Lafayette
About Lafayette, CO
Lafayette, Colorado, is one of Boulder County's more ethnically diverse communities. The city, which is 16 percent Hispanic or Latino and 3 percent Asian, has a dual immersion bilingual school, Pioneer Bilingual Elementary School. The city also features a homemade tortilla shop and many Mexican and Chinese restaurants along its main street, Public Road, and an Indian grocery story off Baseline Road.
Lafayette, 11 miles east of Boulder, also boasts several shopping centers and industrial and business parks, a recreation center, a public library, a $170 million hospital and the Indian Peaks Golf Course, annually ranked as one of the state's top public courses.
In the 1990s, Lafayette was the state's seventh-fastest-growing community. Its population has grown from 3,000 people nearly two decades ago to more than 23,000 people today. The city is trying to balance its rapid growth with its small-town charm. The Lafayette Historical Society has preserved many historical neighborhoods and buildings, including churches and stagecoach stations.
The city was named after Lafayette Miller, who, with his wife, Mary, bought a 240-acre farm in the area that is now Lafayette. They dug two mine shafts on their property, which produced 1,000 tons of coal a day. When the town was formed in 1890, it was the largest coal-mining center in Boulder County.
Year incorporated: 1889
Elevation: 5,236 feet
Size: 8.2 square miles
Did you know … ? The Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department received the National Gold Medal Award for cities of less than 25,000 residents in 2002. The national award recognizes excellence in park and recreation administration and programs.
You can rent a garden plot at the Wilson Community Garden at West Emma and Miller streets. For more information, call (303) 665-4206.
Lafayette's Outdoor Classroom, which houses plants and animals, is run entirely by volunteers.
The Lewis Home, 108 E. Simpson St., was built in the 1890s for miners. It is now the Lafayette Miners Museum.
Two historic stagecoach stations are in the Lafayette area.
- Old Town
- Indian Peaks Golf Course
- Bob L. Burger Recreation Center
- Waneka Lake Park
Population: 23,884
Population density: 2,577.4/sq mi
Median Household Income: $56,376
Avg. household size: 2.63
Age distribution:
- 16.5% are under 10
- 13.6% between 10-19
- 12.7% in their 20s
- 20.8% in their 30s
- 18.8% in their 40s
- 9.8% in their 50s
- 4.3% in their 60s
- 3.5% are over 70
Median age: 32
Relationship status:
- 59.1% married
- 26.3% single
- 11.5% divorced
- 3.1% widowed
Percent single: 14.7% of population are single males, 11.6% of population are single females
Homes with children: 35.2% have kids
Home Type:
- 99.8% single-family
- 0% condo
- 0.2% other
Owners v. Renters: 76.1% own; 23.9% rent
Avg. single-family home value:
- 1 BD – $234,000
- 2 BD – $221,000
- 3 BD – $262,000
- 4BD – $419,000
Avg. condo value:
- 1 BD – $122,000
- 2 BD – $185,000
- 3 BD – $173,000
- 4BD – $256,000
Home size in Sq. Ft.:
- 1,000 or less – 14.8%
- 1,000-1,400 – 28.9%
- 1,400-1,800 – 18.6%
- 2,300-2,800 – 18.4%
- 2,800-3,600 – 14.6%
- more than 3,600 – 4.5%
Median home size: 1,536 sq. ft.
Year built:
- 2000-present – 11.3%
- 1980-1999 – 55.6%
- 1960-1979 – 25.4%
- 1940-1959 – 2.7%
- 1920-1939 – 1.4%
- 1900-1919 – 3.6%
- before 1900 – 0.1%
Avg. year built: 1984
Commute time:
- 10.7% – 10 min. or less
- 28.5% – 10-20 min.
- 28.9% – 20-30 min.
- 15.6% – 30-45 min.
- 10.6% – 45-60 min.
- 5.6% – more than 60 min.
Avg. Commute time: 26.213 min.
- July is on average the warmest month, with an average high temperature of 88 degrees.
- January is on average the coldest month, with an average high temperature of 44 degrees, and an average low of 16 degrees.
- May is on average the wettest month, with an average of about 2.25 inches of precipitation.
- The highest temperature on record was 108°F in 2005.
- The lowest temperature on record was -24°F in 1990.
