Plainfield, New Hampshire | |
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 Seal | |
 Location inSullivan County and the state ofNew Hampshire. | |
| Coordinates:43°32′03″N72°21′22″W / 43.53417°N 72.35611°W /43.53417; -72.35611 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Sullivan |
| Incorporated | 1761 |
| Villages |
|
| Government | |
| • Select Board | Eric R. Brann Ron C. Eberhardt Amy S. Lappin |
| • Town Administrator | Stephen Halleran |
| Area | |
• Total | 53.0 sq mi (137.2 km2) |
| • Land | 52.2 sq mi (135.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2) 1.40% |
| Elevation | 522 ft (159 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,459 |
| • Density | 47/sq mi (18.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes |
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| Area code | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-62340 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873700 |
| Website | www |
Plainfield is atown inSullivan County,New Hampshire, United States. At the time of the2020 census, the town had a population of 2,459.[2] The town is home to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and Annie Duncan State Forest.
The village of Plainfield, where 178 people resided at the 2020 census,[3] is defined as thePlainfield census-designated place (CDP) and is located in the western part of the town alongNew Hampshire Route 12A. Plainfield also includes the village ofMeriden, home toKimball Union Academy, a privatepreparatory school.
The town was first settled by a group fromPlainfield, Connecticut. It was one of the towns incorporated bycolonial governorBenning Wentworth in 1761, at the beginning of the reign of KingGeorge III. A part of Plainfield known as "Meriden Parish", named for the farm ofMassachusetts GovernorJonathan Belcher, became the site of Kimball Union Academy, built in 1813.[4]
Plainfield lies on the northern edge of the enclave known as theCornish Art Colony, which existed between 1885 and 1930.Maxfield Parrish painted the stage backdrop in thePlainfield Town Hall.[5] Parrish purchased land close to his parents' estate in 1898, at the age of 28, and relocated after leavingPhiladelphia. He designed and built his home, The Oaks, over several years, eventually also designing and building an elaborate studio some distance behind the house. Parrish lived in Plainfield for 67 years, with the exception of a several-month period inArizona, and a nine-month period when he resided and worked in New York City.[citation needed] In 1910,Ernest Harold Baynes founded the Meriden Bird Club, the first institution of its type in the nation.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.0 square miles (137.2 km2), of which 52.2 square miles (135.3 km2) are land and 0.73 square miles (1.9 km2) are water, comprising 1.40% of the town. Bounded on the west by theConnecticut River, Plainfield is drained by Blood's Brook andBlow-me-down Brook. Great Brook, a tributary of theMascoma River, drains the northeast corner of the town. Croydon Mountain is a high ridge that occupies the eastern edge of the town. Grantham Mountain, a peak along the ridge, is the highest point in Plainfield at 2,660 feet (810 m) abovesea level.
The town is crossed by the north-south state routes12A and120. Route 12A, serving the western part of the town, passes through the village of Plainfield and leads north toWest Lebanon and south to the west part ofClaremont. Route 120, passing through Meriden in the eastern part of the town, leads north to downtownLebanon and south to downtown Claremont.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 1,024 | — | |
| 1800 | 1,435 | 40.1% | |
| 1810 | 1,463 | 2.0% | |
| 1820 | 1,460 | −0.2% | |
| 1830 | 1,581 | 8.3% | |
| 1840 | 1,552 | −1.8% | |
| 1850 | 1,392 | −10.3% | |
| 1860 | 1,620 | 16.4% | |
| 1870 | 1,589 | −1.9% | |
| 1880 | 1,372 | −13.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,173 | −14.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,114 | −5.0% | |
| 1910 | 987 | −11.4% | |
| 1920 | 853 | −13.6% | |
| 1930 | 858 | 0.6% | |
| 1940 | 970 | 13.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,011 | 4.2% | |
| 1960 | 1,071 | 5.9% | |
| 1970 | 1,323 | 23.5% | |
| 1980 | 1,749 | 32.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,056 | 17.6% | |
| 2000 | 2,241 | 9.0% | |
| 2010 | 2,364 | 5.5% | |
| 2020 | 2,459 | 4.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] | |||
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,364 people, 923 households, and 684 families residing in the town. There were 984 housing units, of which 61, or 6.2%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 98.0%white, 0.5%African American, 0.1%Native American, 0.5%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.04% some other race, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.[7]
Of the 923 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were headed bymarried couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51, and the average family size was 2.88.[7]
In the town, 22.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.4% were from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 37.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.[7]
For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $82,250, and the median income for a family was $90,729. Male full-time workers had a median income of $56,385 versus $52,813 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $38,810. 1.0% of the population and 0.3% of families were below the poverty line. 0.0% of the population under the age of 18 and 2.5% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[8]
coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
Places adjacent to Plainfield, New Hampshire | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSullivan County, New Hampshire,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
