Plainfield is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in the Northern part of Sullivan County and encompasses a total area of 52.9 square miles, .8 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Plainfield was home to 2,364 people.
The town of Plainfield was first incorporated in 1716 by Governor Benning Wentworth. It gleans its name from Plainfield, Connecticut, where many of the town’s early settlers hailed from. In 1780, parts of the town, along with parts of Grantham, were separated and incorporated at Meriden Parish. Nearly a century later in 1856, Meriden Parish was annexed back to Plainfield. It is now the site of Kimball Union Academy.
Less than 2 percent of Plainfield’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to parts of the Connecticut River, Blood’s Brook and Blow-me-down Brook. Its highest point is located at Grantham Mountain, where elevation reaches 2,660 feet above sea level. Plainfield is served by New Hampshire Route 12A, New Hampshire Route 120 and Interstate 89.
Plainfield is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Kimball Union Academy, North Country Door, Town Line Equipment, McNamara Dairy, Taylor Farm, Garfield’s Smokehouse, Edgewater Farms and Riverview Farm.
Children in the area attend Plainfield School for grades kindergarten through eighth. For grades nine through 12, they attend Lebanon High School in the nearby town of Lebanon. They also may choose to attend Kimball Union Academy, a private school. For recreation and entertainment, Plainfield residents can enjoy the town’s municipal parks, museums, youth organizations, fishing and hunting areas, snowmobile trails, bicycle trails and cross country skiing. The town is also in close proximity to the Whaleback, Mount Sunapee and Mount Ascutney ski areas.