Plainfield Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census the population was 30,952. The township is part of the metro Grand Rapids area. It derives its name from the extinct lumbertown of Plainfield founded in 1838 by Andrew Stout at the intersection of the Rogue and Grand rivers. The town name was eventually changed to "Austerlitz" before its eventual dissolution.
Comstock Park is a census-designated place and unincorporated community partially within the township. It is on the west side of the Grand River in the southwest corner of the township and extends west into Alpine Township.
Belmont is an unincorporated community in the township, situated on the north side of the Grand River at exit 95 off U.S. Highway 131 where the Rogue River joins the Grand. Belmont is at. The ZIP code is 49306. It was platted in 1874.
Childsdale was a small unincorporated community within the township located where Childsdale Avenue crosses the Rogue River on the northeastern boundary with Rockford. The small community was the site of a lumber and paper mill and a stop on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. It was started in 1848 around a sawmill. It had a post office starting in 1900.
Chauncey is an unincorporated, also mostly historical settlement on the eastern boundary with Cannon Township where Bear Creek enters the Grand River.
Zip Codes
Grand Rapids: 49525
Comstock Park: 49321
Belmont: 49306
Rockford: 49341
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,195 people, 11,038 households, and 8,168 families residing in the township. The population density was 859.2 per square mile. There were 11,456 housing units at an average density of 326.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 95.68% White, 1.22% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population. There were 11,038 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.22. In the township the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $55,181, and the median income for a family was $62,241. Males had a median income of $45,757 versus $30,122 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,753. About 3.3% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. Most of the southern region of the township is served by the 49505 and 49525 zip codes. Northern areas of the township are served by the 49341 code, western parts are served by 49321, and central portions are served by 49306. Public education in the southern region of the township is provided by Northview Public Schools. Students in the western portion attend Comstock Park Public Schools, and those residents of the northern regions of Plainfield Township are served by Rockford Public Schools.
Major roadways
A major roadway within the township is Plainfield Avenue, which is a state highway with the designation M-44 Connector. This highway intersects with M-44 or Northland Drive near the point where it crosses the Grand River. US-131 runs southwest-northeast through the western half of the township and is a major route carrying traffic to and from points north of Grand Rapids.
Education
serves portions of the township. The district headquarters are in the township and in the Comstock Park CDP. Greenridge Elementary School serves preschool, kindergarten and PPI. Stoney Creek Elementary School has grades 1 and 2. Pine Island Elementary School serves 3 through 5. Mill Creek Middle School has grades 6 through 8. Comstock Park High School serves grades 9 through 12. Of the schools, Pine Island Elementary, Mill Creek Middle School, and Comstock Park High School are in the Plainfield Township limits. Other school districts include: Northview Public Schools, Rockford Public Schools, and Kenowa Hills Public Schools
