Plainfield, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plainfield, New Jersey
City
Aerial photograph of Plainfield
Seal
Nickname(s):  The Queen City
Location of Plainfield in Union County highlighted in yellow (left). Inset map: Location of Union County in New Jersey highlighted in black (right).
Census Bureau map of Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield, New Jersey Location in Union County, New Jersey Show map of Union County, New Jersey Plainfield, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Plainfield, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Union
Incorporated	April 21, 1869
Government
• Type	Special charter
• Body	City Council
Area
• Total	5.97 sq mi (15.46 km2)
• Land	5.96 sq mi (15.43 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)  0.15%
Area rank	258th of 565 in state 8th of 21 in county
Elevation	95 ft (29 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	54,586
• Estimate  (2023)	54,670
• Rank	738th in country (as of 2022) 34th of 565 in state 3rd of 21 in county
• Density	9,160.3/sq mi (3,536.8/km2)
• Density rank	41st of 565 in state 3rd of 21 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes	07060–07063
Area code(s)	732 and 908
FIPS code	3403959190
GNIS feature ID	0885355

Downtown Plainfield Train Station, one of two stations running to New York City on the Raritan Valley Line

Netherwood station on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark/New York, one of two train stations in Plainfield

Plainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey. It is often called "The Queen City." Plainfield is a central spot for the Central New Jersey area. It is also a bedroom suburb for the New York Metropolitan area. This means many people who live here travel to New York for work.

Plainfield is in the Raritan Valley region. In 2020, the city had a population of 54,586 people. For the first time, most of the people living here were of Latino background. The population grew by about 9.6% from 2010 to 2020.

The area where Plainfield now stands was first called Plainfield Township. It was created in 1847 from parts of Westfield Township. At that time, it was part of Essex County. In 1857, Plainfield Township became part of the new Union County.

Plainfield officially became a city on April 21, 1869. This happened after people voted for it. The city and township existed side-by-side for a while. But in 1878, Plainfield Township was dissolved. Parts of it joined Plainfield city, and the rest became Fanwood Township.

The name "Plainfield" might come from a local estate or from the area's beautiful scenery. You'll also find "Plainfield" in the names of nearby towns like North Plainfield and South Plainfield.

Exploring Plainfield's Past

A typical Bungalow-style house in Plainfield

Plainfield was first settled in 1684 by a group called Quakers. It became a city in 1869. Long ago, it was mostly a place where people lived and commuted to New York. Now, it's a busy center for 10 nearby towns. It has many different industries. These include printing and making chemicals, clothes, electronics, and car parts.

You can still see several old buildings from the 1700s. These include a Friends' meetinghouse from 1788 and the Martine house from 1717. The Nathaniel Drake House from 1746 was used by George Washington during a battle in 1777. Nearby Washington Rock is a high point in the Watchung Mountains. It's said that Washington watched British troops from there.

In 1902, there was a plan to let North Plainfield join Union County and possibly merge with Plainfield City. But this plan was later canceled.

Plainfield is famous as the birthplace of P-Funk. This well-known music group was started by George Clinton. He began his first group, The Parliaments, while working in a barber shop in Plainfield. Parliament-Funkadelic was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Many famous athletes have lived in or were born in Plainfield. These include Milt Campbell, who won an Olympic gold medal in the Decathlon in 1956. He was the first African-American to do so. Joe Black was the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game.

Plainfield has many historic places. These include homes, parks, and whole neighborhoods. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The "Sleepy Hollow" area in Plainfield is known for its beautiful streets and homes. These houses were mostly built in the early 1900s. They show many different styles of architecture. This area has remained a popular place to live.

In the past, Plainfield was a big shopping and entertainment center. People from nearby counties would come to shop. The downtown area was very lively, especially on Thursday nights and Saturdays.

Plainfield used to have four movie theaters: the Strand, Liberty, Paramount, and Oxford. Parks like Cedarbrook Park and Greenbrook Park offered fun activities. You could go ice skating in winter, fishing, hiking, or visit playgrounds.

Big companies like Chelsea Fan Corp., Mack Truck, and National Starch and Chemical Corp. used to have factories here.

Understanding a Past Event

Plainfield experienced a civil disturbance in July 1967. This happened after bigger events in Newark. During this time, a police officer died, and about fifty people were hurt. There was also damage to property from looting and fires. The New Jersey National Guard helped bring order back after three days. After this event, the city's population changed. The percentage of Black residents increased from 40% in 1970 to 60% ten years later.

Plainfield's Location and Weather

Plainfield covers about 6 square miles (15.6 square kilometers). Most of this is land, with a small amount of water.

The city is in Central Jersey. It's on the edge of Union County. Plainfield shares borders with nine other towns. These include Scotch Plains, Fanwood, South Plainfield, Piscataway, Dunellen, Edison, Green Brook Township, North Plainfield, and Watchung. Some of these towns are in Middlesex County, and others are in Somerset County.

Plainfield has a humid continental climate. This means it has cold winters and hot, humid summers. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -17°F (-27°C) in 1934. The highest was 106°F (41°C) in 1936 and 1949.

Plainfield's Population Changes

Plainfield has seen a big increase in its Latino community. As of the 2020 census, more than half of the city's population is of Hispanic background. This is a big change from earlier years.

In 2010, the average income for families was about $58,942. About 16.8% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 23.5% of those under 18 years old.

Plainfield's Economy and Downtown

North Avenue Commercial District

City Hall in the Plainfield Civic District

Orville Taylor Waring House; Plainfield, NJ

Plainfield is part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. This program helps create jobs. It also lets shoppers pay a lower sales tax rate of 3.3125% at certain stores. This is half of the usual state rate. Plainfield joined this program in 1983. Its status is set to expire in December 2023.

Downtown Plainfield has two historic shopping areas. These are the North Avenue Commercial District and the Plainfield Civic District. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• The North Avenue Commercial District has the Downtown train station and the post office. Its buildings show 19th and early 20th-century styles.
• The Plainfield Civic District has buildings like City Hall and the YMCA. Their style reflects the "City Beautiful Movement" from the early 1900s.

Many events happen downtown each year. These include the Christmas Tree Lighting and the Queen City 5k run.

The Downtown Plainfield Alliance (DPA) is a group that works to improve downtown Plainfield. They help with beautification, economic growth, and community events.

Historic Neighborhoods

Portrait of Van Wyck Brooks, for which the district is named, by John Butler Yeats, 1909

Plainfield has many large, old estates. Some of these have been restored to their original beauty. The city has several historic residential areas.

Van Wyck Brooks Historic District

• The Van Wyck Brooks Historic District has over 150 properties. This Old House magazine called it one of the "Best Old House Neighborhoods" in 2012. It's named after Van Wyck Brooks, a famous writer from Plainfield. This district has the largest home in Plainfield, the Coriell Mansion. It also has many other important historic homes. The oldest building here is the Manning Stelle Farmhouse, from 1803. It became a historic district in 1982 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
• The Netherwood Heights Historic District is named after the old Netherwood Hotel. This area is close to the Netherwood Train Station.
• The Crescent Area Historic District and the Hillside Avenue Historic District are also important.
• Sleepy Hollow is an area with grand homes on winding roads. It's on the northeast side of the city.

The West End Community

The West End of Plainfield has historically been home to middle-class and working-class Black families. It is known for its strong African-American community.

Some locals call a part of the West End "Soulville."

Mount Olive Baptist Church has served the West End since 1870. It is considered Plainfield's first Black church. As the Black community grew, other churches started from Mount Olive. Calvary Baptist Church began in 1897. Shiloh Baptist Church was founded in 1908.

The West End has recently attracted attention for new development. The White Star diner on West Front Street has been a local landmark for over 50 years.

In recent years, the West End has also seen more Latino residents. As of the 2020 census, 51% of all people in Plainfield were of Hispanic origin. This shows a big increase from 25% in 2000 and 40% in 2010.

Parliament-Funkadelic Way

The West End was once home to the Silk Palace. This barbershop was partly owned by funk music legend George Clinton. Many members of Parliament-Funkadelic worked there. It was a popular hangout for local singers and musicians in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 2022, a part of Plainfield Avenue was renamed "Parliament Funkadelic Way." This honors the city's rich musical history.

Arts and Culture in Plainfield

The Plainfield Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2019, is an arts center inside a former church built in 1892. Formerly All Souls Church, it was the home of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, which donated the former church to become an arts center and moved its weekly services to a Fanwood church.

• The Queen City Film Festival happens every fall. It celebrates independent films.
• Plainfield is the birthplace of Bill Evans, a famous jazz piano artist.

Plainfield's Lee Fields performing with The Expressions at Haldern Pop 2013

The Swain Galleries in the Crescent Area Historic District

The duCret Art School is the oldest art school in New Jersey

• Plainfield is the birthplace of P-Funk. George Clinton started The Parliaments while working in a barber shop here. Parliament-Funkadelic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
• Famous soul singer Lee Fields lives in Plainfield. He moved to the city as a teenager.
• The Plainfield Symphony performs concerts at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church. It was founded in 1919. This makes it one of the oldest orchestras in the United States.
• The 1990s R&B girl group Total is from Plainfield.
• In 2010, a former Plainfield music teacher, Anwar Robinson, tried to set a Guinness World Records for the largest gospel chorus.
• The duCret School of Art was founded in 1926. It is the oldest art school in New Jersey.
• The Swain Galleries started in 1868. It is the oldest privately owned art gallery in New Jersey. It is in a Victorian building in the Crescent Historic District.
• Music in the Park is an annual summer concert event. It includes the Plainfield Idol competition.
• The Parish Hall Theater at the Plainfield Cultural Center is a theater that seats about 125 people. It's used for plays and music.
• The historic Sanctuary at the Plainfield Cultural Center has great sound for recordings. It seats about 140 people.
• The Plainfield Music Store opened in 1951. It has a large collection of sheet music.
• The French School of Music offers music lessons. It was founded in 1927.
• The Crescent Concerts series started in 1980. It brings high-quality music performances to Plainfield.
• The Queen City October Music Festival is an annual music event.
• Shiloh Baptist Church hosts "Jazz In The Sanctuary" and "Jazz for Jesus" programs.
• DreamHouse Theater Company performs plays and musical shows.
• In the movie A Good Day to Die Hard, the character John McClane says he's from Plainfield, New Jersey.
• J.M. Benjamin is a Plainfield author and filmmaker. His short film, Moves We Make, was filmed in Plainfield. It won an award at the Newark Black Film Festival.

Plainfield's Media Outlets

Plainfield has several ways to get local news:

• TAPinto Plainfield is an online news website just for Plainfield.
• Union News Daily covers news for Union County, including a special section for Plainfield.
• PCTV is Plainfield's own TV channel. You can watch it on Comcast Cable Channel 96 or Verizon FIOS Channel 34.

Other newspapers that cover Plainfield include the Courier News and The Star-Ledger. The Courier News used to be called the Plainfield Courier News and was based in the city until 1972.

Local blogs also provide news and opinions about Plainfield.

Places of Worship

Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church in the Crescent Area Historic District

Plainfield has many different places of worship:

• Saint Mary's Catholic Church was built in the 1870s.
• Grace Church was founded in 1852. It is a national historic site.
• First Park Baptist.
• Albaseerah Islamic Center is a mosque in the Sleepy Hollow area.
• First Unitarian Society of Plainfield was founded in the 1880s. It is the oldest Unitarian church in the country.
• Bethel Presbyterian Church.
• Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church.
• The Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
• Plainfield Friends Quaker Meeting House.
• Seventh Day Baptist Church.
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux & St. Stanislaus Kostka.
• Shiloh Baptist Church, established in 1908.
• The United Presbyterian Church 1825.
• New Covenant Church, Pentecostal.
• Cross of Life Lutheran Church (ELCA).
• Ruth Fellowship Ministries.

Parks and Fun Things to Do

Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Brook Park.

Green Brook Park Playground; Plainfield, New Jersey

• Tëmike Park opened in June 2022. It is a welcoming space and playground in Cedar Brook Park.
• Cedar Brook Park is on the west side of the city.
• Green Brook Park offers hiking, sports, and picnics in the West End.
• The Plainfield Garden Club started in 1915. They have taken care of the Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Brook Park since 1927. This garden is one of only 23 Shakespeare Gardens in the U.S. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The hiking trails of the Watchung Reservation are close to Plainfield.
• Plainfield Skatepark at Madison Park opened in 2017. It's a modern public skatepark for skateboarding and other wheeled activities.
• Milt Campbell Field is named after the Olympic gold medalist Milt Campbell. It offers sports and nature walks.
• Hannah Atkins Center Pool, Rushmore Playground Pool, and Seidler Field Pool offer swimming and other fun activities.

Learning in Plainfield

Plainfield has public and private schools, as well as a college campus.

Public Schools in Plainfield

The Plainfield Public School District serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. This district is special because the state helps pay for all school building and renovation projects.

In the 2022–23 school year, the district had 14 schools and about 10,097 students. There was about one teacher for every 16 students.

The schools include:

• DeWitt D. Barlow Elementary School (K–5)
• Charles and Anna Booker Elementary School (PreK–5)
• Cedarbrook K-8 Center (K–8)
• Clinton Elementary School (K–5)
• Frederic W. Cook Elementary School (K–5)
• Emerson Community School (K–5)
• Evergreen Elementary School (K–5)
• Jefferson Elementary School (K–5)
• Charles H. Stillman Elementary School (K–5)
• Washington Community School (K–5)
• Frank J. Hubbard Middle School (6–8)
• Maxson Middle School (6–8)
• Pinnacle Academy High School (9–12)
• Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies (7–12)
• Plainfield High School (9–12)

Plainfield High School was ranked 318th out of 339 public high schools in New Jersey in 2014. Plainfield is also home to New Jersey's first high school focused on sustainability, the Barack Obama Green Charter High School.

Private Schools in Plainfield

Koinonia Academy moved to Plainfield in 1997. It teaches students from Pre-K through 12th grade. It is a Catholic school.

College Education

Union College is a community college. Its main campus is in Cranford, but it also has a campus in downtown Plainfield.

Getting Around Plainfield

Roads and Highways

Route 28 through Plainfield

Plainfield has about 101.79 miles of roads. Most of these are kept up by the city.

Plainfield is unique because no major federal highways go through it. The main road is Route 28. It connects Somerville with Elizabeth. Other important roads nearby include U.S. Route 22, which is good for shopping. You can reach it through North Plainfield and Dunellen. Major highways like Interstate 287 and Interstate 78 are also close by.

Public Transportation

Plainfield Station, c. 1910

Plainfield has two NJ Transit train stations. They are on the Raritan Valley Line. The main Plainfield station is downtown. The smaller Netherwood station is in the Netherwood area. A third station in the west end closed a long time ago.

Train service to Plainfield started in 1839. The Plainfield train station was a busy place for people traveling to Newark and New York.

NJ Transit also provides bus service. You can take buses to Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan or to Newark. There are also local bus routes within the city.

Newark Liberty International Airport is about 30 minutes away.

The Plainfield Teacher's College Hoax

Plainfield Teacher's College was a made-up school. It was part of a prank by two college football fans in 1941. The fake college's football team even had its scores printed in big newspapers like The New York Times. Eventually, the trick was found out.

Famous People from Plainfield

Many notable people have been born in or lived in Plainfield. Here are a few:

See also

In Spanish: Plainfield (Nueva Jersey) para niños