Editing Kensington, New York (section)

==History==
On November 7, 1921, by a unanimous vote of the residents, Kensington [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a village.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://vok-ny.com/about/|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=Kensington, Great Neck, New York 11021|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":81">{{Cite book|last=Winsche|first=Richard|title=The History of Nassau County Community Place-Names|date=October 1, 1999|publisher=Empire State Books|isbn=978-1557871541|location=[[Interlaken, New York]]|pages=}}</ref> The first village elections for officers and trustees were held on November 28, 1921, and Byron Eldred was elected unanimously as its first Mayor. The village was named after [[London]]’s [[Kensington Gardens]], and the entrance gates at the main entrance to the village were based on Kensington Garden's gates.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":81" />

Many of Kensington's mayors have served for substantially long terms.<ref name=":0" /> Notable are Mayor Seymour Cohen, Mayor Steven Randall and Mayor Bonnie Golub. The mayor also serves as Commissioner of Police.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Police |url=https://vok-ny.com/police/ |access-date=March 13, 2022 |website=Kensington, Great Neck, New York 11021 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Village of Kensington was initially established as an enclave of homes of famous celebrities.

The waterfront park was deeded to the Kensington Association in August 1915.<ref name=":0" /> This included a 500-foot sand beach on [[Manhasset Bay]], miniature lakes, a boat dock, tennis courts, and one of the largest fresh water swimming pools in the United States.<ref name=":0" />

In order to maintain the residential character of the community, a [[restrictive covenant]] was written to keep business and industry out.<ref name=":0" /> Furthermore, a membership corporation called the Kensington Association was initiated to take care of maintenance and police protection.<ref name=":0" />

Kensington was recognized as one of the safest places to live in the U.S. and remains that way to this day.<ref>{{Cite news|title = If You're Thinking of Living In/Great Neck; Great Site for Schools, Parks and Trains|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-great-neck-great-site-for-schools-parks-trains.html|newspaper = The New York Times|date = September 8, 2002|access-date = October 5, 2015|issn = 0362-4331|first = John|last = Rather}}</ref>

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".<ref>[https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-places-to-live/s/new-york/ Niche.com: 2017 Best Places to Live in New York] Retrieved October 10, 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-suburbs/s/new-york/ Niche.com: 2017 Best Suburbs to Live in New York] Retrieved October 10, 2017</ref>