over what was called "the Yale Crowd" – but he was defeated the same year when he ran for the Indiana House of Representatives. Ellsworth Street and Ellsworth Historic District are named for him. 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. The Monon Railroad connected Lafayette with other sections of Indiana. Lafayette was the site of the first official airmail delivery in the United States on 17 August 1859, when John Wise piloted a balloon starting on the Lafayette courthouse grounds. Wise hoped to reach New York; however, weather conditions forced the balloon down near Crawfordsville, Indiana, and the mail reached its final destination by train. In 1959, the US Postal Service issued a 7¢ airmail stamp commemorating the centennial of the event. Geography Lafayette is located at (40.410585, −86.874681) and is located in Fairfield and Wea Townships. Elevation at the court house is , but city elevations range from a little over at the Wabash River to approximately in the areas of Murdock Park and Columbian Park. According to the 2010 census, Lafayette has a total area of , all land. Neighborhoods Columbian Park Hanna Hedgewood Lincoln Monon Saint Lawrence/McAllister Vinton Wallace Triangle Wildcat Valley Historic Neighborhoods Centennial Neighborhood District Downtown Lafayette Historic District Ellsworth Historic District Highland Park Neighborhood Historic District Jefferson Historic District Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Historic District Perrin Historic District St. Mary Historic District Upper Main Street Historic District Climate In recent years, temperatures in Lafayette have ranged from an average low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and again in January 1994; and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June. Demographics Lafayette is the larger principal city of the Lafayette-Frankfort CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Lafayette metropolitan area (Benton, Carroll, and Tippecanoe counties) and the Frankfort micropolitan area (Clinton County), which had a combined population of 212,408 at the 2000 United States Census. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 67,140 people, 28,545 households, and 15,863 families in the city. The population density was . There were 31,260 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of