Plainfield Township, Kent County, Michigan
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For other places named "Plainfield" in Michigan, see Plainfield, Michigan.
Plainfield Township is a charter township in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township forms part of the metro Grand Rapids area. The township derives its name from the extinct lumbertown of Plainfield founded in 1838 by Andrew Stout at the intersection of the Rogue and Grand Rivers. The town name was eventually changed to Austerlitz before its eventual disolution. Plainfield township is borderd by Alpine Township to the west, Algoma Township to the north, Cannon Township to the east, and by Grand Rapids Township to the south.
The Grand River forms the dominant geographical feature of the township, and it features many parks along its banks with available swimming and boating. The township's main roadway is Plainfield Avenue, which is a state highway with the designation M-44 Connector. This highway intersects with M-44 near the point where it crosses the Grand River.
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[edit] Communities
- Belmont is an unincorporated community in the township, situated at exit 95 off U.S. Highway 131 close to where the Rogue River joins the Grand River. Belmont is at . The ZIP code is 49306 and the FIPS place code is 07120. The elevation is 667 feet above sea level.
- Northview is a census-designated place within the township, defined for statistical purposes. It consists of the area north of the boundary with Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township and south of the Grand River.
- Childsdale was a small unincorporated community within the township located where Childsdale avenue crosses the Rogue River just south of Rockford. The small community was the site of a lumber and paper mill and a stop on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 94.6 km² (36.5 mi²). 91.0 km² (35.1 mi²) of it is land and 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²) of it (3.78%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 30,195 people, 11,038 households, and 8,168 families residing in the township. The population density was 331.8/km² (859.2/mi²). There were 11,456 housing units at an average density of 125.9/km² (326.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.68% White, 1.22% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 11,038 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the township the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $55,181, and the median income for a family was $62,241. Males had a median income of $45,757 versus $30,122 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,753. About 3.3% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
- Plainfield Township official website
- Plainfield Township Chapter XII in Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan : historical account of their progress from first settlement to the present time / Ernest B. Fisher, editor. Chicago [Ill.]: Robert O. Law Company, 1918.
