The Plainfields

The Plainfields are a group of three municipalities spanning the convergence of Somerset, Union, and Middlesex Counties in New Jersey, all of which have the word Plainfield in their name. They are the Borough of North Plainfield (Somerset County), City of Plainfield (Union County), and the Borough of South Plainfield (Middlesex County). The towns of Scotch Plains and Fanwood are nearby.

The region was part of the colonial era Elizabethtown Tract and later part of Piscataway settled by Scottish Quakers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.^[1] Among them, was John Laing, whose holdings were known as Plainfield Plantation. It is not certain whether the name derives from the plain clothing worn by the founders or is a reference to the landscape.^[2]

While each community has its own independent government, and the three municipalities have no shared governance even at the county level, the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 40 on Interstate 78, for example, refers to "The Plainfields" as a destination.

References

^ "National Register off Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Veit, Richard F. (2001), South Plainfield, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7385-1111-5

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Plainfields, New Jersey.

Raritan Valley

Geography	Raritan River North Branch Raritan River South Branch Raritan River Millstone River Green Brook Lawrence Brook South River Raritan Bay Raritan Bayshore

Central communities	The Amboys Perth Amboy South Amboy The Brunswicks East Brunswick New Brunswick North Brunswick South Brunswick Bedminster Branchburg Clinton Edison Franklin Township Green Brook Matawan Middletown Millstone Borough The Plainfields Plainfield North Plainfield South Plainfield Raritan Borough Sayreville South River Woodbridge

Larger-sized communities (over 25,000 in 2020)	Bernardsville Bridgewater East Windsor Freehold Township Hillsborough Lawrenceville Manalapan Marlboro Monroe Mount Olive Old Bridge Piscataway Princeton West Windsor

Smaller-sized communities (10,000 to 25,000 in 2020)	Aberdeen Berkeley Heights Bound Brook Clinton Township Freehold Borough Hazlet Highland Park Holmdel Hopewell Township Manville Metuchen Middlesex Millstone Township Montgomery Plainsboro Raritan Township Readington Scotch Plains Somerville Springfield Summit Warren

Counties

History

Raritan River watershed

Tributaries

Lakes

Towns

Hunterdon County	Bethlehem Califon Clinton Borough Clinton Township East Amwell Flemington Franklin Glen Gardner Hampton High Bridge Lebanon Borough Lebanon Township Raritan Readington Tewksbury Union West Amwell
Mercer County	East Windsor Hightstown Hopewell Borough Hopewell Township Lawrence Pennington Princeton Robbinsville West Windsor
Middlesex County	The Amboys Perth Amboy South Amboy The Brunswicks East Brunswick New Brunswick North Brunswick South Brunswick Cranbury Dunellen Edison Helmetta Highland Park Jamesburg Metuchen Middlesex Milltown Monroe Old Bridge Piscataway Plainsboro Sayreville South Plainfield South River Spotswood Woodbridge
Monmouth County	Englishtown Freehold Borough Freehold Township Manalapan Marlboro Millstone Roosevelt
Morris County	Chester Borough Chester Township Mendham Borough Mendham Township Mount Olive Washington
Somerset County	Bedminster Bernards Bernardsville Bound Brook Branchburg Bridgewater Far Hills Franklin Green Brook Hillsborough Manville Millstone Montgomery North Plainfield Peapack-Gladstone Raritan Rocky Hill Somerville South Bound Brook Warren Watchung
Union County	Berkeley Heights Fanwood Mountainside Plainfield Scotch Plains Springfield Summit

Crossings

This page was last edited on 11 March 2024, at 21:39

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See also

References