Plainville

Plainville, Massachusetts
Town
South Street
Seal
Nickname(s): The ville
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°00′15″N 71°20′00″W / 42.00417°N 71.33333°W / 42.00417; -71.33333Coordinates: 42°00′15″N 71°20′00″W / 42.00417°N 71.33333°W / 42.00417; -71.33333
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Norfolk
Settled	1661
Incorporated	1905
Government
• Type	Open Town Meeting
Area
• Total	11.5 sq mi (29.9 km2)
• Land	11.0 sq mi (28.6 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Elevation	250 ft (76 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	8,264
• Density	749/sq mi (289.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02762
Area code(s)	508 / 774 (508 Exchanges: 643,695,699
FIPS code	25-54100
GNIS feature ID	0618327
Website	http://www.plainville.ma.us

Plainville is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 8,264. Plainville is part of the Boston and Providence metropolitan areas.^[1]

History

Originally included in a 1635 grant of land for Dedham, Massachusetts, the area was later deemed the Plantation of Wollomonuppoag and then later becoming Wrentham, Massachusetts before Plainville branched out as a separate community. Plainville became an officially recognized town in 1905, making it the third youngest town in the state, behind Millville (1916) and East Brookfield (1920).

One of the earliest documentations of Plainville being settled is from 1674, when a Wampanoag man by the name of Matchinamook petitioned and received a few acres of land at the head of the Ten Mile River, at present day Fuller's Dam. As Matchinamook was a native warrior under Wampanoag chieftain Metacomet, or more commonly known in the area as King Philip, he most likely fought during King Philip's War. In its early days, Plainville was nicknamed Slackville after Benjamin Slack, an affluent landowner at the time. After the establishment of a post office in 1856, Plainville became the town name after the abundance of geographical plains in the area. In 1905, Plainville officially separated from Wrentham and became its own town.

Along with bordering North Attleboro, Massachusetts, Plainville shares the Angle Tree Stone, a historic marker dividing the boundaries between the old Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Bay Colony. This is why the Angle Tree Stone is in the official town seal. Along with many notable veterans, Plainville was the home to George Robert Twelves Hewes, a Revolutionary War veteran who also partook in the Boston Tea Party as well as the Battle of Rhode Island.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.6 square miles (30 km²), of which 11.1 square miles (29 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) (4.24%) is water.

Plainville borders the towns of Wrentham, Foxboro, Mansfield, North Attleboro and Cumberland, Rhode Island. Children and teens living in Plainville attend the A.W. Jackson Elementary School for Kindergarten-3rd grade, then the B.H. Wood School for grades 4-6. Children then attend King Philip Middle School and King Philip Regional High School. Other high school options include the Foxborough Regional Charter School, Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, and Bishop Feehan High School, all in neighboring towns.

Demographics

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 7,683 people, 3,009 households, and 2,040 families residing in the town. The population density was 694.6 inhabitants per square mile (268.2/km²). There were 3,111 housing units at an average density of 281.3 per square mile (108.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.77% White, 0.70% African American, 1.63% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.

There were 3,009 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there are 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,155, and the median income for a family was $68,640. Males had a median income of $50,708 versus $32,377 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,816. About 2.4% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2012)

Honey Dew Donuts is based in Plainville. Plainridge Racecourse is granted licensing to become the first slot parlor in the state, with slot machines opening in 2015. The "racino" will also be the home of Doug Flutie's Sports Bar. Also, 2 Dunkin Donuts, A Panera Bread, Chili's, Target, and a Lowes are located in Plainville. Local Businesses are Boston Tropical Tree, Summer Scoops, Osborne's and Distinctively Sweden. Author Jeff Kinney operated a bookstore in the towns center named An Unlikely Story.

Notable people

• Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
• Jim Renner, PGA golfer
• Lofa Tatupu, linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks; raised in Plainville

References

http://digilib.sailsinc.org/plainville/Plainville1930.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plainville, Massachusetts.

• Town website
• Plainville Weather
• The Plainville Times