the west of the Turnpike, and is less than one-half mile from all three Turnpike exits. There is no direct air, passenger rail, or navigable water access to Plainfield, although the town is serviced by the Providence and Worcester Railroad (freight only), which also parallels the Connecticut Turnpike corridor. There is limited public transport system available in the town; combined with a lack of a sidewalk and/or segregated cycle facilities network and the large area of the town, this necessitates that most transit is done by car. Providence, RI is the closest major city, to the east. Hartford is west. Boston, MA is northeast; New York City (Manhattan), NY is southwest. The closest international airport is T. F. Green Airport (PVD) in Warwick, RI. Nearby Amtrak passenger rail stations include New London (NLC) and Providence (PVD); both are roughly 40 minute drives. New London is also served by the Shore Line East commuter railroad, and Providence by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Commuter Rail. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 14,619 people, 5,444 households, and 3,908 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,676 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.15% White, 0.78% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population. There were 5,444 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,851, and the median income for a family was