Kentville is the professional center for all of Kings County. It feature almost all of the federal and provincial government offices in the area. It also features the local hospital, the county court house, Access Nova Scotia, lawyers, doctors, dentists, banks, and other professional services. As of 2006 the population of Kentville was 5815.
The area was originally settled by Acadians. They built several dykes along the Cornwallis River which comes tidal just downstream. The dykes they built produced large areas of fertile farm lands. The Acadians were expelled in 1755 by the British.
The town initially named Horton’s Corner until it became Kentville in 1826 named after Prince Edward Augustus the Duke of Kent who had visited in 1794. In the early 19th century the area was known for being a rowdy, drinking, horse racing town which earned it the nickname, ‘The Devils half acre.’ In 1868 the Dominion Atlantic Railway established its headquarters in Kentville. After this occurred the town grew quite quickly as the railway was a large employer and attracted several other industries to the area. Just outside of Kentville is an army training base called Camp Aldershot which is the home to the West Nova Scotia Regiment.
Each year Kentville is the home to the Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival which has been running each year since 1933. It takes place in May to celebrate the blossoming of local apple orchards. The biggest event is the Grand Street Parade.