A town of 3,763. Nearly 4.9% of it is conserved land.
The 3 things Plainwell does most differently from other towns.
Be the first to start the conversation.
Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in Plainwell. Another town gets a different order.
0.4 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Allegan State Game Area | — | 44 |
| 2. Kenyon Park | — | 22 |
| 3. Thurl Cook Park | 0.2 mi | 7 |
Most working residents leave Plainwell for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Kalamazoo (12%), Portage (6%) and Allegan (6%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
Plainwell beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| What stands out | Plainwell | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 64.6% | 68% |
The typical Plainwell home is worth about $238,000, up 1.7% in a year, 11% below the Michigan typical home.
The public schools Plainwell’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 68% of Michigan’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilkey Elementary School | PK–5 | 439 | B+ |
| Starr Elementary School | PK–5 | 410 | C+ |
| Plainwell Middle School | 6–8 | 569 | B |
| Plainwell High School | 9–12 | 828 | B+ |
| Renaissance High School | 9–12 | 86 | C |
Plainwell has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 109 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Plainwell reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 61% report less.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 39% of U.S. communities.
18 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 5 places on the National Register.
5 places in Plainwell on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Plainwell.
City in Michigan, United States
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 three miles (4.8 km) to the west. The city of Kalamazoo is about ten miles (16 km) to the south, and the city of Grand Rapids is about thirty-five miles (56 km) to the north. The Kalamazoo River flows through the center of the city and it is known as "The Island City".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Plainwell.
