Plainfield

Plainfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, covering residential blocks with houses from different construction periods arranged along grid streets. Brick churches, school buildings, and smaller shops mark the townscape between the housing areas.

The founding took place in the mid-19th century when the railway line connected the place with larger cities. Over the following decades, the population grew rapidly, and new residential areas formed around the original settlement core.

Streets throughout town carry names that recall early settler families and former landowners from the area. This naming pattern shows how the community grew from scattered farms into a larger residential settlement.

Visitors reach the town through the train station, located in the center and offering regular rail connections. Sidewalks link the different residential neighborhoods, and parking spaces are found along main streets.

The town holds several historic firehouses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that remain in use today. These buildings show the architectural evolution of civic facilities over more than a hundred years.

Location: Union County

Inception: 1847

Elevation above the sea: 29 m

Shares border with: Scotch Plains, Watchung, South Plainfield, North Plainfield, Fanwood, Green Brook Township, Dunellen, Piscataway, Edison

Website: http://plainfield.com

GPS coordinates: 40.61528,-74.41611

Latest update: December 13, 2025 17:03