What's in this guide
- Executive Summary
- Quick Facts
- Community Overview & History
- Neighborhoods & Areas
- Real Estate Market
- Who Lives Here
- Schools
- Amenities & Lifestyle
- HOA, CDD & Costs
- Commute Analysis
- Shopping & Dining
- Pros & Cons
- Neighborhood Comparisons
- Hidden Things to Know
- Momentum Expert Insight
- Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Summary
Kensington is an established single-family community on Jacksonville's Southside, near the Tinseltown entertainment district and the St. Johns Town Center corridor, built around lakes with community amenities and a quick drive to the beaches.
Recent third-party data put the median around $400,000, above much of the Southside, reflecting the lakes, the amenities, and the central location. The amenities and the location near the Town Center and the beaches are the draw.
The draw is an established amenity community in one of the Southside's most central, convenient spots. The trade-offs are the HOA, the usual maintenance of homes from the 1990s onward, and Southside corridor traffic.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Southside, near Tinseltown and the Town Center |
| County | Duval County |
| ZIP code | 32246 |
| Homes | Established single-family community |
| Built | 1990s onward |
| Home sizes | Single-family homes around community lakes |
| Amenities | Community lakes, amenities; near the Town Center and beaches |
| Schools | Duval County Public Schools (confirm by address) |
| Gate / HOA | HOA |
Community Overview & History
A central Southside community
Kensington sits on Jacksonville's Southside near the Tinseltown district and the St. Johns Town Center, in the fast-growing band between J. Turner Butler Boulevard and Southside Boulevard. It is an established community built around lakes.
Single-family homes around lakes
The community is organized around its lakes and amenities, with single-family homes from the 1990s onward, which draws families and professionals wanting an established amenity community close to the Town Center, the beaches, and the job centers.
The Homes
Kensington is a single-family community, so the variation is mostly in floor plan, home size, and whether a home backs to a lake.
The single-family homes
Homes are single-family houses from the 1990s onward in a range of sizes, many near the community lakes.
Lakefront lots
Homes that back to one of the community lakes carry a premium over interior lots for the water view and the added privacy.
Real Estate Market
Kensington is an upper-tier Southside community. Recent third-party data put the median around $400,000, above much of the Southside, reflecting the lakes, the amenities, and the central location.
For county context, the NEFAR April 2026 report put the Duval County median single-family price at about $332,500, a county-wide figure. Kensington prices above that, which reflects the amenity community and the convenient Town Center location.
Who Lives Here
Kensington draws families and professionals who want an established amenity community in a central Southside location near the Town Center, the beaches, and the Mayo and Deerwood job centers. The HOA community keeps it settled.
Schools
Kensington is served by Duval County Public Schools. In Duval the strongest schools are a mix of zoned neighborhood schools and application magnets, and middle and high assignments are not reliable from a community name alone. Confirm the current zoning for a specific address with the district locator at duvalschools.org before you buy. See the best schools in Duval County guide for the rankings and how zones affect prices.
Amenities & Lifestyle
Kensington carries community amenities as an established master-planned community, set around its lakes.
Community lakes and amenities
The community is built around its lakes and includes amenities and common areas for residents, with wildlife and a tranquil setting.
Near Tinseltown and the Town Center
The Southside location puts the Tinseltown entertainment district, the St. Johns Town Center, and the beaches within a short drive.
HOA, CDD & Costs
Kensington carries a homeowners association with dues that fund the amenities and common areas, and some sections may carry a CDD assessment. Confirm the current dues, what they cover, and any CDD for a specific home in writing.
Insurance is the cost to confirm. The homes are from the 1990s onward, so roof age can matter on a home that has not been re-roofed, and the Southside location is inland. Confirm the roof age and the flood zone and get quotes early for any specific home.
Commute Analysis
| Destination | Typical drive |
|---|---|
| St. Johns Town Center | About 8 minutes |
| Jacksonville Beaches | About 15 minutes |
| Mayo Clinic | About 15 minutes |
| Downtown Jacksonville | About 20 minutes |
The central Southside location near Tinseltown puts the Town Center, the beaches, and the Mayo and Deerwood job centers within a short drive. Test your specific commute, since J. Turner Butler and Southside Boulevard carry heavy traffic at peak hours.
Shopping & Dining
The St. Johns Town Center sits about 8 minutes away with big-box and upscale shopping and dining, and the Tinseltown district adds entertainment, restaurants, and everyday retail minutes from the community.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Established amenity community
- Community lakes
- Central Southside location
- Minutes from the Town Center and beaches
- Family-friendly, HOA-managed
- Near the Mayo and Deerwood job centers
Cons
- HOA dues, and a possible CDD
- Southside corridor traffic
- Older roofs on some homes
- Upper-tier Southside pricing
- Busy surrounding entertainment district
Kensington vs. Comparable Communities
| Community | How it compares to Kensington |
|---|---|
| Deercreek | A nearby gated Southside country-club community with larger homes at a higher price point. |
| Baymeadows | The wider surrounding Southside area with a broad range of communities and prices. |
| Hampton Park | A nearby gated Baymeadows single-family community with a clubhouse at a comparable-to-higher price point. |
Hidden Things Buyers Should Know
Confirm the HOA and any CDD
Kensington carries an HOA, and some sections may have a CDD. Confirm both for the specific home so you know the full carrying cost.
Watch the roof and the lake lot
On homes from the 1990s and 2000s, confirm the roof age, and on a lakefront lot confirm the premium and any shoreline considerations, since both affect price and cost.
Momentum Expert Insight
Kensington is one of the more convenient established amenity communities on the Southside, built around lakes minutes from the Town Center, Tinseltown, and the beaches. It suits a family or professional who wants location and amenities in one place.
The homework is the HOA, any CDD, and the roof. Confirm the carrying cost and the home, and price it off recent comparable sales in the community. A local specialist will handle that before you offer.
Selling a Home in Kensington
If you are thinking about selling in Kensington, the right list price comes from the recent comparable sales in this specific community, not an automated estimate. Pricing to the home and the current Kensington inventory is what earns the strongest offer in the fewest days on market.
Across the wider Jacksonville metro, Momentum's listings have run a 97.98 percent sold-to-list ratio and 64 days on market for our agents, against a market average closer to 96.73 percent and 72 days, year to date. A Kensington listing specialist will give you a true home value from real comparable sales and a pricing strategy built for the current market. Start with a no-obligation home value request below.
Get a no-obligation home value for your Kensington home, based on real comparable sales in the community rather than an automated guess. Tell us about your home and we will personally prepare your numbers and a pricing strategy. No obligation, no spam.
Whether you are buying, selling, or just gathering information about Kensington, drop your details below. Every inquiry comes straight to us, and we will personally help you and connect you with the right agent. No obligation, no spam.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Related Reading
If you are researching Kensington, you are likely also weighing these other Southside communities and resources.