Kenner dates to 1855, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #98 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Kenner was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Its Register listings are the Felix-Block Building, the Kenner Town Hall and the Raziano House. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kenner’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kenner is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #98 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kenner’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kenner’s 0.5 sits near the middle of its state (42% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1855.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Kenner’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1855, Kenner was founded by Minor Kenner on land that consisted of three plantation properties Oakland, Belle Grove and Pasture that had been purchased by the Kenner family. At the time, all land north of what is now Airline Highway was swampland.
In Kenner on May 10, 1870, "Gypsy" Jem Mace defeated Tom Allen for the heavyweight championship of the bare-knuckle boxing era; a monument marks the spot near the river end of Williams Boulevard.
From 1915 to 1931, a New Orleans streetcar line operated between New Orleans and Kenner. The line ran between the intersection of Rampart and Canal in New Orleans and the intersection of Williams Blvd and Jefferson Hwy in Kenner.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1855, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Kenner’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1880 counted 970 people here.
How does Kenner rank for history?
Kenner is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #98 of 161 in Louisiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Kenner?
Three places: the Felix-Block Building (listed 1985), the Kenner Town Hall (1986) and the Raziano House (1998).
How old are the homes in Kenner?
1% of Kenner’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1978.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1927
