Plainfield, New Hampshire

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Plainfield, New Hampshire
nickname =
motto =


image_

imagesize =
image_caption =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Sullivan County, New Hampshire
settlement_type = Town


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New Hampshire
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Sullivan
government_type =
leader_title = Board of Selectmen
leader_name =
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1761
area_magnitude = 1 E8
area_total_km2 = 137.0
area_total_sq_mi = 52.9
area_land_km2 = 135.1
area_land_sq_mi = 52.2
area_water_km2 = 1.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.8
area_water_percent = 1.42
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 2241
population_density_km2 = 16.6
population_density_sq_mi = 43.0
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 43 |latm = 32 |lats = 03 |latNS = N
longd = 72 |longm = 21 |longs = 22 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 159
elevation_ft = 522
website = [http://plainfieldnh.org/ plainfieldnh.org]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 03781
area_code = 603
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 33-62340
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0873700
footnotes =

Plainfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. Plainfield includes the village of Meriden, home to Kimball Union Academy, a private preparatory school. The town is location to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and Annie Duncan State Forest.

History

The town was first settled by a group from Plainfield, Connecticut. It was one of the towns incorporated by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761, at the beginning of the reign of King George III. A part of Plainfield known as "Meriden Parish", named for the farm of Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher, became the site of Kimball Union Academy, built in 1813.

Plainfield lies on the eastern edge of the enclave known as the Cornish Art Colony, which existed between 1885 and 1930. Maxfield Parrish painted the stage backdrop in the Plainfield Town Hall. In 1910, Ernest Harold Baynes founded the Meriden Bird Club, the first institution of its type in the nation.

Notable Inhabitants

* Ethel Barrymore, actress (summer resident)
* Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States (vacation home)
* Edward and Elaine Brown, tax protesters
* Maxfield Parrish, artist & illustrator (summer resident)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of convert|52.9|sqmi|km2, of which convert|52.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=on is land and convert|0.8|sqmi|km2|abbr=on is water, comprising 1.42% of the town. Bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, Plainfield is drained by Blood's Brook and Blow-me-down Brook. 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 convert|2660|ft|m above sea level.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 2,241 people, 844 households, and 663 families residing in the town. The population density was 43.0 people per square mile (16.6/km²). There were 877 housing units at an average density of 16.8/sq mi (6.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.27% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.

There were 844 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,083, and the median income for a family was $61,205. Males had a median income of $36,968 versus $29,491 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,062. About 1.8% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* [http://www.plainfieldnh.org Town website]
* [http://www.crjc.org/heritage/N08-16.htm Cornish Art Colony in Cornish & Plainfield]
* [http://www.kua.org/ Kimball Union Academy]
* [http://www.nh.gov/nhes/elmi/htmlprofiles/plainfield.html New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]
* [http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/plfdlib/ Plainfield NH Resource Guide]