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The Plainfields are a group of three municipalities spanning the convergence ofSomerset,Union, andMiddlesex Counties inNew Jersey, all of which have the wordPlainfield in their name. They are theBorough of North Plainfield (Somerset County),City of Plainfield (Union County), and theBorough of South Plainfield (Middlesex County). The towns ofScotch Plains andFanwood are nearby.

The region was part of the colonial eraElizabethtown Tract and later part ofPiscataway settled by ScottishQuakers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.^[1] Among them, was John Laing, whose holdings were known asPlainfield Plantation. It is not certain whether the name derives from the plain clothing worn by the founders or is a reference to the landscape.^[2]

While each community has its own independent government, and the three municipalities have no shared governance even at the county level, the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 40 onInterstate 78, for example, refers to "The Plainfields" as a destination.

For other groups of similarly named municipalities in New Jersey, see:

• The Amboys
• The Brunswicks
• The Caldwells
• The Chathams
• The Oranges
• The Ridgefields
• The Wildwoods

Wikimedia Commons has media related toThe Plainfields, New Jersey.

• The Plainfields, New Jersey
• Scottish-American culture in New Jersey

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