Why visit Kennett
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 11 parks and trails, 6 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Palace Theater, Ely and Walker Shirt Factory No. 5, Kennett City Hall and Masonic Lodge and Kennett Country Club.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 91°F; January lows average 27°F.
Weather in Kennett
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Kennett
Kennett is a city in and the county seat of Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The city is located in the southeast corner (or "Bootheel") of Missouri, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Arkansas and 20 miles (32 km) from the Mississippi River. It had a population of 10,515 at the 2020 census. Kennett is the largest city in the Bootheel, a mostly agricultural area.
From the Wikipedia article Kennett, Missouri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks3
Ely and Walker Shirt Factory No. 5
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Kennett City Hall and Masonic Lodge
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Parks, trails and playgrounds11
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Restaurants and cafes6
McDonald's
Fast food · Burger · 0.8 mi
1731 1st Street
Mo-Th 05:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 05:00-24:00; Su 05:00-23:00
History
Settlers built log cabins in the area in the first half of the 19th century, naming their settlement Chilletecaux in honor of a Delaware Indian chief who lived there. The town was renamed Butler in the late 1840s. Due to mail delivery problems because of other jurisdictions named the same, the settlement was renamed Kennett, in honor of the mayor of the city of St. Louis, Luther M. Kennett.
In the 1890s, a railroad reached the area, stimulating growth in the town. In that same period, the state began construction of a massive drainage program in the St. Francis River basin, which was floodplain and wetlands. In the 20th century, after timber clearing, the area was developed for cultivation of cotton and other commodity crops.
On March 15, 2025, an EF2 tornado hit the city at EF1 strength, damaging several homes, businesses, a motel, and wooden power poles and snapping trees.
In May 2025, Kennett was in national news for local reactions to deportation in the second presidency of Donald Trump when a legal resident of twenty years, Carol Mayorga, was detained by ICE.
From the History section of Kennett, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Americas Best Value Inn Kennett
Motel and hotel · 0.8 mi
110 Independence Street, Kennett
Churches and places of worship7
Emerson Street Church of God
Church · Church Of God · 1.0 mi
601 Emerson Street, Kennett
Saint John's African Methodist Episcopal Church
Church · Methodist · 0.8 mi
324 West Commercial Street, Kennett
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Map of Kennett
44 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°F | 27°F | 3.6 in |
| Feb | 51°F | 30°F | 3.9 in |
| Mar | 61°F | 38°F | 4.8 in |
| Apr | 72°F | 48°F | 5.4 in |
| May | 81°F | 58°F | 5.2 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 67°F | 3.7 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 70°F | 3.9 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 67°F | 3.2 in |
| Sep | 85°F | 60°F | 3.4 in |
| Oct | 74°F | 47°F | 3.9 in |
| Nov | 60°F | 38°F | 4.7 in |
| Dec | 49°F | 30°F | 4.7 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Kennett Radio Kboa (2 mi away), rain and snow from Kennett 0.8 N, NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Dunklin County has had 20 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2025-05-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires (Severe Storm)
- 2025-05-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2022-01-10: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2020-07-09: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Kennett Memorial Airfield (KNT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 1 miles away.
- Senath 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Holcomb 11 mi north, about 18 min by car
- Piggott 13 mi northwest, about 21 min by car
- Rector 14 mi west, about 22 min by car
- Steele 14 mi southeast, about 23 min by car
- Hornersville 14 mi south, about 23 min by car
- Clarkton 15 mi north, about 25 min by car
- Blytheville 23 mi south, about 36 min by car
- Paragould 29 mi southwest, about 47 min by car
- Jonesboro 46 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ely & Walker Shirt Factory 5 221 South Main Street Kennett Mo, KFD129, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dunklin Co Missouri Courthouse 20170128-3726.-3728, Kbh3rd, CC BY 4.0
- US412 West - To MO84 MsrYO Signs (43936137964), formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
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