Residents: 28,000 | Size: 9.5 sq mi
A day in Lafayette: Start the morning with a latte on Public Road in Old Town Lafayette. Caffeine-up and head for a walk or bike ride around the city-owned 147-acre wildlife refuge of Waneka Lake. Kids can get wild at the playground or try their luck with a fishing pole. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, drive around town and enjoy a mix of artful homes before stopping for lunch back, maybe catching some musicians playing or a pick up an unusual trinket at one of the locally-owned shops.
Like much of the area, Lafayette started as farmland in 1888, and the first home was built. Coal was discovered at the turn of the century, and the town boomed with two banks and four hotels! Today it hosts a Peach Festival, a community garden, some breweries, and overall an artsy and down-to-earth community vibe.
