Plainwell is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,788 at the 2020 census.

Plainwell is located on M-89 just east of its junction with US 131. The city of Otsego is about to the west. The city of Kalamazoo is about to the south, and the city of Grand Rapids is about to the north. The Kalamazoo River flows through the center of the city and it is known as "The Island City".

History

This part of Michigan was settled in the 1830s, after the removal of native people. Allegan County was organized in 1835, and the Plainwell area was settled soon after. It was on a stagecoach route from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids, and later the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad was constructed along the same route. After the advent of the automobile, U.S. Route 131 was created and run through the town. In the 1960s, an improved 4-lane US-131 was built west of town to connect Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, with an interchange on M-89 between Plainwell and Otsego. This allowed the town to become a kind of "bedroom community" for Kalamazoo or the southern part of Grand Rapids.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The nickname Island City has to do with a power canal which diverts a portion of the Kalamazoo River around the downtown area, causing it to be an island.

Major highways

  • is a freeway that is located in the western portion of the city.
  • follows M-89 for most of its route in Plainwell, but soon has a concurrency with U.S. 131 just before the city line.
  • has a concurrency with M-43 for most of its route in Plainwell, but continues west alone into Otsego.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Plainwell had a population of 3,788. The median age was 40.2 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.9 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,595 households in Plainwell, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.5% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 3,804 people, 1,561 households, and 966 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,674 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 1.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 1,561 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 38.7 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census