Kennett Square, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
Borough
State Street in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, May 2007
Nickname(s):  "Kennett"
Location in Chester County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Kennett Square, Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Chester
Settled	1682
Area
• Total	1.07 sq mi (2.78 km2)
• Land	1.06 sq mi (2.76 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	328 ft (100 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,936
• Density	5,573.71/sq mi (2,151.38/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	19348
Area codes	610 and 484
FIPS code	42-39352

Kennett Square is a small town, called a borough, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2020, about 5,943 people lived there.

Kennett Square is located in the Delaware Valley. It's considered a suburb of both Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. The local high school is Kennett High School. A company called Genesis HealthCare, which helps care for older people, has its main office here.

This borough is often called the "Mushroom Capital of the World." This is because local farms grow over 500 million pounds of mushrooms every year! That's half of all the mushrooms grown in the entire country. To celebrate this, Kennett Square holds a fun Mushroom Festival each year. During the festival, the town has a parade, offers tours of mushroom farms, and sells tasty food and other items.

History of Kennett Square

The land where Kennett Square now stands was first home to the Lenape Native American tribe. Later, when settlers arrived, the town was named Kennett Square. This name came from Kennett, a place in England. "Square" referred to the original land given by William Penn, which was one square mile.

In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, a British general named Sir William Howe marched his troops through Kennett Square. They were on their way to the Battle of Brandywine.

In the 1800s, Kennett Square played a big part in the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape from the South to freedom. In 1853, people asked for Kennett Square to become an official borough. By 1855, it was holding its own elections.

The person who started mushroom growing in the area is often called Kennett Square's founder. He used to grow carnations, which were very popular. He wanted to use the empty space under his flower beds. So, he brought mushroom "spawn" from Europe and began to grow mushrooms.

Kennett Square in Books

Kennett Square is the main place in a book called The Story of Kennett. This novel was written in 1866 by Bayard Taylor, who was born right here in Kennett Square.

Geography of Kennett Square

Kennett Square is located at 39°50′39″N 75°42′38″W / 39.84417°N 75.71056°W / 39.84417; -75.71056.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the borough covers about 1.1 square miles (2.78 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population and People

In 2010, there were 6,072 people living in Kennett Square. The population density was about 4,679 people per square mile.

The people living in Kennett Square come from many different backgrounds. In 2010, about 42.8% of the people were non-Hispanic White. About 48.8% of the population had Hispanic or Latino family backgrounds.

Getting Around Kennett Square

PA 82 northbound in Kennett Square

As of 2010, Kennett Square had about 18.83 miles of public roads. Most of these roads are taken care of by the borough itself.

Pennsylvania Route 82 is the main highway that goes through Kennett Square. It runs through the middle of town. U.S. Route 1 goes around the northern part of the borough.

Fun Events in Kennett Square

The 2011 Mushroom Festival

The Kennett Mushroom Festival happens every year in early September. This festival has even been shown on Food TV!

The town also has annual parades for Memorial Day, Halloween, and before the Christmas holidays. Kennett Square celebrates Cinco de Mayo, an event organized by Casa Guanajuato.

During the summer, you can enjoy free concerts on Wednesday evenings. These concerts take place at the beautiful Anson B Nixon park, which is over 100 acres. In mid-May, the famous Kennett Run race finishes at the park.

Each fall, the Kennett Brewfest is held. Here, you can try many different kinds of special beers. Local art galleries and shops also have "First Friday Art Strolls" every month. These are presented by Historic Kennett Square. There is also an outdoor farmers market every Friday afternoon during warmer months. These are just some of the many events for families and visitors throughout the year.

Schools in Kennett Square

All the schools in Kennett Square are part of the Kennett Consolidated School District. This was the first time school districts in Pennsylvania joined together.

• Younger students in kindergarten go to the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center.
• Students in grades 1 through 5 attend Greenwood Elementary, Bancroft Elementary, or New Garden Elementary.
• For grades 6 through 8, all students go to Kennett Middle School.
• Finally, for grades 9 through 12, students attend Kennett High School.

U.S. Route 1 goes just north of Kennett Square. This area is part of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. Unionville High School is the only high school in that district. It is located about 2 miles north of Kennett Square.

Local News and Media

Kennett Square has three local newspapers: The Chester County Press, The Kennett Paper, and The Daily Local News. There are also two local magazines called Fig Kennett and Kennett Square Today.

Places to Visit

• East Penn Railroad
• Kennett Meetinghouse
• Longwood Gardens
• Talula's Table

Famous People from Kennett Square

Many interesting people have come from Kennett Square, including:

• Justin Best (born 1997), an Olympic rower
• Pat Ciarrocchi (born 1953), a TV news reporter
• Herb Pennock (1894–1948), a famous baseball pitcher who is in the Hall of Fame
• Jessica Savitch (1947–1983), a well-known TV news reporter
• Bayard Taylor (1825–1878), a poet and writer who traveled a lot
• Collin Walsh, a musician in the band Grayscale
• Harry Whitney (1873–1936), an Arctic explorer and writer

See also

In Spanish: Kennett Square para niños