Plainfield, Indiana

File:FriendsMeeting Plainfield Indiana.JPG

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.{{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]}} 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, 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.Margaret Moore Post: "Our Town Yesterday."John R. McDowell, The History of Hendricks County.{{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}}

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

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.{{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

}}

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, 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.

{{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

}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 11, 2012}} 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, 7.8% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or 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 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.

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.{{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}}{{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}}

"The Shops at Perry Crossing" is a {{convert|600000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} open-air retail mall.[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.

The Plainfield Correctional Facility of the Indiana Department of Correction is in the western part of Plainfield."[http://www.in.gov/idoc/files/DOCAnnualReportREV041910-2.pdf 2009 Annual Report]". Indiana Department of Correction. 49 (49/100). Retrieved on August 27, 2010. As of 2019, the prison housed 1,497 inmates, and employed 341 staff.{{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 }}

The town has a lending library, the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library.{{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 }}

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.{{NRISref|version=2010a}}

File:WhiteLickCreekTrail Plainfield Indiana.jpg

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

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.townofplainfield.com/172/Recreation-Aquatic-Center|title = Richard A. Carlucci Recreation & Aquatic Center | Plainfield, IN}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.splashislandplainfield.com/|title=Plainfield Splash Island, IN | Official Website|website=www.splashislandplainfield.com}}

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.[http://hummelpark.net/ "Hummel Park - Indiana's Largest Township Park"], Retrieved on January 2, 2013.

File:VanBurenElm Plainfield Indiana.JPG]]

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

The vast majority of Plainfield is in the Plainfield Community School Corporation.{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st18_in/schooldistrict_maps/c18063_hendricks/DC20SD_C18063.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Hendricks County, IN|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=December 18, 2020|access-date=2024-06-07}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st18_in/schooldistrict_maps/c18063_hendricks/DC20SD_C18063_SD2MS.txt Text list] 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

Some portions of Plainfield extend into the Avon Community School Corporation and the Mill Creek Community School Corporation. The Avon district operates Avon High School and the Mill Creek district operates Cascade High School.

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

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

• 25px Interstate 70 - I-70 runs east to west along the southern edge of Plainfield.
• 25px 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.
• 25px State Road 267 (former) - Plainfield's primary north to south arterial is Quaker Boulevard, formerly SR 267.
• Ronald Reagan Parkway - This route is a secondary north to south arterial on Plainfield's east side.

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

• 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,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, founding director of the Center for Global Initiatives, graduated from Plainfield High School.
• Forrest Tucker, actor, was born in Plainfield.
• Patricia "Pat" Williams known as "Ms. Pat", comedian, moved to Plainfield in 2006https://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
• Babar and Haris Suleman Pakistani-American father-son pilot duo, buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in 2014

{{Portal|Indiana}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons}}

• {{Official website|https://www.townofplainfield.com/}}

{{Geographic Location

|Center = Plainfield

|North = Avon, Brownsburg

|Northeast =

|East = Indianapolis

|Southeast =

|South = Mooresville

|Southwest = Stilesville

|West = Clayton, Amo, Coatesville

|Northwest = 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