Live Webcam

Plainfield, NH

Community Contact Plainfield Board of Selectmen
Steve Halleran, Town Administrator
PO Box 380
Meriden, NH 03770
 
Telephone (603) 469-3201
Fax (603) 469-3642
E-mail plainfield.ta@plainfieldnh.org
Web Site www.plainfieldnh.org
 
Municipal Office Hours Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4 pm
 
County Sullivan
Labor Market Area Lebanon NH-VT Micro-NECTA, NH Portion
Tourism Region Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee
Planning Commission Upper Valley/Lake Sunapee
Regional Development Capital Regional Development Council
 
Election Districts  
US Congress
 District 2
Executive Council
 District 1
State Senate
 District 5
State Representative
 Sullivan County District 1
Incorporated: 1761
 
Origin: Settled by a group from Plainfield, Connecticut, Plainfield is one of the towns chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761 at the beginning of the reign of King George III. A part of Plainfield with a portion of Grantham was separated into Meriden Parish in 1780. Meriden became the site of Kimball Union Academy, established in 1813. Daniel Kimball donated a large collection of books to the town for a library in 1797, along with $6,000 for a school, to which his widow added $40,000. The entire Meriden Parish was annexed to Plainfield in 1856.
 
Villages and Place Names: East Plainfield, Hell Hollow, Meriden, Mill Village, Coryville, Plainfield Village
 
Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 1,024 residents in 1790
 
Population Trends: Population change for Plainfield totaled 1,243 over 50 years, from 1,011 in 1950 to 2,254 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was an increase of 32 percent between 1970 and 1980, following a 24 percent increase over the previous decade. The 2008 Census estimate for Plainfield was 2,444 residents, which ranked 120th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.
 
Population Density, 2008: 46.8 persons per square mile of land area. Plainfield contains 52.2 square miles of land area and 0.8 square miles of inland water area.
 
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Type of Government Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2006 $1,644,785
Budget: School Appropriations, 2006 $4,962,567
Zoning Ordinance 1959/07
Master Plan 2003
Capital Improvement Plan Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:
 Selectmen; Library
Appointed:
 Planning; Zoning; Conservation

Public Library Meriden; Philip Read Memorial

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department Full-time
Fire Department Volunteer
Emergency Medical Service Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s) Distance Staffed Beds
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Med Ctr, Lebanon 13 miles 369
Alice Peck Day Memorial, Lebanon 10 miles 25
     

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier PSNH; Granite State; NH Electric Coop
Natural Gas Supplier None
Water Supplier Plainfield/Meriden Village District

Sanitation Private septic
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Yes
Solid Waste Disposal  
Curbside Trash Pickup
 Municipal
Pay-As-You-Throw Program
 Yes
Recycling
 Voluntary

Telephone Company Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access Yes
Cable Television Access Yes
Public Access Television Station No
High Speed Internet Service:  
Business
 Yes
Residential
 Yes

PROPERTY TAXES (NH Dept. of Revenue Adminstration) 
2008 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $22.00
2008 Equalization Ratio 96.4
2008 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $20.71

2008 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings
 92.5%
Commercial Land and Buildings
 4.1%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other
 3.4%

HOUSING (NH Office of Energy and Planning) 
2008 Total Housing Units 988
   
2008 Single-Family Units 835
Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units
 3
2008 Multi-Family Units 75
Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units
 0
2008 Manufactured Housing Units 78
   
DEMOGRAPHICS (US Census Bureau) 
Total Population Community County
2008 2,444 42,591
2000 2,254 40,560
1990 2,059 38,652
1980 1,749 36,063
1970 1,323 30,949

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male
 1,136
Female
 1,105

Population by Age Group
Under age 5
 137
Age 5 to 19
 471
Age 20 to 34
 309
Age 35 to 54
 870
Age 55 to 64
 226
Age 65 and over
 228
Median Age
 40 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher
 91.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
 38.2%

ANNUAL INCOME, 1999 (US Census Bureau) 
Per capita income $26,062
Median 4-person family income $61,205
Median household income $57,083

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male
 $36,968
Female
 $29,491

Families below the poverty level 1.8%

LABOR FORCE (NHES - ELMI) 
Annual Average 1998 2008
Civilian Labor Force
 1,434 1,638
Employed
 1,421 1,609
Unemployed
 13 29
Unemployment Rate
 0.9% 1.8%

EMPLOYMENT & WAGES (NHES - ELMI) 
Annual Average Covered Employment 1998 2008
Goods Producing Industries    
Average Employment
 70 86
Average Weekly Wage
 $392 $450
     
Service Providing Industries    
Average Employment
 274 308
Average Weekly Wage
 $429 $749
     
Total Private Industry    
Average Employment
 344 393
Average Weekly Wage
 $421 $684
     
Government (Federal, State, and Local)    
Average Employment
 29 35
Average Weekly Wage
 $316 $479
     
Total, Private plus Government    
Average Employment
 373 428
Average Weekly Wage
 $413 $667
n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

EDUCATION/CHILD CARE FACILITIES (NH Dept. of Education)
Schools students attend: Plainfield operates grades K-8; grades 9-12 are tuitioned to Lebanon District: SAU 32
Career Technology Center(s): Hartford Career and Technical Center, White River Junction VT Region: 07
 
Educational Facilities Elementary Middle/Junior High High School Private/Parochial
Number of Schools
 1     1
Grade Levels
 K 1-8     9-12
Total Enrollment
 258     344
NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2009: Total Facilities: 3 Total Capacity: 27
Nearest Community/Technical College: River Valley
Nearest Colleges or Universities: Dartmouth; Lebanon; Colby-Sawyer

LARGEST BUSINESSES PRODUCT/SERVICE EMPLOYEES ESTABLISHED
Kimball Union Academy Private school    
North Country Door Cabinet, door manufacturing    
Town Line Equipment Heavy equipment dealer    
McNamara Dairy Glass bottle milk    
Taylor Farm Maple products    
Garfield's Smokehouse Smoked products    
Edgewater Farms Farmstand, greenhouses, and PYO strawberries    
Riverview Farm PYO apples & berries    
       
       

TRANSPORTATION  (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access US Routes  
  State Routes 12A, 120
Nearest Interstate, Exit I-89, Exit 15
         Distance 7 miles
Railroad No
Public Transportation No
 
Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Lebanon Municipal
Runway
 5,496 ft. asphalt
Lighted?
 Yes  Navigational Aids? Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Lebanon Municipal Distance 10 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport 1

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH
 68 miles
Portland, ME
 153 miles
Boston, MA
 118 miles
New York City, NY
 262 miles
Montreal, Quebec
 192 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK (US Census)
Workers 16 years and over  
Drove alone, car/truck/van
 78.3%
Carpooled, car/truck/van
 10.8%
Public transportation
 0.3%
Walked
 3.0%
Other Means
 1.2%
Worked at home
 6.3%
Mean Travel Time to Work 22.5 minutes
   
Percent of Working Residents:  
Working in community of residence
 20%
Commuting to another NH community
 68%
Commuting out-of-state
 12%
   
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X Municipal Parks
  YMCA/YWCA
  Boys Club/Girls Club
  Golf Courses
  Swimming: Indoor Facility
  Swimming: Outdoor Facility
  Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
  Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
  Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
  Bowling Facilities
X Museums
  Cinemas
  Performing Arts Facilities
  Tourists Attractions
X Youth Organizations (i.e., Scouts, 4-H)
X Youth Sports: Baseball
X Youth Sports: Soccer
  Youth Sports: Football
X Youth Sports: Basketball
  Youth Sports: Hockey
  Campgrounds
X Fishing/Hunting
  Boating/Marinas
X Snowmobile Trails
X Bicycle Trails
X Cross Country Skiing
  Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
  Overnight or Day Camps
   
  Nearest Ski Area(s): Mount Sunapee, Mount Ascutney (VT)
   
  Other: Meriden Covered Bridge; Annual 4th of July Parade; Maxfield Parrish Stage Set

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2009. Community Response Received 09/18/09

All information regarding the communities is from sources deemed reliable and is submitted subject to errors, omissions, modifications, and withdrawals without notice. No warranty or representation is made as to the accuracy of the information contained herein. Specific questions regarding individual cities and towns should be directed to the community contact.