Lafayette is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, in the hilly, rural northwest corner of the state known as the Skylands Region. The township's population was 2,358 at the 2020 census, spread across a landscape of farms, woodlands, and rolling hills. It lies between the county seat of Newton and the Delaware River valley, along the Route 15 corridor. The township was formed on April 14, 1845, from portions of Frankford and Newton townships, following a referendum held the same day. Its name is historically significant: Lafayette was the first municipality in the United States to be named for Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who fought for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The heart of the township is Lafayette Village, a compact historic settlement that grew up around the crossroads of the region's early roads. The Lafayette Village Historic District, a 31.5-acre area along Route 15, Morris Farm Road, and Meadows Road, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, recognizing the village's surviving nineteenth-century architecture and its role as a farming and commercial center. Agriculture has long defined Lafayette's economy and character. Family farms, orchards, and roadside farm stands remain part of daily life, and the township has worked to preserve its rural feel even as Sussex County grows. The result is a community that combines Revolutionary-era history, working farmland, and convenient access to the Skylands' lakes, forests, and trails. For people seeking a quieter, more rural lifestyle within commuting distance of the region's towns and parks, Lafayette offers an appealing balance.