Editing Plainfield, New Jersey (section)

{{short description|City in Union County, New Jersey, US}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Plainfield, New Jersey
|settlement_type          = [[City (New Jersey)|City]]
|nickname                 = The Queen City<ref name=Queen/>
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Plainfield, New Jersey aerial view.jpg
|imagesize                = 250x200px
|image_caption            = Aerial photograph of Plainfield
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = Plainfield Seal.png

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Plainfield_nj_039.png
|mapsize                  = 250x200px
|map_caption              = Location of Plainfield in [[Union County, New Jersey|Union County]] highlighted in yellow (left). Inset map: Location of Union County in [[New Jersey]] highlighted in black (right).
|image_map1               = Census_Bureau_map_of_Plainfield,_New_Jersey.png
|mapsize1                 = 250x200px
|map_caption1             = Census Bureau map of Plainfield, New Jersey
|pushpin_map              = USA New Jersey Union County#USA New Jersey#USA
|pushpin_label            = Plainfield
|pushpin_map_caption      = Location in [[Union County, New Jersey|Union County]]##Location in [[New Jersey]]##Location in the United States
|pushpin_relief           = yes

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name         = {{nowrap|{{flag|United States}}}}
|subdivision_name1        = {{flag|New Jersey}}
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in New Jersey|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Union County, New Jersey|Union]]
|government_footnotes     = <ref name=DataBook/>
|government_type          = [[Special charter (New Jersey)|Special charter]]
|governing_body           = City Council
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Adrian O. Mapp ([[New Jersey Democratic Party|D]], term ends December 31, 2025)<ref name=Mayor/><ref>[https://www.state.nj.us/dca/home/2023mayors.pdf 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory], [[New Jersey Department of Community Affairs]], updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.</ref>
|leader_title1            = [[City manager|Administrator]]
|leader_name1             = Abby Levenson<ref>[https://www.plainfieldnj.gov/government/business_administrator.php Business Administrator], City of Plainfield. Accessed March 26, 2023.</ref>
|leader_title2            = [[Municipal clerk]]
|leader_name2             = Abubakar Jalloh<ref>[https://www.plainfieldnj.gov/government/plainfield_city_clerk.php City Clerk], City of Plainfield. Accessed March 26, 2023.</ref>
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = April 21, 1869

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='34'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 11, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 15.46
|area_land_km2            = 15.43
|area_water_km2           =  0.02
|area_total_sq_mi         =  5.97
|area_land_sq_mi          =  5.96
|area_water_sq_mi         =  0.01
|area_water_percent       =  0.15
|area_rank                = 258th of 565 in state<br>8th of 21 in county<ref name=CensusArea>[https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_cousubs_34.txt 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed July 1, 2020.</ref>

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name=Census2020/><ref name=LWD2020/>
|population_total         = 54586
|population_rank          = [[List of United States cities by population|738th]] in country (as of 2022)<ref name=ANNRNK>[https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-ANNRNK.xlsx Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2022 Population: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022], [[United States Census Bureau]], released May 2023. Accessed May 18, 2023. Note that townships (including Edison, Lakewood and Woodbridge, all of which have larger populations) are excluded from these rankings.</ref><br>34th of 565 in state<br>3rd of 21 in county<ref name=LWD2020Density>[https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/assets/PDFs/dmograph/est/mcd/density.xlsx Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021], [[New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development]]. Accessed March 1, 2023.</ref>
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 9160.3
|population_density_rank  = 41st of 565 in state<br>3rd of 21 in county<ref name=LWD2020Density/>
|population_est           = 54670
|pop_est_as_of            = 2023
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name=Census2020/><ref name=ANNRNK/><ref name=PopEst/>

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = −05:00
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Daylight Time|Eastern (EDT)]]
|utc_offset_DST           = −04:00
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref>{{Cite GNIS|id=885355|name=City of Plainfield|access-date=March 11, 2013}}</ref>
|elevation_m              = 
|elevation_ft             = 95
|coordinates_footnotes    = <ref name=CensusArea/><ref name="GR1">[https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed September 4, 2014.</ref>
|coordinates              = {{coord|40.615444|-74.415775|region:US-NJ_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 07060–07063<ref>[http://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupResultsAction!input.action?resultMode=0&city=plainfield&state=NJ Look Up a ZIP Code] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528192352/https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupResultsAction!input.action?resultMode=0&city=plainfield&state=NJ |date=May 28, 2012 }}, [[United States Postal Service]]. Accessed October 26, 2011.</ref>
|area_code                = [[Area codes 732 and 848|732]] and [[Area code 908|908]]<ref>[http://www.area-codes.com/search.asp?frmNPA=&frmNXX=&frmState=NJ&frmCity=Plainfield&frmCounty=Union Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Plainfield, NJ], Area-Codes.com. Accessed September 7, 2014.</ref>
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 3403959190<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name="GR2">[https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed September 4, 2014.</ref><ref>[https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey], Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0885355<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name="GR3">[http://geonames.usgs.gov US Board on Geographic Names], [[United States Geological Survey]]. Accessed September 4, 2014.</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.plainfieldnj.gov/}}
|footnotes                = 
}}
[[File:Plainfield Station from North Avenue.jpg|thumb|[[Plainfield station|Downtown Plainfield Train Station]], one of two stations running to New York City on the [[Raritan Valley Line]]]][[File:NETHERWOOD STATION, UNION COUNTY, NJ.jpg|thumb|[[Netherwood station]] on the [[Raritan Valley Line]] to Newark/New York, one of two train stations in Plainfield]]
'''Plainfield''' is a [[City (New Jersey)|city]] in [[Union County, New Jersey|Union County]], in the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Jersey]]. Nicknamed "The Queen City",<ref name=Queen>[https://www.plainfieldnj.gov/residents/about_plainfield/index.php About], City of Plainfield. Accessed December 29, 2021. "Plainfield Is Nicknamed 'The Queen City.'"</ref> it serves as both a regional hub for [[Central Jersey|Central New Jersey]] and a [[bedroom suburb]] of the [[New York Metropolitan area]], located in the [[Raritan River|Raritan Valley region]]. As of the [[2020 United States census]], the city's population, majority [[Latino (demonym)|Latino]] for the first time, was 54,586.<ref name=Census2020/><ref name=LWD2020/> This was an increase of 4,778 (+9.6%) from the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]] count of 49,808,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn reflected an increase of 1,979 (+4.1%) from the 47,829 counted in the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]].<ref name=Census2010XLS>[https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/assets/PDFs/census/2010/2010data/table7cm.xls Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010], [[New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development]], February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref> In 2023, the [[United States Census Bureau|Census Bureau]] [[Population Estimates Program|estimated]] the city's population to be 54,670.<ref name=PopEst/>

The area of present-day Plainfield was originally formed as [[Plainfield Township, New Jersey|Plainfield Township]], a [[township (New Jersey)|township]] that was created on April 5, 1847, from portions of [[Westfield, New Jersey|Westfield Township]], while the area was still part of [[Essex County, New Jersey|Essex County]]. On March 19, 1857, Plainfield Township became part of the newly created Union County.<ref name=Story/>

Plainfield was incorporated as a city by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on April 21, 1869, from portions of Plainfield Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. The city and township coexisted until March 6, 1878, when Plainfield Township was dissolved and parts were absorbed by Plainfield city, with the remainder becoming Fanwood Township (now known as [[Scotch Plains, New Jersey|Scotch Plains]]).<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 240. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref>

The name "Plainfield", also used in both [[North Plainfield, New Jersey|North Plainfield]] and [[South Plainfield, New Jersey|South Plainfield]], is derived from a local estate<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=26 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 20, 2015.</ref> or from its scenic location.<ref>[[Henry Gannett|Gannett, Henry]]. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n246 <!-- pg=247 --> ''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''], p. 247. [[United States Government Printing Office]], 1905. Accessed September 11, 2015.</ref>