Plainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey, in the Raritan Valley of Central New Jersey. Known as the Queen City, it serves as a regional hub for the surrounding area and as a bedroom suburb of the New York metropolitan area, with a population of about 54,000. The city's architectural heritage is its most distinctive feature. Plainfield developed as a commuter suburb in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it retains an extensive stock of Victorian-era homes, particularly in the Crescent Area Historic District. The wealthy northeast corner, known as the Sleepy Hollow section, holds finely landscaped streets and stately homes in a broad range of architectural styles, most built during the first half of the twentieth century. The Queen City Historic Walking Tour connects many of these landmarks. Plainfield functions as a regional hub for Central New Jersey, with a dense downtown, civic institutions, and transit connections. NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line provides rail service into New York Penn Station during weekday midday hours, with connections through Newark at other times, and bus service complements the rail network. The Plainfield Public Schools serve the city's students. The city is diverse and culturally active, balancing its historic residential districts with an urban core. Residential streets range from dense, walkable blocks near downtown to the large-lot homes of the historic districts, and Plainfield's position in the Raritan Valley places it within reach of both New York and the employment centers of Central New Jersey. Plainfield appeals to people who value architectural character, a walkable downtown, and commuter rail access at a more urban density than New Jersey's outer suburbs, while remaining connected to the broader New York region.