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Touted as the oldest community in Will County, this Chicago suburb is anything but plain. Packed with historic charm, classic architecture and natural landscaping, Plainfield is one of the states prime living destinations. Similar to the city of Chicago, Plainfield is in the process of preserving its historical spots with a specialized Landmark and District Designation program. Many of the private homes here have been restored to their original character and are even considered official community Landmarks.
Plainfield is about 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois, and 15 miles from Naperville with a population of about 17,000. It is also close to several interstates and state highways making it an excellent place to live or work. Founded in 1834, Plainfield is the oldest community in Will County.
A large community of Potawatomie Indians lived along the banks of the DuPage River. These semi-permanent settlements of the Indians laid the foundation for what would become Plainfield. The first white men in the area were French fur traders, in the 1820s. By 1834, Plainfield consisted of thirteen blocks. Many fine, though simple, wood-framed residences were built.
The location of Plainfield is of note as the two longest highways in the world intersected in Plainfield: Route 66 and the Lincoln Highway (now Route 30). Lincoln Highway was the first paved, transcontinental highway from New York to San Francisco. Later, when U.S. Route 66 crossed the Lincoln Highway in the heart of the village, Plainfield was at the intersection of two these two famous roads.
By 1960, Plainfield had grown from a small, rural community to a modern suburb of Chicago. It now attracts many new residents, businesses, and industries. The community continues to expand and new businesses and residences are being interwoven into the existing fabric of the community.
Youll be hard-pressed to find a block of Plainfield that doesnt paint a picture of times past. In addition to its numerous historic homes, this Chicago suburb boasts a rare one-room schoolhouse that was constructed in 1847 and an old Standard Oil Gas Station from 1928. The area was also once inhabited by a group of abolitionists who operated secret stations in the Underground Railroad.
New housing developments in the Village of Plainfield include: Auburn Lakes, Bronk Estates, Cambridge at Liberty Grove, Century Trace, Estates at Heritage Meadows, Kensington Club, Park Place, Prairie Ponds, Wilding Pointe and a new subdivision called Kings Crossing. These communities provide a variety of custom homes with unique designs. Cambridge at Carillon, near Plainfield, was the first major age-restricted development in the area. It was named one of the top 100 master-planned developments by Where To Retire Magazine.
Plainfield boasts a number of parks and recreational spots including the Ottawa Street Pool. Residents can pay a small daily fee to get in, or beat the crush of summertime swimmers to the pool by investing in a seasonal pass. (Pass holders get in 15 minutes before the pool opens and they also have access to special events for no extra cost.) The River Edge and Streams recreation centers are also popular places in Plainfield for people of all ages and interests to spend their free time. Both sites offer family-friendly affairs and activities as well as rentable rooms for group events and parties.
In addition to the ample public amenities, the beautifully landscaped residential streets of Plainfield have sparked a huge population increase over the years. In addition to its vintage architecture, the suburb has also made way for numerous new constructions and its likely theyll continue to build, due to an expected population growth as large as 120,000 by 2030 (last count had only 37,334 people living in the village in 2007). Its hard to believe that Plainfield was once little more than a small agricultural town. But now this expanding southwest side Chicago suburb is a viable twenty-first century community.
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