Kensington is a town in Montgomery County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, United States. The population was 2,213 at the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 ZIP code, with a population of 19,054.

History

The area around the Rock Creek basin where Kensington is located was primarily agricultural until 1873, when the

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

completed the Metropolitan Branch which traversed Montgomery County. A community arose where the new

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

line intersected the old Rockville-to-Bladensburg road. This early settlement was first known as Knowles Station. In the early 1890s, Washington, D.C. developer Brainard Warner began purchasing land parcels to build a planned Victorian community, complete with church, library and a local newspaper. Fascinated by a recent trip to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Warner named his subdivision Kensington Park, the 10th and largest subdivision in the area which became the Town of Kensington. Upon incorporation in 1894, Warner convinced the Mayor and Council to name the town Kensington. The historic core of Kensington was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, as the Kensington Historic District in 1980. Originally a farming community at Knowles Station, Kensington developed into a summer refuge for Washington, D.C., 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. 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 over of the original railroad crossing in 1937, and the extension and widening of

Connecticut Avenue Connecticut Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., and suburban Montgomery County, Maryland. It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House, and the segment south of Florida Avenue was on ...

, the town's main thoroughfare, in 1957. In March 1975, Kensington gained attention regionally due to the disappearance of Sheila and Katherine Lyon. The sisters walked to Wheaton Plaza, a local shopping mall where they were seen by witnesses including their brother. However, they never returned home. The case was not resolved until 2017. The town gained national attention three times in a 10-month span early in the 21st century as a result of events which occurred within a mere quarter-mile radius. In December 2001, the town responded to complaints from anonymous citizens by banning

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

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, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

derailed adjacent to 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 72 people, though there were no fatalities. Then, on October 2, 2002, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera became the fifth victim of the snipers who terrorized the Washington area that month, while cleaning her car at a Kensington gas station. (See

Beltway sniper attacks The D.C. sniper attacks (also known as the Beltway sniper attacks) were a series of coordinated shootings that occurred during three weeks in October 2002 throughout the Washington metropolitan area, consisting of the District of Columbia, M ...

.) Kensington again received national attention in November 2020, when a train bridge that crosses the 495 Beltway ahead of the

Washington D.C. Temple The Washington D.C. Temple (formerly the Washington Temple) is the 18th constructed and 16th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in Kensington, Maryland, United States, just north of W ...

was vandalised with the message "Surrender Donald". Many thought that this was a response to then-President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

's refusal to concede in the

2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...

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

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of th ...

, 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 serves a much larger area and extends into

North Bethesda North Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 census. Among its neighbor ...

and the Wheaton Planning District. Residents within this ZIP code (20895) generally refer to Kensington as their home town even though they technically do not reside in "The Town of Kensington". The look and white color of the

located in Greater 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 A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

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 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

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 hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 6.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

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

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

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 recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

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 total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

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 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 farmer's market on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm at the historical train station which is still in use today 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 World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and co ...

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 Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

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 Albert Einstein High School, named after the German-born physicist, is a four-year high school in Kensington, Maryland, that opened on September 7, 1962. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system. Academic programs ...

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is named for two of the towns it serves; it also serves Kensington and Silver Spring. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda. In May ...

* Walter Johnson High School Kensington is also home to: * Kensington Nursery School * Holy Redeemer School, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

parochial school * Grace Episcopal Day School *

Academy of the Holy Cross The Academy of the Holy Cross is a Catholic college preparatory school sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and founded in 1868. The academy is located on a campus in North Bethesda, Maryland (Kensington postal address),

, an all-girls

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 Maryland Route 185 (MD 185) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Connecticut Avenue, the state highway runs from Chevy Chase Circle at the Washington, D.C. border north to MD 97 in Aspen Hill. MD 185 serves as a majo ...

(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 Maryland Route 193 (MD 193) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road, the state highway runs from MD 185 in Kensington east to MD 202 north of Upper Marlboro. ...

, which follows University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road east from Kensington across the northern and northeastern suburbs of Washington, D.C. The other two state highways, Maryland Route 192 and

Maryland Route 547 Maryland Route 547 (MD 547) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from MD 355 in North Bethesda east to MD 185 in Kensington. MD 547 connects North Bethesda and Kensington with Garrett Park in central Montgomery ...

, are short connectors linking Kensington to nearby communities. The

Marc Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

Brunswick Line serves Kensington at Kensington station (Maryland). It connects downtown Kensington with Washington, D.C. via

Washington Union Station Washington Union Station is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907, it is Amtrak's headquarters, the railroad's second-busiest station, and North Ame ...

, as well as with northern Maryland including

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. st ...

and

Point of Rocks, Maryland Point of Rocks is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,466. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catocti ...

. Multiple Ride On (bus) Service Kensington, including lines 4, 5, 33, 34, and 37. These buses take passengers from downtown Kensington to a variety of Destinations including

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

Twinbrook (Rockville, Maryland) Twinbrook is a large residential subdivision in the city of Rockville, Maryland. The name Twinbrook or Twin-Brook came from the four developers, Joseph L. Geeraert, Roland Simmon, Wesley Sauter, and Donald Gingery, who originally established the ...

Glenmont station Glenmont is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. It is the northern terminus of the Red Line. The station, located at Georgia Avenue and Layhill Road, serves the suburbs of Glenmont and Aspen Hill. ...

Medical Center station (Washington Metro) Medical Center is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on August 25, 1984, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service ...

Aspen Hill, Maryland Aspen Hill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is located 6 miles north of Washington D.C. Its population as of the 2020 census was 51,063. Etymology The community name is d ...

, Friendship Heights,

Wheaton, Maryland Wheaton is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, situated north of Washington, D.C. and northwest of downtown Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton (1833–1903), a career officer in the Unit ...

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 *

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 Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

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

References

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

External links

Town of Kensington

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