4 Reasons Why I Actually Like Lafayette, IN

Lafayette is a small town in the US State of Indiana. Despite its rural location and small size, its a very walkable city with a great bus system and a nice train station. Why is this? Find out!
Trains Are Awesome!
Support us on Patreon: / trainsareawesome
Our Instagram: / tra_channel
Date of Filming:
February 23, 2023 and March 6, 2023
Camera:
iPhone 12

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

More Lafayette history: Before Lafayette was founded, a French trade post actually existed in the area since 1717. The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840s stimulated trade and affirmed Lafayette's regional prominence. Railroads arrived in the town in the 1850s, connecting it with other major markets. Lafayette was the site of the first official airmail delivery in the United States in August 1859, when John Wise piloted a balloon starting on the Lafayette courthouse grounds. Wise hoped to reach NYC, but weather conditions forced the balloon down near Crawfordsville (still Indiana), and the mail reached its final destination by train.

[@Thom-TRA]

A lot of cool history for such a small town! Thanks for sharing!

[@wyntoniscringe]

How does Kim jong un know so much about my town? He's going to take over the world with this much knowledge. I shouldn't be surprised though, since he IS the supreme leader

[@HDmetajoker]

My mom actually designed the logo for CityBus, pretty cool to see it all around the city as the busses pass you.

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s so cool! It’s a fun logo

[@mcjorginator]

As a Lafayette native, it’s refreshing to see someone speak about the city in a positive light. First time viewer and definitely interested in checking out your other videos. Cheers!

[@user-qr2en1eg2t]

Yeah yall are hoping he don't do a update, because he won't be speaking in such a positive light.. Yall are good front runners, but yall folks from Lafayette don't there is more to a race than front running

[@mmrw]

Thank you for making such a positive video! I feel like a lot of transit KZbinrs have a tendency to be very negative when talking about any transit system that isn’t perfect, but there are a lot of smaller systems like this that aren’t the huge systems of New York or Chicago or DC but still work just fine

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks! I still prefer the “perfect” systems because I’ve spent most my life living in Europe and Asia. But I’m not one to say no to some small town charm every now and then!

[@send9]

Having gone to Purdue I don't have a ton of nostalgia for the place, but watching the video and realizing I never fully explored downtown, walked over the bridge, etc...I kind of want to go visit again.

[@Thom-TRA]

Downtown is definitely worth it, even if it’s just for the food

[@russquery]

Very well done young man, I live in Lafayette, work at Purdue and love this place.

[@nxg1029]

My hometown! Nice to see it from your perspective. I often rag on it, especially after moving to Chicago. But there are some really nice things about it.

[@livinglafayette]

Thank you so much for highlighting Lafayette. It really is a great place to live! We took the Amtrak up to Chicago for a day trip years ago. It was so much better than trying to navigate traffic and the kids loved the freedom of being able to walk around the train.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

"Named after Marquis de Lafayette, a French general in the American Revolutionary War" *EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR AMERICA'S FAVORITE FIGHTING FRENCHMAN!* I'm sorry I had to 😂Lafayette's a neat place! Their bus system is certainly impressive for somewhere in Indiana! Love the dome of their courthouse! That plaque at 1:33 calls Jerry G. Smith a "Sidewalk Engineer" because he was Lafayette's street sweeper from 1984 to his death in 2010. To go along with the indigenous history of the area you mentioned, Tippecanoe County got its name from an anglicized way to spell "Kiteepihkwana" which for the Miami people meant a "place of the buffalo fish people"

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m married to a hardcore Hamilton fan haha. Thanks for the lesson about the name Tippecanoe!

[@scrappytracy5557]

I totally sang this in my head when he did the shoutout. Huge Ham fam here!

[@johnburns8680]

I am so glad you enjoyed your time here! As a local planner and native, you hit some real high points on Lafayette (and you even pronounced it correctly). I miss our 1 daily train, as pathetic as it sounds. Trips to Chicago and DC were great. Fortunately, the Lafayette/West Lafayette area is situated well for future rail service.

[@Thom-TRA]

The correct pronunciation is a huge win for me

[@stevezelaznik5872]

If you’re a local planner then awesome work. I grew up in West Lafayette. Whenever I visit my parents I’m impressed at how walkable the town has become, much more so than when I was a kid in the 90s

[@marquezsmith8889]

I came here on a recruiting visit for baseball at purdue, spent 4 days there... such a cool area, but I decided to attend ole miss down in Oxford Mississippi... everyone in lafayette and west lafayette were so friendly and welcoming to all of us recruits

[@TruckingForHermes]

I used to deliver to the Meijer stores in the area. I would often drive through in the middle of the night and always enjoyed the feel of the downtown. You probably hated us truck drivers going through downtown though, even if late at night. lol

[@user-nc5gt5ut2d]

Nice. Hopefully more than the Cardinal will serve it soon. Always looking for walkable places to checkout. Man you really made me want to watch on Saturday!

[@Thom-TRA]

I think you’ll like it! And yes, bring back the Hoosier State!

[@chackyams9200]

Lifelong Lafayette Resident here-- I'm so happy you enjoy our city! If you're ever looking for food recommendations or cool attractions that are free or on the cheap, let me know. A lot of the coolest stuff to do can be a little off the beaten path, but there's still tons to do downtown.

[@JuanWayTrips]

Boiler Up! I went to Purdue for undergrad, and Lafayette/WL certainly has its charm. The rumor when I was there was that CityBus actually makes a small profit because of its contract with Purdue University. CityBus runs the free buses on campus, and all students/faculty can ride the CityBus for free throughout the area by just showing their Purdue ID (maybe they changed it where you have to scan it now). I'm not entirely sure about the profit rumor, but I'm sure CityBus does have a nice source of revenue from the university to support those lines. Also, Purdue does not let you have a car on campus until you are at least a sophomore, which further incentivizes the bus network. That said, outside of Downtown Lafayette and the area around Purdue's campus, it really does get suburban very fast with bus connections becoming more sparse and many stroads. It can make it difficult for students and those without a car to go beyond campus and downtown Lafayette, though I graduated just before Uber and Lyft started. But I'm sure that's also not a coincidence as I'm sure some townies prefer to have the separation between them and the students.

[@Thom-TRA]

I think the no car rule is a really good one because it promotes healthy, clean ways of living, as well as out of the box thinking for students. It is unfortunate that the suburbs don’t get the same level of service. On the other hand, is there much there the students would be interested in? Coming purely from a student point of view, of course.

[@starfilmsanimation]

You still can get the free fares from showing your Purdue ID, although only a few of the drivers actually check.

[@JuanWayTrips]

@@starfilmsanimation Time to find my over 10-year-old Purdue ID and see if I can use it to ride the buses next time I'm in West Lafayette! 😅

[@stevencipriano3962]

I graduated in 1990....I still my Purdue ID.... I will have to give it a go next time

[@TigerOwO]

Boiler Up! I pass that railroad bridge at 7:45 every single day lol

[@sbeckas]

I really appreciate your adding the date of filming. It helps me to gauge weather conditions. Your love of trains warms my heart. Also encouraging public transit is environentally conscious and an alternative way for people to get around and out of cars. Thank you!

[@Thom-TRA]

It was uncharacteristically warm when I filmed this! I remember because it’s the first day of 2023 where I wore a T-shirt.

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Thank you for this great video ! I listened carefully to your narrative, and was amused that you mentioned Amtrak and The Cardinal as the last reason you like Lafayette so much ! I too love The Cardinal, and it is my favourite route from Chicago to D.C and NYC. It is a shame the consist is so short, for reservations for sleeping accommodation have to be made months in advance. It is also such a shame that the Hoosier State service was withdrawn, for on the occasions I saw it, long ago, it was well used by students to Purdue University. I guess most students now reach West Lafayette by car or bus. You didn’t say how you reached Lafayette either ! Many thanks for this superb video.

[@Thom-TRA]

I sadly just drove there with work

[@eottoe2001]

People in Indiana are generally well-educated but with Purdue in West Lafayette, they are even more educated than most and more erudite in their own Indiana way. The income levels aren't high there but the quality of life overall is nice. If you like flat-country, you can have a nice life there. Purdue is really a top university in the world. If you get an engineering degree there, you are probably in the top 20 universities in the world or maybe the top 10. Beyond that, the people are nice. (It's not my cup of tea but I like the place.) The people who graduate from Purdue know their stuff. TY for another good video.

[@timothystockman7533]

You are seeing the results of a massive "railroad relocation" project. They invested a lot of effort and money to relocated the tracks because trains running down the street and through many grade crossings made for horrific traffic jams. The CSX track originally ran down the middle of 5th Street. Amtrak used the lobby of the Lahr Hotel (which was next door to the Knickerbocker Saloon) as its Lafayette depot. The Monon Depot is still there up on 5th Street, but Amtrak never used it so far as I know. The N&W track originally ran right through town a few blocks east of CSX. In the area of South and Main, the N&W track crossed at an angle around 9th and 10th Street. Now the tracks are relocated to the river bank. The pedestrian bridge across the river used to be a road bridge, but there was no room to build an approach ramp over the relocated train tracks, so they replaced it with two new bridges to the south. Rather than demolish it, they converted it to a pedestrian bridge. The Big 4 depot used to be 2 blocks south of its current location. Rather than demolish it, they jacked it up and rolled it down the street to its current location. The plaza they built in front of it was simply called Depot Plaza for many years, until it was renamed Rehlie Plaza after Lafayette's mayor during the time of railroad relocation. The Lafayette area has a lot of outdoor events. The major ones I can think of are the Fiddler's Gathering at Battle Ground, Taste of Tippecanoe in downtown, and Feast of the Hunter's Moon at Fort Ouatenon. With the University, there's a thriving cultural community, but in addition Lafayette has its own organizations and venues, such as Tippecanoe Arts Federation and the Long Center. I lived there for over 25 years. It was a great area.

[@lani2023]

Fantastic! Thank you for this little tour.

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ck4426]

Really enjoy your Thom in the Midwest videos!!! Thank you!!!

[@joemotes]

Thom, thanks again for another enjoyable video.

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@maas1208]

Honestly this place in Indiana has potential to have LRT system

[@delibakerytravel]

Great Video!! Thanks

[@johnalder6028]

Now we know it's a nice place to visit ! Thank you for showing us.

[@Crackers2549]

Great video…! Both of my daughters went to Purdue so i spent a lot of time in both Lafayette and West Lafayette…. Courthouse is the most beautiful in Indiana as far as I’m concerned…. Great area… I used to go a lot to the Red Seven restaurant and across the street is the depot and enjoyed watching the trains (I’m a retired Railroad Engineer) LOL … Just a great area….👍 Nice video…. 5 stars ⭐️’s

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!!

[@nms_777]

Wow, my hometown! Thanks for visiting and for the awesome video!

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad you enjoyed! I’ve seen a lot of Lafayette people in the comments today!

[@darthnexus9570]

Dude that was a really positive video about my hometown... Not sure you're getting a subscriber, but I will leave a thumbs-up on this video...

[@Thom-TRA]

Why no sub? 👉🥺👈

[@darthnexus9570]

@@Thom-TRA I don't sub until I've watched at least five videos, but was planning on watching some more and doing that...

[@Thom-TRA]

@@darthnexus9570 it’s just kind of a weird thing to announce.

[@_phobic_]

@@Thom-TRAfr

[@tracymiller2571]

Awesome video. I went to Purdue in the late 70's...on the 5 yr plan, but ended up with degree in microbiology. Never had a car as an undergraduate so walked everywhere. My senior year I lived in Lafayette (rather than West Lafayette) to save money and took the bus back and forth to campus for library job and classes. Remember the bus system was amazing for towns of that size at that time.

[@Thom-TRA]

I hope you enjoyed this short trip down memory lane!

[@tracymiller2571]

​@@Thom-TRA Haven't lived there in decades but go back frequently to visit family in Chesterton IN.. Planning to spend a few weeks camping at the Indiana Dunes State Park this summer. Started following your vlogs to try and figure out if I can take the South Shore from the Dune Station to Chicago w/o bus transfer. Can I?

[@Thom-TRA]

@@tracymiller2571 I don’t believe you can yet, unfortunately. Trains still run to Gary as far as I know.

[@tracymiller2571]

@@Thom-TRA That's what I thought, but was hoping not. Thanks though!

[@j.b.reefer9051]

really good video - love the bridge

[@NOHOLOCO]

You really show you genuinely love trains and really study mass transportation around the world! I enjoy your channel!

[@Thom-TRA]

I really do love trains…

[@alexwilliamwin]

I've recently applied to Purdue, and was unaware of the Amtrack station. Hyped for that though!

[@Thom-TRA]

Best of luck with your application!

[@lazarjd]

Purdue University definitely has a big influence on Lafayette and it's nice downtown area and bus system. And I totally agree about the Amtrak service. We put my mother on a train from Dyer to Indy, and it arrived 4 hours late at midnight. All for a journey that takes 2.5 hours by car. It was the next thing to loading her into a cattle car. I felt awful because my brother-in-law and I were always talking up how good of a possibility it might be for her to travel safely to visit them. Oh well.

[@sasmitpandey4980]

Boiler up!

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoyed the video👍👍

[@matthewparr4102]

miss living there...a great med sized town. Rode the bus b/t Laf and West Lala a bunch. And since I-65 skirts the city instead of running through it, some nice urban fabric was kept in tact

[@IVANBRASIL77]

More Lafayette recent history: it is the home country of Shanon Hoon (deathe lead singer of Blind Melon) and Axyl Rose either

[@hockeyfan124]

Cool video plus Purdue nickname is called the boilermakers which is based off a steam locomotive.

[@Thom-TRA]

Boiler up

[@Cupertinorail]

For a small town, that is really impressive. I have a few transit tickets that are collected but they seem to be scattered around my flat.

[@_phobic_]

it’s not a small town. it’s more like a small city

[@dangelohartley5977]

Fun Fact about CityBus in Lafayette, IN if you're anywhere around Purdue University's Campus Grounds, 60ft buses are used and that's the only place you can find them. And they're usually operating on routes 13 & 21A when I was there last year

[@Thom-TRA]

I didn’t know this, thanks for the info!

[@dangelohartley5977]

@@Thom-TRA Here are some examples: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6bcaaOHap6rjM0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWrCnJhnqK-KkM0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nprFkqSqbsujjqs kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGazaa2oh96Wg5o

[@adoggred]

Seeing the town I live in show up in my recommended is weird. Nice to see someone acknowledge we exist though!

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

I love living in Lafayette. I visit downtown several times a month.

[@GrownKetchup291]

It's beautiful in downtown Lafayette

[@totha098]

I live here lol The pedestrian bridge is one of my favorite parts of the greater Lafayette area

[@Cydonius1701]

I really liked this one, Thom, Lafayette looks like a really nice town. Shame that it gets such appalling train service, though. TBH I'm enjoying the whole Midwest series, I knew practically nothing beforehand, beyond all the footage of Chicago in almost every single US film from the 80s! So it's great to get a proper shufti at all these small places that otherwise escape the attention of European media. Take care, Chris

[@SD45-ET44AC]

As a side note the Cardinal, Crescent and Northeast Regional (Roanoke VA to Boston) all stop in Charlottesville VA, the home of UVA.

[@scrappytracy5557]

I have pretty much decided that I'm going to go to Layfatte in the spring. There's quite a bit around the train station that would be doable for my interests. There's also the Purdue University, and as a professor, it would be fun to see that. I'd probably take the train from CHI, stay over 1 night in Lafayette, then take the train to CHI and on to MSP on the way back.

[@Thom-TRA]

What do you teach?

[@scrappytracy5557]

@@Thom-TRA Depends on the term! Because I have 4 different degrees, my main department is Healthcare Administration, my secondary department is Human Services, and my tertiary department is Gen Ed.

[@hoppercar]

They got many of those damn geese walking across the road, and stopping traffic all the time

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m sure the geese are sick of those damn cars killing their babies and destroying their homes

[@jonreid1632]

Amtrack has gone under many times and is only kept alive by donations for the most part. Lafayette does not have the crime like bigger cities, at least for now.

[@Thom-TRA]

Amtrak (no c) has never gone under and is a government organization funded by the government. Lafayette has a violent crime rate higher than the national average, and a property crime rate more than double the national average. Kind of sad not one part of your comment was rooted in reality.

[@samuelfawley646]

I've been living and working in the Greater Lafayette area for almost 7 years now and I love it! However, I have only seen the Amtrak train in Lafayette once since I've been living here.

[@Thom-TRA]

That Amtrak part sounds about right 😂

[@blitzcon007]

The pedestrian bridge used to be Main Street and was used by cars until the newer bridge (2 spans) to the south opened up. This was part of Railroad Relocation, a decades-long project that I watched unfold over my childhood and early adult life. Nice overview of downtown. I grew up in West Lafayette and I remember taking Amtrak as a child. It would be great to see daily service come back.

[@Thom-TRA]

A non-daily service is pretty crazy to me. I can’t imagine demand would be that low for a train that goes through Indy and Cincinnati. I’m glad that Lafayette invested in this infrastructure update! It’s an example for other cities.

[@t_jello420]

Railroad relocation was so cool to watch, I remember how it used to cross 25, tracks stayed and they dug the road under. We took field trip to the new depot when it opened. Fun times.

[@robinrussell7965]

Those bridges and elevators make it easy to bring your bike on the train. It is not that big of a headache to bring a bike on Amtrak usually.

[@Thom-TRA]

I brought a bike on Amtrak just last week! Super crowded train and they let us cut to the front of the line!

[@alanbutler9627]

Thom, I was accepted by Purdue in 1956, but then Cornell addmitted me, so I never actually got to Lafayette. But thank you very much for this video!

[@Thom-TRA]

You’re welcome! Hope upstate NY treated you well

[@history_leisure]

It's interesting how all Midwest-Florida routes just died at some point. Auto Train was Auto Train, but were most of those routes killed off partially due to funding or only because they underperformed and reallocated those resources to more popular yet less frequent routes (I think more long distance routes used to only run 3 days/wk like the Texas Eagle)

[@Thom-TRA]

A train to Nashville would be so helpful

[@Ifakedates]

Lafayette is awesome

[@brentferguson7150]

I live near and work in Lafayette. You did a wonderful job of describing the area and some of the more positive aspects of downtown. I think you are absolutely correct as to why our pedestrian infrastructure is so solid. Thanks for your video.

[@ItsJeromeme]

Only time I used that train here the elevator took us down and the door was stuck shut!

[@Thom-TRA]

Oh no! Hope you made your train

[@dragongamer9708]

You should do a full ride from Chicago to New York City on the cardinal

[@Thom-TRA]

I will probably take it very soon actually!

[@djpetesake]

I'm drawing a blank, which Metrolink station does that bridge look like?

[@Thom-TRA]

A lot of them. Like Riverside, Fullerton, San Bernardino Depot

[@djpetesake]

@@Thom-TRA Hmm, I never thought of those style bridges being unique to California

[@Trainsaregreat365]

0:03 alright just roll the clip

[@paulcastillo1310]

Great video

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@paulcastillo1310]

And I am looking forward to seeing video on Saturday too

[@shawnrobinson225]

That town is right up the road from me although Lafayette is pretty nice place but I like West Lafayette better

[@dangelohartley5977]

I gotta return to Lafayette, IN someday

[@magicninja4727]

As a Lafayette local our transit system is so good because of Purdue University. Purdue has a ton of influence around the area

[@magicninja4727]

Cafe Literato is one of my favorite local hole in the wall pizza place

[@_phobic_]

@@magicninja4727one time i went there and had THREE hairs in both my pizza and potato salad and i’m not lying. i don’t go there anymode

[@paulmoreno6279]

Nice Thom! 😎

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@paulmoreno6279]

@@Thom-TRA My pleasure Thom! You're awesome! 😎 👍

[@The_abe]

hey i live there or more near it on the outskirts

[@The_abe]

underneath the corner cafe is a place where one of my friends live

[@ra1ny600]

Fun fact about the bus station the mens bathroom stall door I broken

[@Thom-TRA]

Lol

[@JM.5387]

Unfortunately, the Cardinal schedule makes it impossible to, say, go to Chicago for the weekend. It's as if they designed the service to make it completely useless. It's a shame -- I'd vastly prefer to take the train rather than the bus, or drive.

[@Thom-TRA]

Sometimes Amtrak schedules leave you scratching your head…

[@nyrmetros]

More American Revolution history please!

[@ra1ny600]

Hey I live there

[@justinanderson181]

I like it because my uni is right across the river from it. Boiler up!

[@tonywalters7298]

The station seems like it is quite overbuilt for a train that runs three days a week. On the other hand, it would be nice for expanded service

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d rather have overcapacity than undercapacity to be honest

[@tonywalters7298]

@@Thom-TRA that is true. Makes future expansion easier.

[@richardhazlett7070]

I think Indiana is the Midwest state most resistant to any intercity rail funding.

[@tonywalters7298]

@@richardhazlett7070 Indiana is a bit odd in that they are funding modernization and extension of the south shore line but won’t allow Indy to build rail transit

[@Thom-TRA]

@@richardhazlett7070 who’s surprised lol

[@carpenoctem775]

Axl Rose walked these streets.

[@timectrl]

This was on my birthday!

[@Thom-TRA]

Well happy belated bday!

[@timectrl]

@@Thom-TRA thanks thom

[@ASQ1Fan]

Lafayette's bus system is better than Indiana's 2nd largest city Fort Wayne. I get that Purdue has something to do with it but still. It runs 7 days a week.

[@samblensdorf7384]

So the New York Central ran thru here back in the day?

[@Thom-TRA]

They did!

[@LQC2556]

Lafayette is a nice place as a college town, but I feel like the abysmal Amtrak service is pretty unacceptable. That, as well as a lack of activity in the downtown area, is why I wasn't really interested in attending Purdue University despite being accepted there.

[@JasonJayJJ1]

Home town of Axl Rose of Guns N Fuckn Roses!

[@MentholPedro71]

Elevator farts! Lol

[@timothyishyc]

Currently at W. Lafayette for my phd at Purdue.... however, i think holland michigan downtown is prettier (where my alma mater is) 🤭🤭

[@Thom-TRA]

Hope?

[@Zions_Awesome_YouTube_Show8479]

Who has been to Indiana??

[@finchblue7322]

I think its funny that Lafayette is considered a small town when it is the tenth largest town in Indiana. I guess everything in Indiana is a bit small 🤣

[@Thom-TRA]

True lol

[@zacharylegaspi7594]

such a big station for such little service

[@Thom-TRA]

Room for expansion if you ask me

[@jimr4156]

Is this where your moving to Thom?

[@Thom-TRA]

I might pass through here on my drive to my new home but it’s not where I’ll be living!

[@kevanhubbard9673]

I don't rate your chances of seeing much out of the windows of those buses as ones without wrap around vinyls seemed to be in the minority.

[@Thom-TRA]

I hate riding on a bus with wrap. Especially the Pace PULSE

[@SteveInNEPA1]

We live close to another Lafayette... in NJ. Indiana looks better.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’ve stayed with some friends in Lafayette CO before!

[@chicagolandrailfan143]

First

[@rogermisner3368]

In the middle of nowhere? Really? Really?

[@Thom-TRA]

It doesn’t get much more middle of nowhere than rural Indiana, sorry if that offends you

[@starfilmsanimation]

Boiler up!

[@starfilmsanimation]

Also wow I’ve never seen an actual bus ticket for citybus. It’s a great bus system for such a small area and very heavily used by students

[@Thom-TRA]

I’ve seen the city bus logo in a lot of other small American cities. Somebody probably just googled “city bus” and then hit images!