Plainfield, NH

Plainfield's census-designated village is the namesake center of the larger Sullivan County town, set along New Hampshire Route 12A near the Connecticut River. The CDP counted 178 people in 2020; the town's larger population includes Meriden and East Plainfield, so the village number describes the local footprint. Plainfield was chartered in 1761 and developed as an agricultural community whose civic life is spread across small village centers. The river and highway make the village's position legible on any trip through western Sullivan County.

Today, Plainfield village carries several of those everyday functions. Plainfield Elementary serves most local children through grade eight, the Plainfield public library sits in the village, and Route 12A links north to Interstate 89 in West Lebanon and south toward Cornish and the Connecticut River crossing. Kimball Union Academy and a second public library are in Meriden, giving the broader town an education and library network split between its villages. The CDP stays compact, and its road and civic connections reach across the Connecticut River valley.