Editing Kensington (section)

== History ==

=== Industrial Heyday ===

Kensington developed as an industrial powerhouse in the 19th and early 20th centuries:

* '''Textile manufacturing''' - One of world's largest textile centers
* '''Carpet mills''' - Major carpet production
* '''Shipbuilding''' - Along Delaware River
* '''Metal works''' - Various manufacturing

At its peak, Kensington employed tens of thousands of workers and was one of the most productive industrial districts in America.

=== Immigration ===

Kensington attracted waves of immigrants:
* Irish (mid-1800s)
* German (late 1800s)
* Polish (late 1800s-early 1900s)
* Puerto Rican (mid-1900s)

These communities built churches, organizations, and tight-knit neighborhood identities.

=== Decline ===

Deindustrialization devastated Kensington beginning in the 1950s:
* Textile mills closed or relocated
* Jobs disappeared
* Population declined
* Poverty increased

The neighborhood lost much of its economic base over several decades.

=== Opioid Crisis ===

Kensington has become a national symbol of the opioid epidemic. The intersection of Kensington and Allegheny avenues and surrounding blocks became an open-air drug market drawing people from across the region.

The crisis has:
* Caused hundreds of overdose deaths annually
* Created encampments of unhoused people
* Strained neighborhood resources
* Prompted city intervention efforts