Look closer at Lafayette
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11/24/2008
My wife and I, both in our late 20's, have lived in Lafayette for two years. We can attest that the praise for Lafayette family-friendliness is well-founded. The schools are good. Purdue provides a nice collegiate atmosphere. Cost of living is low. Relatively good economy. Blah blah blah. Take a closer look...
You will never hear about Lafayette's appeal for young adults who don't have children, whether they're single or married, and especially if they were not born & raised here. Very few of Purdue's 8,000 or so graduates each year stay in the Lafayette area. Some of them will even move to Indianapolis while commuting to their job in Lafayette simply because the social scene for people in their 20's is pathetic. Even worse, most of Lafayette's churches offer next to nothing for young adults; instead, they ask incessantly when you're going to have babies.
You also will notice praise for the low cost of living, but you also must notice that the appreciation of property values here has been slower than the inflation rate since the booming 1990's. In other words, the low prices may be inticing for buyers, but don't ever plan on selling it.
Many places are worse to live than this, but I'm shocked when people act as though this is as good as it gets. Hints: visit Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, or any other well-educated Southern city. It's more welcoming for people of ALL ages.
Michael | Lafayette, IN