Your Guide to Buying a Home in Kensington, MD

Buying a Home in Kensington, Maryland

Kensington is located in Montgomery County

By the late 17th century, land speculation in Maryland had reached the Rock Creek Basin, still an uncleared frontier.  Within a few years the huge land grants had been broken up into settled farms, growing Maryland's staple crop of tobacco which was inspected, marketed and shipped, first from Bladensburg and later in the 18th century from the seaport of Georgetown.  The area changed very little, except for the slow diversification of crops, until 1873 when the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad cut through Montgomery County on its way to Point of Rocks.

A community developed where the railroad tracks crossed the road which connected the Rockville Pike with Bladensburg.  It has retained its identity through all the various changes of the ensuing years.  This early railroad settlement, known as Knowles Station, catered to the neighboring farmers.  It consisted of scattered homes and services, with a railroad stop and post office.  In the early 1890's a real estate promoter, B.H. Warner, developed a planned community of streets and building lots, complete with church, library and local newspaper.  This model town was renamed KENSINGTON and incorporated in 1894 with a mayor and council form of government, which is retained today.

In its early years Kensington served as a summer refuge from Washington's oppressive heat with wage earners commuting to the city by train or trolley.  Soon home owners became year-round residents and Kensington remained a distinct, self-contained commuter suburb until its gradual division into three sections.  The grade crossing at St. Paul was abolished in 1938 and Connecticut Avenue was extended in 1957.

Although Kensington is now an integral part of a huge metropolitan complex, it has maintained its political boundaries and much of its individual character.  Kensington's Historic continuity can be visualized by short walks around the older parts of the original town.