On November 7, 1921, by a unanimous vote of the residents, Kensington incorporated as a village. The first elections for officers and trustees were held on November 28, 1921, with Byron Eldred unanimously elected as its first mayor. Kensington is part of the Town of North Hempstead in the 17th Election District. Village Election Day is held annually, on the third Tuesday in March at the village hall from noon to 9:00 p.m. Many of Kensington's mayors have served for substantially long terms. Notable are Mayor Seymour Cohen, Mayor Steven Randall and Mayor Bonnie Golub. The mayor also serves as Commissioner of Police. The Village of Kensington was initially established as an enclave of homes of famous celebrities. The Kensington Village gates were copied from London’s Kensington Gardens, where the village got its name. In August 1915 the waterfront park was deeded to the Kensington Association. This included a 500-foot sand beach, boat dock, tennis courts, miniature lakes, and one of the largest fresh water swimming pools in the U.S. As a planned community no electric poles or wires marred the eye because of planned interior service strips. A covenant was written to keep business and industry out. A membership corporation was initiated to take care of maintenance and police protection. Kensington, not unlike many other communities established in the early 1920s, eventually required an investment in deteriorating infrastructure. During the tenure of Mayor Steven Randall major projects were initiated and completed, including rebuilding the Kensington pool; new street lighting, storm drainage; road resurfacing and a general facelift. Kensington was recognized as one of the safest places to live in the U.S. and remains that way to this day. 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".
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,209 people, 424 households, and 339 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,752.1 people per square mile. There were 447 housing units at an average density of 1,757.0 per square mile. 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 couplesliving 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%.
