Plainfield, VT

Plainfield is a Washington County town of 1,236 residents at the 2020 census, with its primary village tucked along the Winooski River and U.S. Route 2. The river once powered mills; early Plainfield had a dam, sawmill, gristmill, and general stores around the village. The town incorporated in 1867, but its older commercial bones are still visible on Main Street, where old meetinghouses, stores, and the Cutler Memorial Library keep the center from feeling like a road number. The village's older center still rewards a slow drive.

Plainfield is also home to the former Goddard College campus, whose 117-acre property west of the village drew students, artists, and back-to-the-land culture for decades. The college closed in 2024, but the buildings remain part of the landscape and local story. To the east, Spruce Mountain rises in Groton State Forest; to the west, the Winooski opens routes through the valley. Plainfield's feel comes from the way village history, river, and a slightly eccentric college past sit within a short walk.