Plainfield is located 35 miles away from downtown Chicago, 40 miles from O'Hare International Airport, and 30 miles from Midway Airport. Its location offers residents the advantages of easy access to major highways that lead into the city, and at the same time, the beauty of scenic pastoral surroundings.
The current population of Plainfield is 27,000, and the 2030 projected population is 53,000. It is Will County's oldest community and one of the fastest growing in Illinois. It is said that Plainfield was the home of the very first ice cream sundae. Supposedly, a Plainfield druggist created the sundae at the urging of his patrons to serve something different. He topped some ice cream with syrup, named it the "Sonntag" after his surname, and since Sonntag means Sunday in German, the ice cream sundae was thus born.
The focal point of Plainfield is its historic downtown district and adjacent historic neighborhoods. The area contains buildings dating back to the1830s, and many of the homes in the nearby neighborhood are considered historical masterpieces. Local sites on the National Register of Historic Places include the Plainfield House on Main Street, the Flanders House, also on Main Street, and the former Standard Oil station on Lockport Street.
Plainfield's downtown area also contains various stores in categories such as fashion, hardware, auto supplies, antiques and collectibles, fine art, and more. The village is a few minutes away from Westfield Fox Valley Mall in Aurora and Westfield Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet. Louis Joliet Mall recently underwent a $2 million dollar renovation and is now a 920,000-square-foot shopping mall.
Housing runs the gamut from older Victorians and ranch style homes to modern residences. Condominiums, and townhomes are also available. For June 2007, the average home selling price in Plainfield was $282,392, with an average price per square foot of $134. These figures include both single family homes and condos. While this data is collected from the MLS and deemed reliable, it is not guaranteed.
Plainfield's top-notch school system is a major attraction for new residents. Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 provides an education for residents in Bolingbrook, Crest Hill, Joliet, Naperville, Plainfield and Romeoville, as well as unincorporated Will and Kendall Counties.
District 202 currently has a combined preschool and early childhood program, 14 elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, and an alternative school. For the 2006-2007 school year, District 202 will open a new elementary school and its sixth middle school.
In their spare time, residents can visit the Plainfield Public Library, the Lockport Street Gallery in downtown Plainfield, see some ballet at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, relax at one of 78 area parks, take some horseback riding lessons at the Normantown Trails Equestrian Center, or go for a swim at the Ottawa Street Pool.
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