Best Web Design in Plainwell, MI (2026)

Web Design for Plainwell, Michigan

Plainwell is a small city on the Kalamazoo River in Allegan County, nicknamed 'The Island City' because an 1856 hand-dug mill race carved a channel that turned the downtown core into an island. Once a busy paper-milling town, it now pairs a walkable historic downtown with its role as a bedroom community on the Kalamazoo-to-Grand Rapids corridor, and it is beloved regionally for a decades-old ice cream maker.

AppWT serves Plainwell and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Plainwell

Also known as. The Island City.

History. Settled in the 1830s along a stagecoach route between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids and originally known as Plainfield. A 1.5-mile mill race was hand-dug 9 to 11 feet deep between spring and fall of 1856, making the center of town an island and giving the city its 'Island City' nickname. A grist mill was built in 1860 and the first paper mill followed in 1872. Incorporated as a village on March 26, 1869, and reincorporated as a city on March 12, 1934. Twenty-five local businessmen founded the Michigan Paper Company on January 26, 1886; the mill (designed by Daniel Albertson of Kalamazoo) began production in August 1887. A four-lane US-131 bypass built in the 1960s helped turn Plainwell into a bedroom community. The city acquired the shuttered paper mill complex for redevelopment in 2006.

Local economy. Largest employers include Plainwell Community Schools (about 367), Borgess/PIP Hospital (about 210), TMD Machining (about 140), Life Care Center of America (about 130), and HyTech Spring and Machine (about 123). The historic economy centered on paper milling through the Michigan Paper Company / Plainwell Paper Company, which has since closed and been redeveloped by the city. Now functions largely as a bedroom community for commuters to Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. The Kalamazoo River was contaminated with PCBs from paper mills' de-inking operations; the Plainwell dam sites are part of ongoing EPA Area of Concern dam removals and stream restoration.

Culture and community. Plainwell Ice Cream Co. opened May 23, 1978; founder Art learned the craft in Kalamazoo starting at age 14, and the shop now makes about 40,000 gallons a year across 53 flavors sold at roughly 30 regional locations. Community festivals include the Island City Festival and Plainwell Days, run largely by volunteers and nonprofits. A compact historic downtown along Bridge Street anchors local dining, shopping, and events.

What makes Plainwell distinct. The 'island' is entirely man-made, created by a mile-and-a-half mill race dug by hand in a single season in 1856. Notable people from Plainwell include NFL offensive tackle Jack Conklin, competitive swimmer Mallory Comerford, syndicated 'Speed Bump' cartoonist Dave Coverly, Grammy-winning musician and producer Narada Michael Walden, and actor Ed Gale. The name evolved from the earlier 'Plainfield.'

Plainwell Landmarks and Local Life

• Michigan Paper Company Mill Historic District (Plainwell Paper Company Complex) at 200 Allegan Street - added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011
• West Bridge Street Historic District - a residential district listed on the National Register in 1991
• The hand-dug Mill Race and Kalamazoo River channel that form the 'island.'
• Plainwell's historic Bridge Street downtown district.