The Plainfields are a group of municipalities spanning the convergence of Somerset

Somerset County, New Jersey

Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....

, Union

Union County, New Jersey

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...

, and Middlesex

Middlesex County, New Jersey

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...

 Counties in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, all of which have the word Plainfield in their name. They are the Borough of North Plainfield

North Plainfield, New Jersey

North Plainfield is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 21,936....

 (Somerset County), City of Plainfield

Plainfield, New Jersey

Plainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population increased to a record high of 49,808....

 (Union County), and the Borough of South Plainfield

South Plainfield, New Jersey

South Plainfield is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 23,385....

 (Middlesex County). Scotch Plains

Scotch Plains, New Jersey

Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the township population increased to a record high of 23,510.-History:...

 is nearby.

The region was part of the colonial era Elizabethtown Tract

Elizabethtown Tract

The Elizabethtown Tract was a property that was purchased on October 28, 1664, by John Baily, Daniel Denton and Luke Watson from the Native Americans that is in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey....

 and later part of Piscataway Township settled by Scottish Quakers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Among them, was John Laing, whose holdings were known as Plainfield Planatation

Laing House of Plainfield Plantation

Laing House of Plainfield Plantation is a historic home in Edison, New Jersey built in the early 1700s when the region was being settled by Scottish Quakers in the late 17th and early 18th century, as recalled in the name of The Plainfields and Scotch Plains. The region was part of the colonial era...

. It it not certain whether the name derives from the plain clothing worn by the founders or is a reference to the landscape.

While each community has its own independent government, and the three municipalities have no shared governance even at the county level, the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 40 on Interstate 78

Interstate 78

Interstate 78 is an Interstate Highway in the Northeast United States, running 144 miles from Interstate 81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown, Pennsylvania, and western and northern New Jersey to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.I-78 is a major road...

, for example, refers to "The Plainfields" as a destination.

See also

For other groups of similarly named municipalities in New Jersey, see:

• The Amboys
  The Amboys
  The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, both of which have the word Amboy in their name. The two municipalities are the City of Perth Amboy and the City of South Amboy, located across from each other on the Raritan Bay....
  
  
• The Brunswicks
  The Brunswicks
  The Brunswicks are a group of four municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word Brunswick in their name. New Brunswick, New Jersey, the first formed of the four, was named in 1730 after the British royal House of Brunswick...
  
  
• The Caldwells
  The Caldwells
  The Caldwells are a group of three municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word Caldwell in their name. All of these communities are named after the Reverend James Caldwell, a Patriot who played an active role supporting the Continental Army during the American...
  
  
• The Oranges
  The Oranges
  The Oranges are a group of four municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word Orange in their name. All of these communities were named for the ruler of England, William III of England, also known as William of Orange...
  
  
• The Ridgefields
  The Ridgefields
  The Ridgefields are a pair of municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey, both of which have the word Ridgefield in their name. The two municipalities are the Borough of Ridgefield and the Village of Ridgefield Park....
  
  
• The Wildwoods
  The Wildwoods
  The Wildwoods are a group of five municipalities in Cape May County, New Jersey, all of which are situated on the Island of Five Mile Beach, a barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean...