Did you know that our local Kingsley village has long lost twins in Staffordshire, Hampshire, the USA and Australia?

One such Kingsley is a rural village in Paradise Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

It has a population of about 1,500 people – quite similar to that of our own local Kingsley.

While Cheshire's Kingsley was listed (as Chingeslie) in the Domesday Book of 1086, its US counterpart was founded much later in the nineteenth century by Judson Kingsley and Myron S. Brownson.

When the Pennsylvania Railroad was completed between Cadillac and Traverse City, Kingsley built a station and post office around the portion of the track which passed through his property.

In 1874, Brownson bought a patch of land adjacent to Kingsley's, and from there their tiny settlement grew into what local people now know as the village of Kingsley.

In the late 1800s, the village grew around a flourishing lumber industry, although this later collapsed and was replaced by farming in the early 1900s.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Kingsley was a thriving community with a department store, meat market and two bars. In the summer months, local merchants would put on a free show for residents, projecting films onto the side of a building.

Nowadays, Traverse City has become more accessible, and so many Kingsley residents have found work there, giving the village a more residential feel as it evolves into more of a commuter town.

Today, Kingsley has a young population, with nearly one third of people in Kingsley are under 18, and nearly 40 per cent being aged between 18 and 44.

Its Civic Center offers various sporting activities, from basketball to archery, and its annual Adams Fly Festival celebrates the village's historic connection with fly fishing.

You can find out more about Kingsley, Michigan on the village website.