Kensington, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Kensington is a town in Rockingham County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 2,124 at the 2010 census.
, Kensington was incorporated in 1737 by Massachusetts
Governor Jonathan Belcher
, when New Hampshire
was still part of that colonial province. Of the 27 towns granted by Governor Belcher, only 3 were given names, one of which was Kensington, named for Baron Kensington
, owner of Kensington Palace
in London
.
, the town has a total area of 12 square miles (31.1 km²), of which 11.9 sq mi (30.8 km²) is land and 0.08% is water. Kensington is home to 16 named hills of glacial drumlin
origin; the highest, Indian Ground Hill, located on the town's border with South Hampton
, is 305 feet (93 m) above sea level
. The majority of Kensington lies within the Piscataqua River
watershed
, via the Exeter River
. The southeast portion of town drains to Hampton Harbor via the Taylor and Hampton Falls
rivers, and the southwest corner of the town drains to the Merrimack River
.
of 2000, there were 1,893 people, 657 households, and 532 families residing in the town. The population density
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, 0.11% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 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
for the town was $29,265. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,124 at the 2010 census.
History
Once a parish of HamptonHampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination....
, Kensington was incorporated in 1737 by Massachusetts
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
Governor Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...
, when New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
was still part of that colonial province. Of the 27 towns granted by Governor Belcher, only 3 were given names, one of which was Kensington, named for Baron Kensington
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 :...
, owner of Kensington Palace
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 the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Notable inhabitants
- Dan Dailey (glass artist)Dan Dailey (glass artist)Dan Dailey, born in Philadelphia in 1947, is an artist who, with the support of a team of artists and crafts people, creates sculptures and functional objects in glass and metal.-Biography:Dan Dailey's career in glass has spanned more than 40 years...
- James Bruce MacQuarrie, pilot of Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
which was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland on 21 December 1988. - Hideaki MiyamuraHideaki MiyamuraHideaki Miyamura is a Japanese-born American potter working in Kensington, 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 hare's fur glaze.Miyamura was born in Japan as the son...
, studio potter - Norman Muscarello, who sighted a UFO in 1965, the story of which was featured in the bestselling book Incident at Exeter (1966), by journalist and magazine columnist John G. FullerJohn G. FullerJohn Grant Fuller, Jr. was a New England-based American author of several non-fiction books and newspaper articles, mainly focusing on the theme of extra-terrestrials and the supernatural. For many years he wrote a regular column for the Saturday Review magazine, called "Trade Winds"...
. (See Exeter incidentExeter incidentThe Exeter incident was a highly-publicized UFO sighting that occurred on September 3, 1965 approximately 5 miles from Exeter, New Hampshire, in the neighboring community of Kensington...
).
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 12 square miles (31.1 km²), of which 11.9 sq mi (30.8 km²) is land and 0.08% is water. Kensington is home to 16 named hills of glacial drumlin
Drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
origin; the highest, Indian Ground Hill, located on the town's border with South Hampton
South Hampton, New Hampshire
South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 814 at the 2010 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest.- History :...
, is 305 feet (93 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The majority of Kensington lies within the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, via the Exeter River
Exeter River
The Exeter River is a -long river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, the 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 Squamscott River, a tidal river leading north to...
. The southeast portion of town drains to Hampton Harbor via the Taylor and Hampton Falls
Hampton Falls River
The Hampton Falls River is a 5.6 mile long river in southeastern New Hampshire in the United States. Its lower reaches are tidal, as part of the Hampton salt marsh close to the Atlantic Ocean....
rivers, and the southwest corner of the town drains to the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River 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 Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,893 people, 657 households, and 532 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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, 0.11% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $29,265. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.