Kettering, town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Northamptonshire, England. From the 17th century Kettering was a centre for the production of woolen cloth and later of silk and plush. Since the Industrial Revolution, however, the town has been associated, like all its Northamptonshire neighbours, with leatherworking and the footwear industry. As the latter declined, Kettering sought more modern industries, competing since 1950 against Corby, a designated new town only 8 miles (13 km) away, for which Kettering serves as the railhead.
Kettering has remained a prosperous town, with good road as well as rail connections. The borough also includes the towns of Desborough and Rothwell and a mainly rural area stretching north to the border of Leicestershire. Area borough, 90 square miles (234 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 51,063; district, 81,844; (2011) town, 56,226; district, 93,475.