Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,122 at the 2020 census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 ZIP code, with a population of 19,753 in 2020.

History 

The area around Rock Creek where Kensington is located was primarily agricultural until 1873, when the B&O Railroad completed the Metropolitan Branch across Montgomery County. A community arose where the new railroad line intersected the old Rockville-to-Bladensburg road. This early settlement was first known as "Knowles Station".

In the early 1890s, Washington developer Brainard Warner began purchasing land parcels to build a planned Victorian community, complete with church, library, and local newspaper. Fascinated by a recent trip to London, Warner named his development "Kensington Park", the tenth and largest subdivision in the area. Upon incorporation in 1894, Warner convinced the mayor and council to name the town "Kensington".

Originally a farming community at Knowles Station, Kensington developed into a summer refuge for Washington residents wishing to escape the capital's humid summers. As years passed and its residents increasingly remained year-round, Kensington evolved into a commuter suburb. Commuters reached downtown Washington, D.C., on B&O passenger trains and, beginning in 1895, a streetcar line founded as Chevy Chase Lake & Kensington Railway and later called the Kensington Railway Company.

The large southernmost section originally mapped out by Warner remains largely unchanged since inception, and is a historically preserved zone. Indeed, the only major changes in the town's basic layout have been the bridging of the original railroad crossing in 1937, and the extension and widening of Connecticut Avenue, the town's main thoroughfare, in 1957. As well, the right-of-way of the streetcar line, which was replaced with bus service in 1935, was paved to become Kensington Parkway.

In March 1975, Kensington gained attention regionally when Sheila and Katherine Lyon walked to Wheaton Plaza, a local shopping mall, and never returned home. Their abduction and murder was solved only in 2017.

The historic core of Kensington was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Kensington Historic District in 1980.

In the early 21st century, the town gained national attention three times in 10 months for events within a quarter-mile radius. In December 2001, the town responded to complaints from anonymous citizens by banning Santa Claus from the annual holiday parade. Protesters arrived at the parade en masse, including dozens of Santas riding everything from motorcycles to fire trucks. Eight months later, an Amtrak train derailed near the town center when the tracks separated at an overheated joint, injuring 72. And on October 2, 2002, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera became the fifth victim of the "Beltway snipers" while cleaning her car at a Kensington gas station.

Geography

Kensington is located in Montgomery County, northwest of Silver Spring, northeast of Bethesda, west of Wheaton and southeast of Rockville. Its latitude is 39°1′48″N, longitude 77°4′30″W.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

While the town proper is but one-half square mile in size, the Kensington post office (ZIP Code 20895) serves a larger area, including all of the neighboring town of Chevy Chase View as well as most of the unincorporated neighborhoods known by the Census Bureau as North Kensington and South Kensington. The 20895 ZIP Code also extends into smaller portions of North Bethesda and the Wheaton Planning District.

The look and white color of the Washington D.C. Temple located in South Kensington, coupled with its location near the Capital Beltway, have made it a local landmark. D.C.-area traffic reports often refer to the "Mormon temple" or "temple".

Demographics

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,213 people, 870 households, and 563 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 902 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.0% White, 6.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.

There were 870 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.3% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the town was 42.1 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $76,716, and the median income for a family was $96,394. Males had a median income of $65,804 versus $41,364 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,919.  About 0.9% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

Commerce

Kensington is primarily a bedroom community for workers who commute to jobs in the Washington, D.C., area, but it is not without its own commercial enterprises, which include "Antique Row" on Howard Avenue, the West Howard Antique District, and Kaiser-Permanente's Kensington facility, plus art shops, restaurants, supermarkets, auto repair shops, hardware stores, and others. The town hosts a website, Explore Kensington, listing businesses, services, news and events in the Town of Kensington.

The town of Kensington hosts a farmers' market on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm at the historic train station which is now used as part of the MARC commuter train network. The town is home to the Noyes Library for Young Children.

Events 
The Kensington Day of the Book Festival or World Book Day is celebrated on the Sunday closest to April 23.  This afternoon street festival is celebrated with live music, author readings, open mic, activities for children and adults, storytellers, and books. Local authors, book artists, publishers, booksellers, and literary groups line Howard Ave in Historic Old Town Kensington to show, sell, and discuss their works. In conjunction is the Gala Craft Fair on Armory Avenue featuring crafts.

The Kensington 8K Race is held in late September, and has since 1994. Attracting runners and walkers from across the D.C. region, the event comprises three distances (8 km, 2 mi, and 1 km), running through the historic core of the town and along nearby Beach Drive and in the Rock Creek Hills neighborhood.

Each year Kensington holds a Labor Day parade.

Law and government 
A mayoral election is held in even-numbered years for a two-year term. Kensington has a four-member council, elected for two-year terms. Terms are staggered. Every year there are two council seats up for election.  For contested elections, election winners are noted in bold.

The 2021 Kensington Town Election was held on June 7, 2021 

Conor D. Crimmins, Council Member, 318 votes

Darin R. Bartram, Council Member, 246 votes

Tim Willard, Council Member, 151 votes

The 2020 Kensington Town Election was held on June 1, 2020 

Tracey Furman, Mayor, 420 votes

Peter Fosselman, Mayor, 368 votes

Bridget Hill-Zayat, Council Member, 549 votes

Nate Engle, Council Member, 511 votes

Jon Gerson, Council Member, 356 votes

The 2019 Kensington Town Election was held on June 3, 2019 

Darin R. Bartram, Council Member, 72 votes

Conor D. Crimmins, Council Member, 71 votes

The 2018 Kensington Town Election was held on June 4, 2018 

Tracey Furman, Mayor, 147 votes

Bridget Hill-Zayat, Council Member, 113 votes

Duane L. Rollins, Council Member, 136 votes

The 2017 Kensington Town Election was held on June 5, 2017 

Darin R. Bartram, Council Member, 210 votes

Conor D. Crimmins, Council Member, 233 votes

Tom H. Rodriguez, Council Member, 207 votes

The 2016 Kensington Town Election was held on June 6, 2016 

Tracey Furman, Mayor, 129 votes

Duane Rollins, Councilman, 125 votes

Sean McMullen, Councilman, 108 votes

The 2015 Kensington Town Election was held on June 1, 2015

Tom Rodriguez, Councilman, 158 votes

Darin Bartram, Councilman, 157 votes

Education
The town of Kensington is served by the Montgomery County Public Schools system, specifically:
 Kensington-Parkwood Elementary School
 North Bethesda Middle School
 Walter Johnson High School

Montgomery County Public Schools serving Greater Kensington include:
 Garrett Park Elementary School
 Kensington-Parkwood Elementary School
 North Chevy Chase Elementary School
 Oakland Terrace Elementary School
 Rock View Elementary School
 Newport Mill Middle School
 North Bethesda Middle School
 Tilden Middle School (Formally Charles W. Woodward)
 Silver Creek Middle School
 Albert Einstein High School
 Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
 Walter Johnson High School

Kensington is also home to:
 Kensington Nursery School
 Holy Redeemer Catholic School, a Roman Catholic parochial school
 Grace Episcopal Day School
 Academy of the Holy Cross, an all-girls Roman Catholic high school
Kensington parkrun, a free, timed 5K run/walk that occurs every Saturday at 9:00am.

Transportation

Four state highways serve Kensington. The most prominent of these is Maryland Route 185 (Connecticut Avenue), which provides the most direct link between Kensington and both Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway) and Washington, D.C. The other major state highway serving the town is Maryland Route 193, which follows University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road east from Kensington across the northern and northeastern suburbs of Washington. The other two state highways, Maryland Route 192 and Maryland Route 547, are short connectors linking Kensington to nearby communities.

The MARC Brunswick Line stops at Kensington station. It connects downtown Kensington with Washington, D.C. via Union Station, as well as with points west including Point of Rocks, Maryland, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Multiple Ride On buses serve Kensington, including lines 4, 5, 33, 34, and 37. These buses take passengers from downtown Kensington to a variety of destinations including Silver Spring, Glenmont station, Medical Center station, and Wheaton.

Places of worship 
 Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
 Christ Episcopal Church
 First Baptist Church, Kengar
 Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
 Jehovah's Witnesses Kensington Kingdom Hall
 Kensington Baptist Church
 Lee Memorial AME Church
 Saint Paul's United Methodist Church
 Temple Emmanuel
 Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church
 Washington D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 Kensington Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

See also
 Kensington station (Maryland)

References 

Kensington, a Picture History. Kensington (MD), Kensington Business District Association, 1994

External links

 
 Kensington Historical Society
 KBDA - Kensington Business District Association
 Noyes Library

1894 establishments in Maryland
 
Populated places established in 1894
Towns in Maryland
Towns in Montgomery County, Maryland