Before 1688, the village had also been referred to as Kecere, Kecnere, Kedere, Kederikull, Kedder, Keyher, Kether, Kädder(e) and Keddar.

[5] In 1249, Kehra and Paasiku villages were given to the bishop of Tallinn, whose successors later founded Fegefyr Manor (Estonian: Kiviloo mõis).

For some time around the end of the 17th century, the mill was temporarily located 100 meters upstream from the mouth of the Aavoja river, near the village of Jaunack.

Kriedt's grandson-in-law, Gabriel von Elvering, gained ownership of even more fiefs in the 1660s[7]: 51–53, 69  and according to a 1692 map, the manor's lands stretched as far east as Maapaju border point near the current Mustjõe train station.

[10] Von Elverings regained ownership of the manor after the Great Northern War, but were forced to sell it in 1760 to cover debts.

The kindergarten and the local nursery were merged in 1972, the resulting establishment became known as Kehra Tselluloosi- ja Paberikombinaadi lastepäevakodu.

The railway approximately divided the lands of the manor and the village, and roughly followed the old winter road between Kehra and Aegviidu.

[29][30] Elektriraudtee AS gained ownership of the station building after Estonia became independent and started selling train tickets there.

In November 1997, the sale of tickets moved onto trains, and on April 13, 1998, the company sold the building to the town for 33 604 Estonian kroons.

On September 28, 1936, Kehra was chosen as the location of the new pulp mill due to its proximity to the railway, a river, and the capital city.

The pulp mill began treating its wastewater biologically in 1977, which significantly improved the condition of the Jägala River.

[7]: 227 After village councils (Estonian: külanõukogud) were abolished in the newly independent Estonia, Kehra was re-established as a borough on October 24, 1991.

The district is bordered by the Kose road to the west and south, Jägala River to the east, and Tallinn-Narva railway to the north.

The oldest houses south of the pulp mill were also built in the beginning of the 20th century, according to maps and the building register.

The district is bordered by the Jägala River to the west and south, Tallinn-Narva railway to the north, and forest to the east.

Before The Second World War, the border between Kehra and Paasiku ran where Aasa street is located, but nowadays, the town's land extends until Kose-Jägala highway.

The river is overgrown, muddy, and slow due to a hydroelectric plant located upstream in the village of Kaunissaare.

The longer one, called Karukse, flowed just south of the manor, between the current elementary school and Konsum grocery store.

The shorter stream flowed parallel to the current Laste street and was filled in the 1950s, when the apartment buildings were built there.

[7]: 60, 86, 104 It is known that the village of Kehra was practically uninhabited after the Polish-Swedish war in 1615, while Jaunack and Karrock remained seemingly untouched.

The peasants of Kehra Manor lost almost all their belongings after a Russian raid in 1704, as part of the Great Northern War, which in general brought down the birthrate in the Harju-Jaani parish for a year.

Out of the total 146 inhabitants, 102 perished due to the plague while the rest likely fled the area, resulting in a population of only 14 individuals.

[7]: 88 Kehra railway station was opened in 1872, but the settlement did not see a big influx of people until the pulp mill started operating in 1938.

The official data regarding the population size after the war is classified due to the presence of Soviet military personnel in the area at the time.

By 1959, Estonians constituted 59.3%, and by 1989, only 47.7% of the borough's population due to the influx of foreign workforce from other parts of the Soviet Union.

Approximately 400 Ingrian Finns moved to Kehra after the war because they were exiled from their native land near the city of Leningrad.

[69]2003-2017: Estonian Statistics Database Some of the largest companies in Kehra include: Raudoja-Vikipalu-Kehra and Soodla-Kehra roads terminate north-east of the paper mill, just outside of the town's limits.

Kehra is located approximately 32.8 kilometers from the outer edge of Tallinn through Kose-Jägala, Jägala-Käravete, and Tallinn-Narva highways.

[85] A disc golf track,[86] an outdoor gym,[87] an artificial hill for sledding and skiing,[88] a sand field,[89] a skating rink,[90] and a beach[91] are located nearby.

Kehra fitness trail is located on the eastern edge of the town, across the river from the stadium, and is mainly used for running and skiing.