Kent Town was named for Dr. Benjamin Archer Kent, a medical practitioner of Walsall, Staffordshire who emigrated to South Australia aboard Warrior, arriving in April 1840 with his wife Marjory Redman Kent, née Bonnar, and two children, Benjamin Andrew Kent, and Graham Eliza Kent, who in 1848 married Dr Frederick Charles Bayer. Hydraulic engineer C. A. Bayer and architect E. H. Bayer were sons. Kent established a flour mill and farm which failed financially and he was obliged to return to his profession to support his family. He sold his property at a handsome profit, repaid all his creditors and returned to England. Kent Town was the location of two successive sites of the Kent Town Brewery the second of which in 1888 became the malthouse for SA Brewing, now redeveloped into apartments.
Demographics of Kent Town
The 2016 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics measured the population of Kent Town at 1,210 persons. Of these, 57% were male and 43% were female. The 2016 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 227 families living in the suburb. Of those families, there was an average of 1.6 children for families with children and an average of 0.3 for all families. The majority of residents are of Australian birth, with other common census responses being Malaysia, India, China and England. The age distribution of Kent Town residents is comparable to that of the greater Australian population. 66.2% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 33.8% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.
During the Adelaide Fringe festival, the world's second-largest annual arts festival, the bars and restaurants of Kent Town receive thousands of customers. The local Kent Town Hotel boasts craft beer in a stylish pub with a jungle-themed BBQ restaurant and a rooftop bar with a dunk tank. One attraction in Kent Town is the Wesley Uniting Church. Founded as the Jubilee Wesleyan Methodistchurch in 1864 by George P. Harris, John Colton, F. H. Faulding and others, Wesley Uniting Church has had a significant place in the life of South Australians for over 150 years.
Transport
Roads
The suburb is serviced by the following main roads:
Dequetteville Terrace, forming the western boundary of the suburb.