Achtung Boilermakers!

September 27, 2006 6:02 PM

What's it like to live in Lafayette, IN?

What adjectives come to mind? Charming, bucolic, rustic, boring, backward, dirty, podunk? What? Are Indiana politics as redneck as I worry they might be? What are the winters like? (I'm a Floridian.) Is it hilly or flat? Is the restaurant situation acceptable? Are there affordable homes close to Purdue? It is a good place for someone to bike to work? How are the elementary schools? My wife is Latina. Will she be able to find opportunities to speak Spanish and be Latin? In short, what is Purdue and its immediate environs like?

posted by Crotalus to Society & Culture (5 answers total)

Wow, a question just for me! It's a little charming, a little backward, it's not big compared to most places in FL. I am a student and I live in West Lafayette (as opposed to just Lafayette-and yes, there is a huge difference once you cross the river). Indiana politics are redneck and ultra-conservative, and while the campus is like a republican convention at times, people w/ a different viewpoint can be found. There are some hills here, but there's a lot of corn and soybeans, too.

The restaurant situation is acceptable, and they are working to improve it (there was actually an article in the paper today). Yes, there are affordable homes close to campus (hell, i'm in school and I bought mine because I got tired of paying rent!), especially now, because it's a buyers market here. A lot of the professors live in the same neighborhoods as the students (my block is a mix of the two).

I ride my bike everywhere, and there are bike trails and bike lanes, but you have to be semi-aggressive, because a lot of people are unaware of the fact that bicycles share the roads. I have one friend here with kids, and she says the school system (especially WL) is good. There is a very large Latino population here, a lot of illegals, but a lot are not.

I went to a school in a large city for a semester, but came back because I missed walking to campus and the fact that while it is large in area, it is still small-town like. I also think people here are pretty friendly, which was not true of the big city school I went to.

I do have to say that the night life is pretty lame here, but most people wouldn't consider IN if that's what they were looking for. Winters are cold and snowy, summers are hot and humid-typical midwestern fare. Lots of farmers, but suburbanites too. If you are looking for something a little more exciting on the weekend, Chicago is only 2 hours away, and Indianapolis (which a lot of people like, but I think is a craphole) is an hour.

The student population at Purdue is (again) largely conservative, 60:40 (approx.) ratio of men to women, engineering and science rule the campus with an iron fist, but I think that overall the education is top-notch. The agriculture program is big here. Liberal arts has a large enrollment, and the school is always seeking to improve the programs. Parking is a bit of a beast, but not my problem because I either bike or walk. The physical appearance of the campus is fairly charming-the buildings are all made with the same kinds of brick, trees all over campus, and wide-open green spaces. Football and basketball are huge programs (Big 10), and home football games are a big deal for both students and alumni.

If you can think of a midwestern stereotype, it's probably true here. But, while I may piss and moan to my friends about West Lafayette, it really isn't all that bad.

If I didn't answer all of your questions, let me know. Glad to provide the info.
posted by bolognius maximus at 6:34 PM on September 27, 2006

It was in grad school at Purdue in the 1980's (so you can take what I say with a grain of salt if you want). I lived on campus in a dorm for a number of years (the school is in West Lafayette) and then I lived with the townies in an apartment in Lafayette for a couple of years. Here are some scattered thoughts:

1)I enjoyed my time there (5 years). The midwest was a big adjustment at first from the east coast (i.e, why the hell are these people smiling at me like they know me?). This is small town USA that we're talking about here. There won't be tons of hustle and bustle like in any big city. The nearest big cities are Chicago to the North and Indianapolis to the south. West Lafayette is inconveniently located about midway between these two cities. I learned to like the slower pace of life. West Lafayette is quite lovely in the summer.

2)Purdue is a big school with lots of students. It's not a commuter school, so there is always lots of stuff going on on-campus. There's plenty of cultural activity.

3)The grad schools are full of people from all around the world. There will be plenty of folks and activities that will make your wife feel at home as a Latina. I'm sure that she'll make some close friends. Multicultural isn't a problem.

4)There are some nice backroads in the area for biking. I used to go biking sometimes. It was quite lovely. I'm thinking of the area near Fort Ouiatenon. And make sure you go to their fall festival each year. It's tons of fun and there's lots of good eats.

5)As for winter...well...its cold. There's plenty of snow. The temperature will drop low. In short, you'll freeze your ass off. But then I currently live in upstate NY so freezing my ass off is no big surprise for me. You will need parkas and good winter boots and such.

6)Yup, the students (and the state in general) tend to be conservative. And they like Jesus too. But it's a state school -- not a private school with a religious affiliation. It's no big deal IMHO.

7)Lafayette is more redneck than West Lafayette. But I had a nice apartment over there and was quite happy with the arrangement.

8)Football and basketball are HUGE at Purdue. Get your tickets and go to the games. Football weekends are a big deal.

So...would I be willing to do it all over again? Absolutely. Purdue is a good school with a lovely campus and smart students. The engineeering school, for example, is top notch. My time there was well spent and I was comfortable there. I'm not a partyer or drinker, though, so I don't care about bars and "night life." There were plenty of concerts and activities going on on campus.

Good luck to you. Go...Purdue is nice. Enjoy! :)
posted by bim at 6:57 PM on September 27, 2006

Son of a gun, here's a blog about biking around Tippecanoe County (home to Purdue). Routes are also discussed. The internet is a wondrous place. :)
posted by bim at 7:22 PM on September 27, 2006

I attended Purdue as an undergraduate, and while there were many things I (eventually) liked about the experience, most of them were not related to living in the lafayette/west lafayette area. In my experience, this is a COLLEGE TOWN to the T. There is nothing interesting here that doesn't revolve around campus. Much of what does go on is sports related. As noted, night life is kind of nonexistant unless you're into the scuzzy bar scene. I am liberal, and the town (including campus) is quite conservative. It's a pretty flat landscape, although not as flat as some neighboring states. It's a reasonably bike friendly town. If you want to get to campus and you live in W. Lafayette, I doubt you'll have any problems. I remember the winters as being pretty crappy. The pace of life there was a lot slower than I was used to. You may feel differently depending on what part of Florida you hail from. There IS a lot of weird eye contact that felt very odd to me for a long time. Hey -- I grew up in New Jersey. But these are really my biases. I'm an urban dwelling person, i'm not religious, I like lots of non-chain ethnic restaurants (which there was a dearth of when I was there), i'm very liberal, and I don't like sports. You may love the slow pace and um...bull riding bars. Von's was a great bookstore, though...
posted by theantikitty at 8:28 PM on September 27, 2006

I visited West Lafayette to stay with a friend who's a grad student there, and I loved it - disclaimer, I was only there for a week. The campus is really nice, and from what my buddy Joe says, the facilities are top-notch. Check out Harry's Chocolate Shop for weird graffiti and lots of top chicken wings. Also, there's a few lafayette residents on Flickr - do a search for 'Purdue' and the like for pictures.
posted by Happy Dave at 2:04 AM on September 28, 2006