The Kent area was first permanently settled by European Americans in the 1850s along the banks of what was then the White River.

The first settler was Samuel Russell, who sailed the White and Duwamish rivers until he claimed a plot of land southeast of modern-day downtown Kent in the spring of 1853.

[8] The settlements were originally known as "White River" and later the town was called "Titusville" after an early settler by the name of James Henry Titus.

In 1861 a post office was established under the name White River and was located at the farm of David and Irena Neely who settled in modern-day Kent in 1854.

In 1855 their farm was attacked by Native Americans when David Neely served as a lieutenant in the Territorial Army.

[11] Throughout the 1860s and 70's, grain and forage crops such as wheat, barley, oats, hay, and timothy accounted for much of the annual return of farmers in the valley.

The Green River continued to present problems until the creation of the Howard A. Hanson Dam at Eagle Gorge in 1962.

[23] Kent is located in southern King County and is part of Seattle's metropolitan area.

[3] Major waterways include the Green River, which flows north through Kent on its way to Puget Sound.

Kent is also served by King County Metro transit, with the Kent Station providing service to many destinations, including downtown Seattle by multiple commuter buses, the Sounder commuter rail system, and local buses.

Heavy rail service includes two major north–south lines through the Kent Valley, with freight traffic operations by the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads.

[36] The city is served by the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority with 7 of the departments 13 stations located within municipal boundaries.

[43] The manufacturing and distribution industry in Kent and the surrounding area ranks 4th among markets in the United States.

Amazon, Boeing, Whirlpool and General Electric operate sizable facilities in the city.

Due to its central location within the metropolitan area, Kent is home to a large and growing warehouse district.

[45] Boeing Kent Space Center was opened with a public dedication ceremony on October 24, 1964.

Keynote speakers at the event were William "Bill" Allen, Chairman and CEO of The Boeing Company; future Washington Governor Dan Evans; and Alex Thorton, Mayor of the City of Kent.

The event featured public tours of the labs and facilities that were used to build the Lunar Roving Vehicles used in the Apollo program.

[46] Kent is home to a large steel industry dating back to the early 20th century.

[64] In July 2015, Kent hosted the inaugural Junior Roller Derby World Cup.

[65] Riverbend Golf Complex, featuring an 18-hole course which is one of the busiest in Washington state, is located in Kent.

An adjacent par 3 course was actively used by locals for years before being shut down in 2017 to make room for a mixed used development.

[66] The accesso ShoWare Center hosts two minor-league sports teams: the Seattle Thunderbirds play ice hockey in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League;[67] and the Tacoma Stars plays indoor soccer in the Major Arena Soccer League.