Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 39°50′39″N 75°42′38″W / 39.84417°N 75.71056°W / 39.84417; -75.71056

Borough of Kennett Square
Borough
State Street in Kennett Square
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Chester
Elevation	328 ft (100 m)
Coordinates	39°50′39″N 75°42′38″W / 39.84417°N 75.71056°W / 39.84417; -75.71056
Area	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
- land	1.1 sq mi (3 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	6,072 (2010)
Density	5,520 / sq mi (2,131.3 / km2)
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip Code	19348
Area code	610
Location of Kennett Square in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Website: www.kennett-square.pa.us

Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World^[1] because mushroom farming in the region produces over a million pounds of mushrooms a year. To celebrate this heritage, Kennett Square has an annual Mushroom Festival, where the town shuts down to have a parade, tour mushroom farms, and buy and sell food and other goods. It is also home to the corporate headquarters of Genesis HealthCare which administers elderly care facilities. The local high school is Kennett High School. Its population was 6,072 at the 2010 census.^[2]

History

The area to become known as Kennett Square was originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans. The town was originally called Kennett Square, with the name "Kennett" coming from the River Kennet in Berkshire, England, and "Square" coming from the original land grant from William Penn of one square mile. It was the site of General Sir William Howe's march to the Battle of Brandywine during the American Revolution. It was also known as an important part of the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escaping to the North for freedom. Many of its prominent citizens helped slaves escape on the Underground Railroad.In 1853, a group asked for Kennett Square to be incorporated, and by 1855 it held elections.

Kennett Square's founder is credited with introducing mushroom growing to the area. He grew carnations, a popular local commodity around 1885, and wanted to make use of the wasted space under the elevated beds. He imported spawn from Europe and started experimenting with mushroom cultivation.

Kennett Square is the subject and setting of 19th century American author Bayard Taylor's novel, The Story Of Kennett.

Geography

Kennett Square is located at 39°50′39″N 75°42′38″W / 39.84417°N 75.71056°W / 39.84417; -75.71056 (39.844104, -75.710654).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	3,091		—
1940	3,375		9.2%
1950	3,699		9.6%
1960	4,355		17.7%
1970	4,876		12.0%
1980	4,715		−3.3%
1990	5,218		10.7%
2000	5,273		1.1%
2010	6,072		15.2%
www.dvrpc.org/data/databull/rdb/db82/appedixa.xls.</ref>

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 5,273 people, 1,868 households, and 1,242 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,679.2 people per square mile (1,801.7/km²). There were 1,967 housing units at an average density of 1,745.5 per square mile (672.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 73.58% White, 10.26% African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 12.48% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.88% of the population.

There were 1,868 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $46,523, and the median income for a family was $54,948. Males had a median income of $35,978 versus $27,246 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,292. About 7.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Clock Tower on State Street

The borough is governed by the Council-Manager form of government. There are seven Council Members and a mayor who are elected by the citizens. The Borough Manager is an employee of the Borough, hired by the Council. The present Borough manager is Brant Kucera.

Events

The Kennett Mushroom Festival is held annually in early September. The festival has been highlighted on Food TV.^[5] In early October Kennett Square hosts a microbrew festival. The event draws over 40 breweries and often is sold out. Kennett Square celebrates Cinco de Mayo, which is organized by Casa Guanajuato, and other local companies. April 2008 was the start for the first annual springfestinthepark, held at the beautiful (over 100 acre) Anson B Nixon park. In May, the famous Kennett Run occurs that ends at the Park pavilion. These are but a few of the events for families and visitors throughout the year.

Education

Kennett Square schools are all part of the Kennett Consolidated School District. This grouping of districts was the first consolidation of schools in the history of Pennsylvania (website). Students enrolled in Kindergarden attend Mary D. Lang Kindergarden Center (website). Grades 1 through 5 attend either Greenwood Elementary ([1]) or Bancroft Elementary ([2]) For grades 6 through 8, all students attend Kennett Middle School (website). For grades 9 through 12, students then attend Kennett High School.

Media

Kennett Square has three newspapers which cover local news, The Chester County Press (website), covering portions of the county, the Kennett Paper, (website), covering Kennett Square and environs and the Daily Local News, a daily, covering the entire county. There is also a magazine, Kennett Square Today (website).

There is an internet radio station, BrandywineRadio.com, headquartered in the center of town which started on June 2, 2008. It focuses on local news, weather, traffic, and sports in the Brandywine Valley including Chester County, Delaware County, and New Castle County, DE.

Notable people

• Bayard Taylor (1825–1878), writer
• Harry Whitney (1873–1936), Arctic hunter, author, and adventurer
• Herb Pennock (1894–1948), Hall of Fame baseball pitcher also known as the Squire of Kennett Square.^[6]
• Jessica Savitch (1947–1983), Broadcast journalist
• Pat Ciarrocchi (born 1953), Broadcast journalist
• Bruce Johnston (criminal) - Head of notorous Johnson Gang

Points of interest

• Longwood Gardens
• Kennett Meetinghouse
• Anson B Nixon Park
• Talula's Table

See also

Philadelphia portal

• Kaolin Mushroom Farms
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania

References

1. ^ Mushroom Capital
2. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST10&prodType=table
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ FoodTV Episode
6. ^ Carey, Art (2008-03-28). "Kennett Square barber immortalizes local baseball stars". Philadelphia Inquire. Archived from the original on 24-06-2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080624061539/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20080328_Kennett_Square_barber_immortalizes_local_baseball_stars.html. Retrieved 07-09-2008. 

External links

• The Borough of Kennett Square
• Historic Kennett Square
• First Baptist Church of Kennett Square
• Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square
• Mushroom Festival
• Kennett Brewfest - Microbrew Festival
• Chester County Press Newspapers & Magazines