Plainfield, New Hampshire

Plainfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 2,364. The town is home to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and Annie Duncan State Forest.

The central settlement in town, where 205 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Plainfield census-designated place (CDP) and is located along New Hampshire Route 12A. Plainfield includes the village of Meriden, home to Kimball Union Academy, a private preparatory school.

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 northern 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. Parrish purchased land close to his parents' estate in 1898, at the age of 28, and relocated after leaving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 in Arizona, and a nine-month period when he resided and worked in New York City. In 1910, Ernest Harold Baynes founded the Meriden Bird Club, the first institution of its type in the nation.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 52.9 sqmi, of which 52.2 sqmi is land and 0.8 sqmi 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 2660 ft above sea level.

The town is crossed by the north-south state routes 12A and 120. Route 12A, serving the western part of the town, passes through the village of Plainfield. Route 120, passing through the eastern part of the town, serves the village of Meriden.

Demographics
As of the census 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 per square mile (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.

Notable people

 * Ethel Barrymore, actress (summer resident)
 * Stephen Breyer, justice of the supreme court (vacation home)
 * Edward and Elaine Brown, tax protesters
 * Ben Cherington, general manager of the Boston Red Sox
 * Donella Meadows and Dennis Meadows, activists and co-authors of The Limits to Growth, resided in Plainfield from the early 1970s to just before the turn of the century
 * Maxfield Parrish, artist and illustrator
 * Will Sheff, musician
 * Ellen Biddle Shipman, landscape architect
 * Evan Shipman, horse racing authority (summer resident)
 * Hollis Smith, businessman and Canadian politician
 * Peter C. Whybrow, author, psychiatrist, and director of the Semel Institute at UCLA