doin' Alright Today?
Location of Lafayette, Tennessee
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Macon
Area
- Total	4.4 sq mi (11.3 km²)
- Land	4.4 sq mi (11.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	958 ft (292 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,885
- Density	888.4/sq mi (343.0/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	37083
Area code(s)	615
FIPS code	47-40160^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1290467^[2]

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^[3].

While most other towns in the United States with the same name pronounce it as LAH▪fee▪et, locals tend to pronounce it as lә▪FAY▪әt. 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. Tobacco is the cash crop and tobacco warehouses from a long ago era still exist.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 2008 Tornado
4 Notable natives
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Lafayette is located at 36°31′32″N, 86°1′34″W (36.525595, -86.026246)^[4].

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

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,885 people, 1,718 households, and 1,089 families residing in the city. The population density was 888.4 people per square mile (343.3/km²). There were 1,845 housing units at an average density of 421.9/sq mi (163.0/km²). 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.

[edit] 2008 Tornado

Main article: 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak

On February 5, 2008 at approximately 10:20pm an EF3 tornado touched down in Lafayette and stayed on the ground with a width of approximately 3/4 mile and traveled for nearly 21 miles crossing the county in a northeastern direction. The county was devastated by the twister and a total of 12 people were confirmed dead. Macon County is not equipped with tornado warning sirens; and despite the efforts of the local news media and the National Weather Service many residents were unprepared.