Kensington, New York

This article is about the village on Long Island. For the Brooklyn neighborhood, see Kensington, Brooklyn.

Kensington, New York
Village
Incorporated Village of Kensington
Kensington Village Hall on June 11, 2021.
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Kensington, New York Location on Long Island Show map of Long Island Kensington, New York Location within the state of New York Show map of New York
Coordinates: 40°47′34″N73°43′26″W / 40.79278°N 73.72389°W / 40.79278; -73.72389
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau County
Town	North Hempstead
Incorporated	November 7, 1921
Named for	Kensington Gardens, London, England
Government
•  Mayor	Susan Lopatkin
•  Deputy Mayor	Jeffrey Greener
Area [1]
• Total	0.25 sq mi (0.66 km2)
• Land	0.25 sq mi (0.66 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	128 ft (39 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,226
• Density	4,826.77/sq mi (1,861.91/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	11021
Area codes	516, 363
FIPS code	36-39309
GNIS feature ID	0954527
Website	vok-ny.com

Gates mark the boundaries of Kensington.

Kensington is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,226 at the time of the 2020 census.

The Incorporated Village of Kensington is in the Town of North Hempstead and is on the Great Neck Peninsula. ^[2]

History

On November 7, 1921, by a unanimous vote of the residents, Kensington incorporated as a village. ^{[3] [4]} The first village elections for officers and trustees were held on November 28, 1921, and Byron Eldred was elected unanimously as its first Mayor. The village was named after London’s Kensington Gardens, and the entrance gates at the main entrance to the village were based on Kensington Garden's gates. ^{[3] [4]}

Many of Kensington's mayors have served for substantially long terms. ^[3] Notable are Mayor Seymour Cohen, Mayor Steven Randall and Mayor Bonnie Golub. The mayor also serves as Commissioner of Police. ^[5] The Village of Kensington was initially established as an enclave of homes of famous celebrities.

The waterfront park was deeded to the Kensington Association in August 1915. ^[3] This included a 500-foot sand beach on Manhasset Bay, miniature lakes, a boat dock, tennis courts, and one of the largest fresh water swimming pools in the United States. ^[3]

In order to maintain the residential character of the community, a restrictive covenant was written to keep business and industry out. ^[3] Furthermore, a membership corporation called the Kensington Association was initiated to take care of maintenance and police protection. ^[3]

Kensington was recognized as one of the safest places to live in the U.S. and remains that way to this day. ^[6]

In 2017, Niche.com ranked Kensington #1 in its lists of both the "Best Places to Live in New York" and the "Best Suburbs to Live in New York". ^{[7] [8]}

Geography

U.S. Census map of Kensington.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.6 km²), all land. ^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	824		—
1940	933		13.2%
1950	978		4.8%
1960	1,166		19.2%
1970	1,402		20.2%
1980	1,132		−19.3%
1990	1,104		−2.5%
2000	1,209		9.5%
2010	1,161		−4.0%
2020	1,226		5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

As of the census ^[11] of 2000, there were 1,209 people, 424 households, and 339 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,752.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,834.8/km²). There were 447 housing units at an average density of 1,757.0 per square mile (678.4/km²). The racial & ethnic makeup of the village was 91.89% White, 0.66% African American, 4.96% Asian, 1.32% from other ethnicities and/or ethnic groups, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.97% of the population.

There were 424 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.5% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 18.4% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $115,916, and the median income for a family was $133,235. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $62,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $59,183. About 0.9% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

As per the United States 2000 Census, Kensington had the highest percentage of Israeli American residents among all communities in the United States, at 6.2%. ^[12]

Government

Village government

As of September 2021, the Mayor of Kensington is Susan Lopatkin, the Deputy Mayor is Jeffrey Greener, and the Village Trustees are Phil Bornstein, Brent Greenspan, and Alina Hendler. ^[13]

Representation in higher government

Town representation

Kensington is located in the Town of North Hempstead's 4th Council district, which as of September 2021 is represented on the North Hempstead Town Council by Veronica Lurvey (D–Kensington). ^{[14] [15]}

Nassau County representation

Kensington is located in Nassau County's 10th Legislative district, which as of January 2023 is represented in the Nassau County Legislature by Mazi Melesa Pilip (R–Great Neck). ^{[16] [17]}

New York State representation

New York State Assembly

Kensington is located in the New York State Assembly's 16th Assembly district, which as of July 2021 is represented by Gina Sillitti (D–Manorhaven). ^{[16] [18]}

New York State Senate

Kensington is located in the New York State Senate's 7th State Senate district, which as of July 2021 is represented in the New York State Senate by Anna Kaplan (D–North Hills). ^{[16] [19]}

Federal representation

United States Congress

Kensington is located in New York's 3rd congressional district, which as of July 2021 is represented in the United States Congress by Tom Suozzi (D–Glen Cove). ^{[16] [20]}

United States Senate

Like the rest of New York, Kensington is represented in the United States Senate by Charles Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D). ^[21]

Politics

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Kensington voters voted for Hillary Clinton (D). ^[22]

Education

School districts

The majority of Kensington is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Great Neck Union Free School District, although the easternmost section of the village is located within the Manhasset Union Free School District (though all homes are in the Great Neck part of Kensington). ^[16] As such, all children who reside within Kensington and attend public schools go to Great Neck's schools. ^[16]

Library districts

The majority of Kensington is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Great Neck Library District, although the easternmost section of the village is located within the Manhasset Library District (though all homes are in the Great Neck part of Kensington). ^[16] The boundaries of both library districts within the village roughly correspond with those of the two school districts ^[16]

Notable people

• Anna M. Kaplan – New York State Senator for New York's 7th State Senate district; former Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman. ^[23]
• Irwin J. Landes – Former New York State Assemblyman. ^[24]
• Lester L. Wolff – Former United States Congressman for NY-3 and NY-6. ^[25]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. "Town of North Hempstead - Incorporated Villages". www.northhempsteadny.gov. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
3. "About". Kensington, Great Neck, New York 11021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
4. Winsche, Richard (October 1, 1999). The History of Nassau County Community Place-Names. Interlaken, New York: Empire State Books. ISBN   978-1557871541.
5. "Police". Kensington, Great Neck, New York 11021. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
6. Rather, John (September 8, 2002). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Great Neck; Great Site for Schools, Parks and Trains". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 5, 2015.
7. Niche.com: 2017 Best Places to Live in New York Retrieved October 10, 2017
8. Niche.com: 2017 Best Suburbs to Live in New York Retrieved October 10, 2017
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
12. Israeli Ancestry. Retrieved on July 22, 2014.
13. "Government". Village of Kensington, New York. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
14. "Town of North Hempstead - Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey". northhempsteadny.gov. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
15. Clausen, Janelle (January 29, 2019). "Veronica Lurvey said to be succeeding Anna Kaplan on Town Board - Featured". The Island 360. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
16. "Long Island Index: Interactive Map". Long Island Index Maps. Long Island Index.
17. "District 10 - Ellen W. Birnbaum | Nassau County, NY - Official Website". www.nassaucountyny.gov. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
18. "Gina L. Sillitti - Assembly District 16 |Assembly Member Directory | New York State Assembly". nyassembly.gov. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
19. "NY Senate District 7". NY State Senate. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
20. "Suozzi Declares Victory In NY 3rd Congressional District Race". Huntington, NY Patch. November 17, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
21. "U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators". www.senate.gov. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
22. Welch, Will (November 8, 2017). "How Long Island Voted". Newsday. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
23. "Democrat Anna Kaplan challenges GOP state Sen. Elaine Phillips". Newsday. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
24. "Political Briefs". Newsday . October 15, 1970. p. 25 – via ProQuest.
25. Schogol, Marc (November 8, 1972). "6th CD: Narrow Victory For Lester Wolff". Newsday . p. 22 – via ProQuest.

External links

• Official website