Lafayette ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on both communities. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette form the core of the Lafayette, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which – as of the 2000 census – had a total population of 183,340, the 215th largest metropolitan area in the United States.