Kensington is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Rockingham County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States. The population was 2,095 at the 2020 census.

History

Once a parish of

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...

, Kensington was incorporated in 1737 by

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jonathan Belcher Jonathan Belcher (8 January 1681/8231 August 1757) was a merchant, politician, and slave trader from colonial Massachusetts who served as both governor of Massachusetts Bay and governor of New Hampshire from 1730 to 1741 and governor of New J ...

. Of the 27 towns granted by Governor Belcher, only three were given names, one of which was Kensington, named for

Baron Kensington Baron Kensington is a title that has been created three times, in the Peerages of England, Ireland and the United Kingdom. English title (1623) The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1623 when the Honourable Henry Rich was made ...

, owner of

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Geography

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are water, comprising 0.12% of the town. Kensington is home to 16 named hills of glacial

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

origin; the highest, Indian Ground Hill, located on the town's border with South Hampton, is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. The majority of Kensington lies within the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the river ...

watershed, via the

Exeter River The Exeter River is a river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, United States. It rises in the town of Chester, southeast of Manchester. It follows a winding course east and northeast to Exeter, where it becomes the S ...

. The southeast portion of town drains to Hampton Harbor via the

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...

and

Hampton Falls Hampton Falls (formerly the "Third Parish and Hampton Falls") is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2020 census. History The land of Hampton Falls was first settled by Europeans in 1638, ...

rivers, and the southwest corner of the town drains to the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...

Adjacent municipalities

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

(north) *

Hampton Falls, New Hampshire Hampton Falls (formerly the "Third Parish and Hampton Falls") is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2020 census. History The land of Hampton Falls was first settled by Europeans in 1638, ...

(east) *

Seabrook, New Hampshire Seabrook is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,401 at the 2020 census. Located at the southern end of the coast of New Hampshire on the border with Massachusetts, Seabrook is noted as the location of th ...

(southeast) *

South Hampton, New Hampshire South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 894 at the 2020 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest. History South Hampton was one of the first town ...

(south) *

East Kingston, New Hampshire East Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,441 at the 2020 census. History East Kingston was once a part of Kingston called "Kingston East Parish", but was granted a separate charter in 1 ...

(west)

Demographics

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,893 people, 657 households, and 532 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 158.4 people per square mile (61.2/km²). There were 672 housing units at an average density of 56.2 per square mile (21.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.31%

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 on ...

, 0.11%

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 ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.63%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 0.74% from two or more races. There were 657 households, out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $67,344, and the median income for a family was $72,679. Males had a median income of $56,023 versus $35,278 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 $29,265. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% 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 t ...

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Dan Dailey Daniel James Dailey Jr. (December 14, 1915 – October 16, 1978) was an American dancer and actor. He is best remembered for a series of popular musicals he made at 20th Century Fox such as '' Mother Wore Tights'' (1947). Biography Early life D ...

(born 1947), glass artist *

Hideaki Miyamura Hideaki Miyamura (born 1955) is a Japanese-born American potter working in New Hampshire. Miyamura is best known for his unique iridescent glazes, including a compelling gold glaze, the "starry night" glaze on a black background, and a blue ha ...

(born 1955), studio potter

Sites of interest

The town has four buildings, each on Amesbury Road (

New Hampshire Route 150 New Hampshire Route 150 (abbreviated NH 150) is a north–south state highway in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, United States. Route description The road runs from Kensington south to the Massachusetts border. The southern ...

), 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 v ...

: * Kensington Social Library * Kensington Town House * North School, also known locally as the Brick School * Union Meetinghouse-Universalist Church

References

External links

*
New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
{{authority control Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1737 1737 establishments in New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire