Kensington

Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2010 United States Census. 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. The historic core of Kensington was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the Kensington Historic District in 1980. The look and white color of the Washington D.C. Temple located in Greater Kensington, coupled with its location near the Capital Beltway, have made it a local landmark. In December 2001, the town responded to complaints from anonymous citizens by banning Santa Claus from the annual holiday parade. Eight months later, an Amtrak train derailed adjacent to the town center when the tracks separated at an overheated joint, injuring 72 people, though there were no fatalities. 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. In November 2020, a train bridge that crosses the 495 Beltway was vandalised with the message "Surrender Donald" Many thought that this was a response to then-President Donald Trump's refusal to concede in the 2020 U.S presidential election. In March 1975, the sisters Sheila and Katherine Lyon walked to Wheaton Plaza, a local shopping mall where they were seen by witnesses including their brother. However, they never returned home.

History

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. 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 from the annual holiday parade. In November 2020, a train bridge that crosses the 495 Beltway was vandalised with the message "Surrender Donald" Many thought that this was a response to then-President Donald Trump's refusal to concede in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In March 1975, the sisters Sheila and Katherine Lyon disappeared. The case was not resolved until 2017. 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.) In November 2010, a man was shot and killed by a gunman at a gas station in Kensington. The man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, but the charges were later dropped. In January 2011, a woman was shot dead by a man who tried to rob her at gunpoint in the parking lot of a local bank. The suspect was later arrested and convicted of second-degree attempted murder. In February 2012, the man was sentenced to life in prison.

Geography

Kensington is located in Montgomery County, northwest of Silver Spring, northeast of Bethesda, west of Wheaton and southeast of Rockville. 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 Washington D.C. Temple located in Greater Kensington, coupled with its location near the Capital Beltway, have made it a local landmark. The town has a total area of 0.48 square miles (1.24 km²), all land. The Kensington Post Office serves a much larger area and extends into North Bethesda and the Wheaton Planning District. It is located at 39°148N, longitude 77°430W. It has a population of 1,000 (1,000 people in the U.S. Census Bureau's estimate of the town's population). The town is one-half square mile in size and has a ZIP code of 20895. It was founded in 1858. The city's name is derived from the name of a local Native American tribe, the Kensington Indians. The name Kensington is also used to refer to a Native American burial site, which was located in the area. It also means "Keeper of the Rock" in the local dialect. The word "kensington" means "kennel" or "town" in English. It means "home town" in Spanish.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,213 people, 870 households, and 563 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 82.0% White, 6.1% African American, 0. 1% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 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. The median income for a household in the city was $76,716, and $96,394 for a family. The per capita income for the town is $35,919. About 0.9% of families and 2.1%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over. The town is located in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's National Defense Training Area, which is part of the Army National Guard. It is located on the Army Corps' 7th Army District, which covers the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps regions. The U.N. has a presence in the area, but does not have a permanent presence in any of the surrounding states. It has a population of about 2,200, including about 1,200 military personnel. The military presence is based on a joint military/civilian agreement that was reached in the 1950s and 1960s. It was the first military base in the region.

Commerce

Kensington is primarily a bedroom community for workers who commute to jobs in the Washington, D.C., area. The town hosts a website, Explore Kensington, listing businesses, services, news and events. 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. It is home to the Noyes Library for Young Children, and Kaiser-Permanente's Kensington facility, plus art shops, restaurants, supermarkets, auto repair shops, hardware stores, and others. It also has "Antique Row" on Howard Avenue, the West Howard Antique District, and the Kensington Country Club, which is located on the corner of Howard and K Street in the town's historic district. It has a population of about 3,000 people, with most of its residents living in or near the town center, and many of its businesses are located in the downtown area of the town. It was founded in 1836. It became a U.S. state in 1838. It received its first postcard in 1851. It had its first public library in 1852. It opened its doors in 1854. It still has a public library for young children, and has a library for adults in the same building. It hosts a farmers' market every Saturday from 9am to 1pm, at the historic train station, which was once the site of a train station.

Events

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. This year's parade took place on September 28, and featured a number of local artists and musicians. The event is free and open to the public, but donations can be made at the Kensington Book Festival Facebook page or by calling the event line at 1-800-273-8255 or visiting www.kensingtonbookfestival.org.

Law and government

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. A mayoral election is held in even-numbered years for a two- year term. The mayor of Kensington is Tracey Furman, who took office on June 6, 2016. The next mayor is Peter Fosselman, elected on June 1, 2020. The council is made up of four members: Darin R. Bartram, Conor D. Crimmins, Bridget Hill-Zayat, Nate Engle and Tom Rodriguez. The last council member to be elected is Tom Rodriguez, who was elected in June 2015. The current council member is Darin Bartram who was voted in on June 5, 2017. He was re-elected on June 4, 2017 for a second term. In June 2018, he was elected for a third term, this time for a further two years. He is currently serving his third term as a council member.

Transportation

The Marc Brunswick Line serves Kensington at Kensington station (Maryland). It connects downtown Kensington with Washington, D.C. via Washington Union Station. Multiple Ride On (bus) Service Kensington, including lines 4, 5, 33, 34, and 37. These buses take passengers to a variety of Destinations including Silver Spring, Maryland, Twinbrook (Rockville, Maryland), Glenmont station, Medical Center station (Washington Metro) and Friendship Heights, Maryland. The town is served by four state highways: Maryland Route 185 (Connecticut Avenue), Maryland Route 193 (Greenbelt Road), and Maryland Route 192 (University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road) The other two state highways, Maryland Route 547, are short connectors linking Kensington to nearby communities. Kensington is located in the eastern part of Maryland, near the border with Virginia and West Virginia. It is located on the Maryland Turnpike, which runs from Baltimore to Washington, DC. The turnpike is one of the busiest roads in the United States, connecting the city to the rest of the country. It also provides a direct link to both Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway) and Washington, Washington. The city is also served by the Washington Metro, which connects the town with northern Maryland including Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and Point of Rocks, Maryland in the west. The Washington Metro also serves the town of Kensington. It runs from Washington Union station to Glenmont, where it connects to Washington Metro stations in the east.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Kensington, Montgomery County, Maryland = 42.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Kensington = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,122 individuals with a median age of 43.2 age the population grows by 2.46% in Kensington, Montgomery County, Maryland population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,218.69 residents per square mile of area (1,630.37/km²). There are average 2.53 people per household in the 727 households with an average household income of $109,208 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 5.40% of the available work force and has dropped -2.42% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 29.76%. The number of physicians in Kensington per 100,000 population = 563.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Kensington = 43.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 21.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 200. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 25 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 43, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Kensington, Montgomery County, Maryland which are owned by the occupant = 62.26%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 53 years with median home cost = $565,490 and home appreciation of -5.93%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.02 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,183 per student. There are 14.9 students for each teacher in the school, 340 students for each Librarian and 308 students for each Counselor. 3.51% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 30.40% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 28.88% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).