About

Welcome to the City of Lafayette!

Lafayette is located in beautiful Yamhill County, the heart of the Willamette Valley and wine country of Oregon, just 35 miles southwest of Portland and 25 miles north of Salem.

The city is very rich in history - Lafayette was founded in 1846 by Joel Perkins, an early pioneer to the Oregon Territory. Lafayette was situated on the main Indian trail that traversed the Willamette Valley at a point on the Yamhill River known for years as Yamhill Falls. The town grew slowly at first, but grew by leaps and bounds after gold was discovered in California. In the early 1850's, Lafayette was one of the most important and prosperous cities in Oregon. In 1995, because of the beautiful farm country around the city, the development of the Oregon wine industry and tourism in Yamhill County, and its proximity to the Portland metro area, Lafayette began to grow very rapidly, and it continues expansion today. The city can take pride in its rich history, but must work very hard to maintain its small town feel and charm in the midst of this rapid growth. It is a town with a bright past and a very bright future.

We hope you enjoy your visit to Lafayette

Mission Statement :  

The City's mission is to maintain a safe and livable environment for its citizen's and provide for the efficient delivery of public services. This is best achieved in a community where citizen participation, open communication, a strong sense of community, community pride, and the selection, training and retention of high quality employees is valued and encouraged by the city's residents, elected officials, and appointed officials. As an organization, the city's goals are:
- To foster a strong sense of community pride in the operation of the city, the actions of its elected officials, appointed officials and employees, and the projects that are undertaken by the city.
- To promote citizen activism and get as many people as possible involved in decision making and the operation of the city.
- To keep citizens informed as to what the city is doing and why.
- To treat customers, citizens and the public in a courteous and friendly manner.
- To value the recruiting, training and continuing development of well-informed, friendly and competent volunteers and employees at every level of city government.
- To be respectful of and listen to the views of everyone in the community and to recognize that every citizen has an equal right to services and access to the decision making process.
- To always keep the best interest of the city in mind (not a few citizens) whenever any decision is made, policy is developed, or program is implemented.
- To be consistent and fair in the development and implementation of public policy.
- To be frugal in the use of public resources and funds and to do the best job we can with what we have to work with.