Plainfield Township, Kent County, Michigan

For other places named "Plainfield" in Michigan, see Plainfield, Michigan (disambiguation).

Plainfield Charter Township, Michigan
—  Charter township  —
Location of Belmont, Michigan
Coordinates: 43°3′32″N 85°36′49″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Kent
Area
• Total	36.5 sq mi (94.6 km2)
• Land	35.1 sq mi (91.0 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
Elevation	663 ft (202 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	30,195
• Density	859.2/sq mi (331.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code	26-64660
GNIS feature ID	1626912

Plainfield Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the 2000 census, the population was 30,195 . The township forms part of the metro Grand Rapids area. It 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 dissolution. Plainfield township is borderd by Alpine Township to the west, Algoma Township to the north, Cannon Township to the east, and Grand Rapids Township to the south.

Communities

• Northview is a census-designated unincorporated community within the township, defined for statistical purposes. It's located between the boundaries with Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Township, Comstock Park, and Belmont.
• Comstock Park is a census-designated unincorporated community within the township, defined for statistical purposes. It's the part of Plainfield Township that is located on the west side of the Grand River.
• Belmont is an unincorporated community in the township, situated on the North side at exit 95 off U.S. Highway 131 close to where the Rogue River joins the Grand River. Belmont is at 43°04′32″N 85°36′33″W. The ZIP code is 49306.
• Childsdale (historic) was a small unincorporated community within the township located where Childsdale avenue crosses the Rogue River on the north eastern boundary with Rockford. The small community was the site of a lumber and paper mill and a stop on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad.
• Chauncey (also known as Buena Vista and Imperial Mills) is an unincorporated, also mostly historical settlement on the eastern boundary with Cannon Township where Bear Creek enters the Grand River.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.5 square miles (94.6 km²), of which, 35.1 square miles (91.0 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (3.78%) is water. The dominant geographical feature of the township is the Grand River, which has many parks along its banks with available swimming and boating.

Zip Codes

• Grand Rapids- 49525
• Comstock Park- 49321
• Belmont- 49306
• Rockford- 49341

School Districts

• Northview Public Schools
• Comstock Park Public Schools
• Rockford Public Schools

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 30,195 people, 11,038 households, and 8,168 families residing in the township. The population density was 859.2 per square mile (331.8/km²). There were 11,456 housing units at an average density of 326.0 per square mile (125.9/km²). 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.

Most of the southern region of the township is served by the 49505 (Grand Rapids) and 49525 zip codes. Northern areas of the township are served by the 49341 (Rockford) code, western parts are served by 49321 (Comstock Park), and central portions are served by 49306 (Belmont).

Public education in the southern region of the township is provided by Northview Public Schools. Students in the western portion attend Comstock Park Public Schools, and those residents of the northern regions of Plainfield Township are served by Rockford Public Schools.

Major roadways

A major roadway within the township 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. US-131 runs southwest-northeast through the western half of the township and is a major route carrying traffic to and from points north of Grand Rapids.

See also

• Kent District Library

External links

• Plainfield Avenue Community Website
• Plainfield Township official website
• TheRockfordNetwork.com Community 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.