A home on North Bartlett Ave displays Plainfield’s original residential character. Devastated by a tornado on August 28, 1990, this once-rural town 35 miles southwest of the Loop has rebounded to become one of Chicagoland’s—and even the Midwest’s—fastest-growing communities.
As the 21st century approached, farms that had long hosted corn stalks and beans transferred from agricultural hands into the hands of residential developers. As subdivisions began popping up throughout the 12-square mile village, Plainfield’s population exploded. In 1990, Plainfield’s population sat at 4,557. A decade later residents numbered 13,038. Today, the village’s population rings in at a still-expanding 37,000.
Indeed, residential subdivisions—not to mention 21st century suburbia with its commercial hot spots and strip malls—now blanket the once-quiet village. Starter homes in Plainfield hover near the $200,000 mark for new, three-bedroom, 2.5-bath residences t within an arm’s reach of neighbor houses.
Those moving up to the $350,000-$400,000 price point discover homes topping 2,400 square feet with wider, deeper lots (often 90 by 150 feet), top-notch amenities (granite countertops, hardwood floors), four bedrooms, three baths, and three-car garages.
“You go just a touch north to Naperville and you’re finding comparable homes that are [more expensive],” said Brett McIntyre of John Greene Realtor in Plainfield. “People come here because they can get a lot more for their money and don’t mind the extra drive.”
Plainfield’s population explosion has sparked a rapid construction of schools to accommodate the community’s many families. Plainfield students now attend 17 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and four high schools, a distant cry from the one high school the community claimed in 1990. An eighth middle school and three more elementary schools are slated to open by 2011.
“They’re building schools left and right in town, but it shows that the village is doing a lot of forward thinking,” said McIntyre.
Despite the high schools’ brief histories—Plainfield South (est. 2001), Plainfield North (est. 2005), and Plainfield East (est. 2008) join the original Central High campus—much has been accomplished in quick time. The district claims an average ACT score near the state average of 20.3.
What residents say“My family and I enjoy easy access to so much—parks, shopping, restaurants, and I-55. But one of the real neat things is that we’ve been a part of Plainfield’s immense growth. We can look back and say that we’ve helped shape the town’s character; we’ve seen it evolve just in the short time we’ve been here and it seems like there’s no end in sight.”
--Laura Coddington, moved to Plainfield in 2005
"There's an energy to Plainfield because it's a growing area with a lot of young families and kids as well as plenty of new schools with top-notch facilities. The proximity to Route 59 and I-55 certainly doesn't hurt either."
--Mark Molinari, moved to Plainfield in 2004
Village of Plainfield
24401 W. Lockport St.
815-436-7093
Official Web site: http://www.plainfield-il.org/
Natural gas: NICOR, 888-642-6748
Electricity: ComEd, 800-334-7661
Garbage: Waste Management, 800-747-2278
Phone: AT&T, 888-824-8314
Cable: Comcast, 866-594-1234
Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce
http://www.plainfieldchamber.com/
815-436-4431
Population: 13,038
Median household income: $80,799
Median house price: $198,300
- Hispanic origin (any race): 4%
- 97%
- 1%
- 1%
- 1%
- White
- Black
- Asian
- Other
- 6%
- 45%
- 41%
- 8%
- No diploma
- High school
- Bachelor's
- Master's & above
- 3%
- 8%
- 7%
- 9%
- 10%
- 7%
- 13%
- 4%
- 6%
- 14%
- 11%
- 4%
- 4%
- <5
- 5-9
- 10-14
- 15-19
- 20-24
- 25-29
- 30-34
- 35-39
- 40-44
- 45-59
- 60-89
- 90+
- Work@home
