North Plainfield, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Plainfield, New Jersey
Borough
Washington Park Historic District
Seal
Location of North Plainfield in Somerset County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of North Plainfield, New Jersey
North Plainfield, New Jersey Location in Somerset County, New Jersey Show map of Somerset County, New Jersey North Plainfield, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey North Plainfield, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
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  (2020)
• Total	22,808
• Estimate  (2023)	22,566
• Rank	118th of 565 in state 6th of 21 in county
• Density	8,125.4/sq mi (3,137.2/km2)
• Density rank	47th of 565 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
Area code(s)	732 and 908
FIPS code	3403553280
GNIS feature ID	0885326

North Plainfield is a small town, also known as a borough, located in Somerset County, New Jersey. It's part of the Raritan Valley region. In 2020, about 22,808 people lived here. This was a small increase from 2010.

North Plainfield started as a part of Warren Township in 1872. It officially became its own borough on June 9, 1885. The name "Plainfield" might come from a local property or from the beautiful scenery.

In the early 1900s, there were talks about North Plainfield joining Union County or even merging with the nearby City of Plainfield. However, these ideas did not happen.

North Plainfield is also home to the Washington Park Historic District. This area is special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Exploring North Plainfield's Location

North Plainfield is a borough that covers about 2.82 square miles (7.31 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with only a tiny bit of water.

Neighboring Towns and Areas

North Plainfield shares its borders with a few other towns. To the north, you'll find Watchung. To the southwest, it borders Green Brook Township. Both of these are also in Somerset County. To the south, North Plainfield is next to Plainfield, which is in Union County.

Understanding North Plainfield's Population

North Plainfield has grown steadily over the years. In 1900, about 5,000 people lived here. By 2020, the population had grown to over 22,800 people.

Who Lives in North Plainfield?

According to the 2010 census, North Plainfield was home to 21,936 people. The community is very diverse. About 55% of the people were White, and nearly 19% were Black or African American. About 6% were Asian, and a significant portion, about 44%, identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Many households (35.8%) had children under 18. The average household had about three people living in it.

Learning in North Plainfield

The North Plainfield School District provides public education for students from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school (twelfth grade). The district has six schools.

Schools in the District

• East End Elementary School (Pre-K to 4th grade)
• Stony Brook Elementary School (Pre-K to 4th grade)
• West End Elementary School (Kindergarten to 4th grade)
• Somerset Intermediate School (5th to 6th grade)
• North Plainfield Middle School (7th to 8th grade)
• North Plainfield High School (9th to 12th grade)

Getting Around North Plainfield

North Plainfield has many roads that help people travel. The borough has almost 50 miles of roads in total.

Major Roads and Highways

The most important road passing through North Plainfield is U.S. Route 22. This is a large and busy highway. Another important road is County Route 531.

U.S. Route 22 in North Plainfield, a major highway in the borough

Public Transportation Options

If you need to travel without a car, there are public transportation choices.

• Train Service: NJ Transit trains are available at the Plainfield station. The Raritan Valley Line can take you to Newark Penn Station. From there, you can connect to other places like Hoboken Terminal or Penn Station New York.
• Bus Service: NJ Transit also offers bus routes. You can take buses like the 114 and 117 to Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Buses like the 65 and 66 go to Newark. There are also local bus routes, the 822 and 986.
• Community Access Transit: Since 2017, the 2R bus runs from North Plainfield to Raritan Valley Community College. It makes stops in towns like Somerville and Raritan.

Famous Faces from North Plainfield

Many interesting people have connections to North Plainfield. Here are a few:

• Alex Abrahantes (born 1977): A professional wrestler and TV personality.
• Hank Beenders (1916–2003): One of the first players born outside the U.S. to play in the NBA.
• Jack Bicknell (born 1938): A retired American football coach.
• Jack Bicknell Jr. (born 1963): Also a football coach, who worked with the New York Giants.
• Kay Blumetta (1923–1997): A pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
• Dan Canter (born 1961): A soccer player who played in professional leagues and for the U.S. national team.
• John DiMaggio (born 1968): A famous voice actor, known for playing Bender on Futurama.
• Bill Evans (1929–1980): A very influential jazz musician.
• Allen Gavilanes (born 1999): A soccer player for Greenville Triumph SC.
• Anthony Krizan: The lead guitarist for the band Spin Doctors.
• Richard Larson (born 1943): A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Harry Leahey (1935–1990): A talented jazz guitarist and teacher.
• Barry Miles (born 1947): A musician who plays piano and drums, and also composes music.
• Dorian Missick (born 1976): An actor known for roles in TV shows and video games.
• Molly Price (born 1966): An actress.
• Steve Schmidt (born 1970): A senior strategist for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
• John R. Winckler (1916–2001): A physicist who discovered "sprites," a type of lightning in the upper atmosphere.

See also

In Spanish: North Plainfield para niños