Editing Plainfield, Indiana

{{For|the unincorporated community in St. Joseph County|Plainfield, St. Joseph County, Indiana}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Plainfield, Indiana
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in Indiana|Town]]
| image_skyline      = Downtown Plainfield Indiana.JPG
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Plainfield Town Center
| image_flag         = Flag of Plainfield, Indiana.svg
| flag_alt           = 
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = PlainfieldINseal.png
| nickname           = 
| motto              = "A Community of Values"
| image_map          = File:Hendricks County Indiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Plainfield Highlighted 1860246.svg
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = Location of Plainfield in Hendricks County, Indiana.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Indiana}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Indiana|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Hendricks County, Indiana|Hendricks]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[List of townships in Indiana|Township]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Guilford Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Guilford]], [[Liberty Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Liberty]], [[Washington Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Washington]]
| government_type    = [[Town council#Indiana|Town council]]
| leader_title       = [[Town manager]]
| leader_name        = Andrew Klinger{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = 1839
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_18.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_land_km2      = 67.33
| area_water_km2     = 0.33
| area_total_km2     = 67.66
| area_total_sq_mi   = 26.12
| area_land_sq_mi    = 26.00
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.13
| population_footnotes = 
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_total   = 34625
| population_density_km2 = 514.28
<!--2016 est.-->| population_density_sq_mi = 1331.99
| population_demonym = 
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 745
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;4
| coordinates        = {{coord|39|41|51|N|86|23|15|W|region:US-IN_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| website            = {{URL|www.townofplainfield.com}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 46168
| area_code          = [[Area codes 317 and 463|317/463]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 18-60246<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2396859<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2396859}}</ref>
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Plainfield''' is a town in [[Guilford Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Guilford]], [[Liberty Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Liberty]], and [[Washington Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Washington]] townships, [[Hendricks County, Indiana|Hendricks County]], [[Indiana]], United States. The population was 27,631 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]],<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1860246| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Plainfield town, Indiana| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=June 20, 2017}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and in 2022 the estimated population was 36,074.<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2022.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=June 4, 2023}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:FriendsMeeting Plainfield Indiana.JPG|thumb|left|Plainfield Friends Meeting]]
In 1822, a tract of land which included the area now known as Plainfield was obtained by Jeremiah Hadley of [[Preble County, Ohio]]. Ten years later he sold it to his son, Elias Hadley. Levi Jessup and Elias Hadley laid out the town in 1839. Plainfield was incorporated as a town in 1839.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__Gw3AQAAMAAJ | title=History of Hendricks County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions | publisher=B.F. Bowen | author=Hadley, John Vestal | year=1914 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__Gw3AQAAMAAJ/page/n80 77]}}</ref> The town got its name from the early Friends ([[Quakers]]) who settled around the area and established several meetinghouses throughout the county, including the important Western Yearly Meeting of Friends in Plainfield. The Friends were "plain" people, and thus the name "Plainfield". The high school continues to honor the Quakers, using the name for the school's mascot.

Plainfield has long been associated with the [[National Road]], [[U.S. Route 40 in Indiana|U.S. Route 40]], which goes through town as Main Street. One incident which brought Plainfield national attention occurred in 1842 when former President [[Martin Van Buren]] was spilled deliberately from his stagecoach into the thick mud of the highway. The practical joke came as a result of Van Buren's vetoing a bill from Congress to improve the highway, a move which angered Western settlers. When Van Buren came through Plainfield on a swing to shore up his popularity for the 1844 election, a group of perpetrators set up the incident. The elm tree whose roots caused the president's carriage to topple became known as the Van Buren Elm.[https://n.pr/pcxd1f] An elementary school near this site is named Van Buren Elementary School.<ref>Margaret Moore Post: "Our Town Yesterday."</ref><ref>John R. McDowell, ''The History of Hendricks County.''</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://townofplainfield.com/main/index.php?dept=1&action=24|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609012018/http://townofplainfield.com/main/index.php?dept=1&action=24|url-status=dead|title=Town History - Town of Plainfield|archivedate=June 9, 2011}}</ref>

In the 1980s Plainfield became the headquarters of the [[Islamic Society of North America]].

==Geography==
According to the 2010 census, Plainfield has a total area of {{convert|22.38|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|22.27|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (or 99.51%) is land and {{convert|0.11|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (or 0.49%) is water.<ref name="census-g001">{{cite web
  |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1860246
  |title=G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1
  |access-date=July 17, 2015
  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
  |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213063100/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1860246
  |archive-date=February 13, 2020
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>

Plainfield is located in the Central Till Plains region of the United States. There are few moderately sized hills, and a mix of [[deciduous]] forests and [[prairie]] covers much of the area within the town limits. [[White Lick Creek]], a tributary of the [[White River (Indiana)|White River]], flows north to south through the western side of Plainfield. On the eastern side of town, Clark's Creek, a tributary of White Lick Creek, flows towards the south.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=right
|1850= 251
|1870= 795
|1880= 50
|1890= 909
|1910= 1303
|1920= 1373
|1930= 1617
|1940= 1811
|1950= 2585
|1960= 5460
|1970= 8211
|1980= 9191
|1990= 10433
|2000= 18396
|2010= 27631
|2020= 34625
|footnote=Source: US Census Bureau
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 11, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 27,631 people, 9,747 households, and 6,756 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1240.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 10,386 housing units at an average density of {{convert|466.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 85.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 7.8% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.4% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.9% of the population.

There were 9,747 households, of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the town was 35.5 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.8% male and 47.2% female.

==Economy==
A {{convert|1033|acre|ha|abbr=on|adj=on}} warehouse district on the east side of Plainfield, close to [[Indianapolis International Airport]], employs around 5,000 people which is roughly 50 percent of all warehouse jobs in central Indiana.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 26, 2018 |title=Plainfield leads in warehouse jobs, but still sees lots of "help wanted" |url=https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/plainfield-leads-warehouse-jobs-still-sees-lots-help-wanted/531-4f335a22-816b-4e51-afe1-5915fff07954 |access-date=April 22, 2024 |website=wthr.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sabalow |first=Ryan |title=Sprawling warehouses boost Plainfield's economy |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hendricks-county/2014/02/22/sprawling-warehouses-boost-plainfields-economy/5687917/ |access-date=April 22, 2024 |website=The Indianapolis Star |language=en-US}}</ref>

"The Shops at Perry Crossing" is a {{convert|600000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} open-air retail mall.<ref>[http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2014/01/24/memphis-company-poag-buys-metropolis-mall-in-plainfield/4824119/ Memphis company Poag buys Metropolis mall in Plainfield]. indystar.com (February 10, 2014). Retrieved on October 11, 2014.</ref>

The [[Plainfield Correctional Facility]] of the [[Indiana Department of Correction]] is in the western part of Plainfield.<ref>"[http://www.in.gov/idoc/files/DOCAnnualReportREV041910-2.pdf 2009 Annual Report]". [[Indiana Department of Correction]]. 49 (49/100). Retrieved on August 27, 2010.</ref> As of 2019, the prison housed 1,497 inmates, and employed 341 staff.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.in.gov/idoc/files/1119%20OffenderPopulation.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806010825/https://www.in.gov/idoc/files/1119%20OffenderPopulation.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
The town has a lending library, the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.in.gov/library/files/countyindex13.pdf | title=Indiana public library directory | publisher=Indiana State Library | access-date=March 7, 2018 | archive-date=February 18, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218220414/http://in.gov/library/files/countyindex13.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Hendricks County Bridge Number 316]], [[Plainfield Historic District]], and [[THI and E Interurban Depot-Substation]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Hendricks County, Indiana|National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:WhiteLickCreekTrail Plainfield Indiana.jpg|thumb|upright|Restored truss bridge along the White Lick Creek Trail in Plainfield]]

Plainfield maintains approximately {{convert|20|mi|km}} of trails in the town.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.townofplainfield.com/171/Parks-Trails|title=Parks & Trails|website=www.townofplainfield.com}}</ref> The {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} eastern segment of the Vandalia Trail contains re-purposed portions of the former [[Vandalia Railroad (1905–1917)|Vandalia Railroad]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Vandalia Trail|url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/vandalia-trail|website=TrailLink|access-date=January 15, 2024}}</ref>

The Richard A. Carlucci Recreation and Aquatic Center is {{convert|11300|sqft}} and includes basketball courts, an indoor walk/run track, a waterpark, a fitness center, indoor play area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.townofplainfield.com/172/Recreation-Aquatic-Center|title = Richard A. Carlucci Recreation & Aquatic Center &#124; Plainfield, IN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.splashislandplainfield.com/|title=Plainfield Splash Island, IN &#124; Official Website|website=www.splashislandplainfield.com}}</ref>

Hummel Park is a {{convert|205|acre|adj=on}} park that features sports venues, basketball and volleyball courts, baseball diamonds, nature trails, fishing lakes, an amphitheater, and a {{convert|300|ft|adj=on}} wooden bridge across [[White Lick Creek]].<ref>[http://hummelpark.net/ "Hummel Park - Indiana's Largest Township Park"], ''Retrieved on January 2, 2013''.</ref>

==Education==
[[File:VanBurenElm Plainfield Indiana.JPG|thumb|upright|The site of the [[#History|Van Buren Elm]]]]

===Higher education===
Plainfield is home to an [[Ivy Tech Community College]] satellite location that is associated with the Indianapolis main campus.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home - Ivy Tech Community College |url=https://www.ivytech.edu/ |access-date=5 October 2024}}</ref>

===Public school system===
Plainfield's public education system is run by the [[Plainfield Community School Corporation]]. The schools under this body include:

* Guilford Elementary School 
* Brentwood Elementary School
* Central Elementary School
* Van Buren Elementary School
* Clarks Creek Elementary School
* Plainfield Community Middle School
* [[Plainfield High School (Indiana)|Plainfield High School]]

===Private school systems===
Private schools in Plainfield include St. Susanna Catholic School, which is run by St. Susanna Catholic Church of Plainfield.

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
====Transit====
The [[Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority]] operates a commuter bus serving major employers in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cirta.us/workforce-connect/whitestown-connector/|title=Whitestown Connector|access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref>

====Highways====
* [[File:I-70.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 70 in Indiana|Interstate 70]] - I-70 runs east to west along the southern edge of Plainfield.
* [[File:US 40.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 40 in Indiana|US 40]] - also known as the Historic National Road and the Cumberland Road, US 40 passes through the middle of Plainfield and is the main arterial route running east to west in the town. Plainfield's town center is situated around the intersection of US 40 and Center Street, also known as Old State Highway 267.
* [[File:Indiana 267.svg|25px]] [[Indiana State Road 267|State Road 267]] (former) - Plainfield's primary north to south arterial is Quaker Boulevard, formerly SR 267. 
* [[Ronald Reagan Parkway (Indiana)|Ronald Reagan Parkway]] - This route is a secondary north to south arterial on Plainfield's east side.

====Airports====
[[Indianapolis International Airport]] is located immediately east of Plainfield. [[Hendricks County Airport]] is {{convert|5|mi|km|abbr=on}} northwest of Plainfield.

==Notable people==
* [[Mark Hampton]], notable interior designer, was from Plainfield.
* [[Del Harris]], basketball coach, was raised in Plainfield.
* [[Lawson Harvey]], Justice of the [[Indiana Supreme Court]]
* [[James Hurst (American football)|James Hurst]],retired offensive lineman who played for the [[Baltimore Ravens]] and [[New Orleans Saints]].
* [[Ron McQueeney]], director of photography at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]], was raised in Plainfield.
* [[Chris Stout (psychologist)|Chris Stout]], founding director of the Center for Global Initiatives, graduated from Plainfield High School.
* [[Forrest Tucker]], actor, was born in Plainfield.
* [[Ms. Pat|Patricia "Pat" Williams]] known as "Ms. Pat", comedian, moved to Plainfield in 2006<ref>https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2021/08/10/ms-pat-show-bet-plus-patricia-williams-brings-plainfield-indiana-bet-network/7934795002/|title= The Ms. Pat Show brings Plainfield and a different kind of mama to the sitcom screen|access-date=August 1, 2022</ref>
*[[Babar and Haris Suleman]] Pakistani-American father-son pilot duo, buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in 2014

==See also==
{{Portal|Indiana}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*{{Official website|https://www.townofplainfield.com/}}

{{Geographic Location
|Center    = Plainfield
|North     = [[Avon, Indiana|Avon]], [[Brownsburg, Indiana|Brownsburg]]
|Northeast = 
|East      = [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]]
|Southeast = 
|South     = [[Mooresville, Indiana|Mooresville]]
|Southwest = [[Stilesville, Indiana|Stilesville]]
|West      = [[Clayton, Indiana|Clayton]], [[Amo, Indiana|Amo]], [[Coatesville, Indiana|Coatesville]]
|Northwest = [[Danville, Indiana|Danville]]
}}
{{Hendricks County, Indiana}}
{{Indianapolis Metro}}
{{Indiana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Hendricks County, Indiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Indiana]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1839]]
[[Category:National Road]]
[[Category:Indianapolis metropolitan area]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in Indiana]]