Kensington is a town in Montgomery County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States. The population was 2,122 at the 2020 United States 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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Warner named his development "Kensington Park", the tenth and largest subdivision in the area. When the town was incorporated in 1894, Warner convinced the mayor and council to name it Kensington. Originally a farming community at Knowles Station, Kensington developed into a summer refuge for Washington residents wishing to escape the capital's humidity. As years passed and more residents remained year-round, Kensington evolved into a

commuter suburb A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. 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, and is a historically preserved zone. 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

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 The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

derailed near the town center when the tracks separated at an overheated

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

, injuring 95. 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 United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. The Kensington post office ( ZIP Code 20895) serves a larger area, including the neighboring town of Chevy Chase View, most of the unincorporated neighborhoods known by the Census Bureau as North Kensington and

South Kensington South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...

, and small portions of North Bethesda and the Wheaton Planning District. The Washington D.C. Temple in South Kensington is a local landmark, thanks to its striking design and its prominence along the

Capital Beltway The Capital Beltway, designated as Interstate 495 (I-495) for its entire length, is an List of auxiliary Interstate Highways, auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area. The Ring road, beltway encircles Washington, D.C., ...

. D.C.-area traffic reports often refer to the "Mormon temple" or "temple".

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,213 people, 870 households, and 563 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 902 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $35,919. About 0.9% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

Commerce

Kensington is primarily a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for workers who commute to jobs in the Washington, D.C., area, but it has some commercial enterprises, including "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. The town hosts a

farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

. The town is home to the Noyes Library for Young Children, Montgomery County's oldest public library.

Events

* April 23 or the closest Sunday: The Kensington Day of the Book Festival or

World Book Day World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright ...

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. * Labor Day: Kensington holds an annual

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

parade. The parade starts in St. Paul Park along Plyers Mill Road, makes its way up to Connecticut Avenue, and ends in front of the Noyes Children's Library. * Late September: Held since 1994, the Kensington 8K Race includes 8-km, 2-mile, and 1-km races through the historic core of the town and along nearby Beach Drive and in the Rock Creek Hills neighborhood. * Saturdays:''
Kensington parkrun
a free, timed 5K run/walk on the Rock Creek Trail.

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: * Kensington- Parkwood Elementary School * North Bethesda Middle School *

Walter Johnson High School Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJ) is a Public school (government funded), public High school (North America), upper secondary school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland, North Bethesda, ...

Montgomery County Public Schools serving Greater Kensington include: * Garrett Park Elementary School * Kensington-Parkwood Elementary School * Rosemary Hills 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 (formerly Charles W. Woodward) * Silver Creek Middle School * Albert Einstein High School * Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School *

Kensington is also home to: * Spring Bilingual Montessori Academy * Kensington Nursery School * Holy Redeemer Catholic School, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parochial school * Grace Episcopal Day School * Academy of the Holy Cross, an all-girls

high school

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. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

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 The Brunswick Line is a MARC commuter rail line between Washington, D.C., and Martinsburg, West Virginia, with a branch to Frederick, Maryland. It primarily serves the northern and western suburbs of Washington. The line, MARC's second longest ...

stops at Kensington station. It connects downtown Kensington with Washington, D.C., via

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

, as well as with points west including

Point of Rocks, Maryland Point of Rocks is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, it had a population of 1,466. Point of Rocks is named for a roc ...

, and

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

. Kensington is served by Ride On buses on lines 4, 5, 33, 34, and 37, which connect downtown Kensington to Silver Spring, Glenmont station, Medical Center station, Wheaton, and elsewhere.

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 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

* Kensington Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Notable people

* Avedon Carol (born 1951), British writer and feminist * Philip Terzian (born 1950), American journalist *

Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. ( ; born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. re ...

(born 1959), U.S. senator; former U.S. congressman, state senator, and state delegate

References

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

External links

*
Kensington Historical Society

KBDA - Kensington Business District Association

Noyes Library
{{authority control 1894 establishments in Maryland Populated places established in 1894 Towns in Maryland Towns in Montgomery County, Maryland