Welcome to Kensington
A green community with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay
Kensington is an upscale suburb northeast of Berkeley Hills and south of El Cerrito. It is a small community with just over 5,000 people. Kensington has a small-town feel with a charming and idyllic retreat vibe. Residents enjoy the seclusion and views provided by living in a town that is tucked into the hills. The neighborhoods are lined with colonial homes, Tudor homes, California Spanish-inspired, and modern - something for everyone! Kensington is ten minutes from Berkeley, California, so all the big city amenities are within reach.
What to Love
- Breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay
- Easy access to beaches & trails.
- Young's Market
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
Every Sunday, Kensington holds its beloved Farmers Market. It is a place to shop for in-season fruits and vegetables and a slew of other goodies like artisan pasta, breads, wood-fired pizza, pasture-raised whole chickens, and even a taste of France from La Noisette Sweets, which offers French cakes and breads. If they bring their bread pudding with salted caramel to the farmers market, be sure you grab some. You won’t regret it!
If you’re a pizza enthusiast, you’ll love Benchmark Pizzeria. They specialize in wood-fired pizza and believe core ingredients make a pizza great. All the cheese, sausage, pies, and pasta are made in-house. Their agricultural produce comes from the San Francisco Bay area and their Italian dry goods are imported from Italy. All the meat is responsibly raised, nitrate, and hormone-free.
When you’re looking for a sandwich on to go or to skip a drive into Berkeley for an item forgotten, Young's Market is the best place to stop.
Kensington Circus Pub, located at 389 Colusa Avenue, is a great place for live music. This local favorite offers British pub food options and the finest British Ales. They serve dinner seven nights a week and provide live music from a wide range of genres. Another favorite is Arlington Wine and Spirits.
Things to Do
If you’re looking for something fun and outdoors to do with the family, the Tilden Nature Farm, and Tilden Park, also known as Tilden Regional Park, is the perfect destination. The Tilden Nature Area is a nature preserve with over ten miles of hiking trails of varying difficulty. It’s north of Tilden Regional Park and offers stunning, panoramic views of San Francisco Bay. The nature park is between Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Ridge and can be accessed through three entrances located on Kensington, Berkeley, and Richmond. One of the main attractions is the renowned Environmental Education Center which heads the area’s interpretive programs and houses the historic Little Farm.
Though Blake Garden is managed by the University of California at Berkeley, it is in Kensington. Blake Garden has ten and a half acres of gorgeous garden space on a hill overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. While you are relaxing in the garden, you may spot a Cooper Hawk or a hummingbird.
Schools
The West Contra Costa Unified School District serves the Kensington community.
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Kensington Hilltop - Situated in the sprawling community of Kensington, California, is Kensington Elementary, a public school. Kensington Elementary teaches grades K–6 and has 506 students enrolled. At Kensington Elementary, 86% of students achieved reading proficiency and 74% of students achieved math proficiency.
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