North Plainfield, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
North Plainfield, New Jersey
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Borough
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| Borough of North Plainfield | |
House in Washington Park Historic District
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Map of North Plainfield in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County on New Jersey.
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Census Bureau map of North Plainfield, New Jersey
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County |  Somerset |
| Incorporated | June 9, 1885 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Body | Borough Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.82 sq mi (7.31 km2) |
| • Land | 2.81 sq mi (7.27 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) 0.46% |
| Area rank | 351st of 565 in state 14th of 21 in county |
| Elevation | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 21,936 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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21,289 |
| • Rank | 117th of 566 in state 6th of 21 in county |
| • Density | 7,850.0/sq mi (3,030.9/km2) |
| • Density rank | 48th of 566 in state 1st of 21 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code |
07060, 07062, 07063
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| Area code(s) | 732 and 908 |
| FIPS code | 3403553280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885326 |
North Plainfield is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 21,936, reflecting an increase of 833 (+3.9%) from the 21,103 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,283 (+12.1%) from the 18,820 counted in the 1990 Census.
North Plainfield Township was created from portions of Warren Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature passed on April 2, 1872. The borough of North Plainfield became an independent municipality on June 9, 1885. The name derives from Plainfield, which derived its name from a local estate or from its scenic location.
In 1902, the New Jersey Legislature approved measures that would have allowed the borough to become part of Union County (a measure repealed in 1903) and to allow for a merger of North Plainfield with the City of Plainfield subject to the approval of a referendum by voters in both municipalities.
North Plainfield is home to the Washington Park Historic District.
Contents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.807 square miles (7.270 km2), including 2.794 square miles (7.237 km2) of land and 0.013 square miles (0.032 km2) of water (0.45%).
The borough is bordered by Watchung to the north, Green Brook Township to the southwest, and Plainfield to the south in Union County.
North Plainfield is in the northern division of the Raritan Valley along with Green Brook.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 5,009 | — | |
| 1910 | 6,117 | 22.1% | |
| 1920 | 6,916 | 13.1% | |
| 1930 | 9,760 | 41.1% | |
| 1940 | 10,586 | 8.5% | |
| 1950 | 12,766 | 20.6% | |
| 1960 | 16,993 | 33.1% | |
| 1970 | 21,796 | 28.3% | |
| 1980 | 19,108 | −12.3% | |
| 1990 | 18,820 | −1.5% | |
| 2000 | 21,103 | 12.1% | |
| 2010 | 21,936 | 3.9% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 21,289 | −2.9% | |
| Population sources: 1800-1920 1900-1910 1910-1930 1930-1990 2000 2010 |
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Census 2010
As of the census of 2010, there were 21,936 people, 7,448 households, and 5,266 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,850.0 per square mile (3,030.9/km2). There were 7,848 housing units at an average density of 2,808.5 per square mile (1,084.4/km2)*. The racial makeup of the borough was 55.01% (12,066) White, 18.85% (4,134) Black or African American, 0.29% (63) Native American, 5.81% (1,275) Asian, 0.05% (12) Pacific Islander, 16.00% (3,510) from other races, and 3.99% (876) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.21% (9,699) of the population.
There were 7,448 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the borough, the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 98.5 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $67,815 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,878) and the median family income was $70,359 (+/- $5,666). Males had a median income of $42,766 (+/- $2,549) versus $43,057 (+/- $3,208) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,529 (+/- $1,466). About 5.3% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Census 2000
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 21,103 people, 7,202 households, and 5,084 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,565.0 people per square mile (2,920.4/km2). There were 7,393 housing units at an average density of 2,650.2 per square mile (1,023.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 63.06% White, 13.38% African American, 0.28% Native American, 5.04% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 13.68% from other races, and 4.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.77% of the population.
There were 7,202 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $55,322, and the median income for a family was $62,875. Males had a median income of $39,662 versus $30,816 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,791. About 4.4% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2000 Census, 5.39% of North Plainfield's residents identified themselves as being of Ecuadorian ancestry, which was the fourth highest of any municipality in New Jersey and the eighth highest percentage of Ecuadorian people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
Transportation
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Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the borough has a total of 49.77 miles (80.10 km) of roads, of which 39.28 miles (63.22 km) were maintained by the municipality, 7.22 miles (11.62 km) by the county and 3.27 miles (5.26 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Major roadways in the borough include U.S. Route 22. County Route 531 also passes through.
Public transportation
NJ Transit rail service is available at the Plainfield station on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station, with connecting service to Hoboken Terminal and Penn Station New York.
NJ Transit bus service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan is available on the 114 and 117 routes, to Newark on the 65 and 66 routes, with local service on the 822 and 986 routes.
Starting in May 2017, Community Access Transit began operating the 2R bus from North Plainfield to Raritan Valley Community College, with stops in the communities of Somerville and Raritan.
Education
The North Plainfield School District, serves public school students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,342 students and 304.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are East End Elementary School (423 students; in grades PreK-4), Stony Brook Elementary School (253; PreK-4), West End Elementary School (488; K-4), Somerset Intermediate School (516; 5-6), North Plainfield Middle School (544; 7-8) and North Plainfield High School (1,052; 9-12).
Noted residents
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with North Plainfield include:
- Alex Abrahantes (born 1977), professional wrestler, manager and on-air television personality.
- Hank Beenders (1916–2003), one of the first foreign-born players in what is now the NBA.
- Jack Bicknell (born 1938), retired American football coach at the college level and in the various incarnations of NFL Europe.
- Jack Bicknell Jr. (born 1963), football coach who had been an assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants.
- Kay Blumetta (1923–1997), pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
- Dan Canter (born 1961), soccer defender who played three seasons in the North American Soccer League and three in Major Indoor Soccer League, in addition to playing with the United States men's national soccer team.
- Pete Carmichael (born 1941), former football coach.
- Anne Casale (1930-2002), cookbook author, raised in North Plainfield.
- Allan Crite (1910–2007), artist.
- John DiMaggio (born 1968), actor who has performed the voice of Bender on Futurama.
- Charles Aubrey Eaton (1868–1953), clergyman and politician who represented NJ's 4th congressional district from 1925-1933 and NJ's 5th congressional district from 1933–1953.
- Bill Evans (1929–1980), jazz musician.
- Allen Gavilanes (born 1999), soccer player who plays for Greenville Triumph SC in USL League One.
- David T. Kenney (1866–1922), vacuum cleaner inventor and manufacturer.
- Anthony Krizan, lead guitarist for the Spin Doctors.
- Richard Larson (born 1943), operations researcher and educator, who has been a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Harry Leahey (1935—1990), jazz guitarist and teacher.
- Jack Melick (born 1929), bandleader, pianist and arranger.
- Barry Miles (born 1947), pianist, drummer, composer and producer.
- Dorian Missick (born c. 1975), actor, known for his role as Damian in the television series Six Degrees and for voicing Victor Vance in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
- Molly Price (born 1966), actress.
- Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada (born 1966), Cuban-born contemporary artist.
- Steve Schmidt (born 1970), senior campaign strategist to the 2008 presidential campaign of Senator John McCain.
- John R. Winckler (1916–2001), physicist best known for his discovery of sprites, a variety of lightning found in the upper atmosphere.
