Kent is a ceremonial county in South East England and the closest English county to mainland Europe. It covers 1,443 square miles (3,738 km2) and held an estimated 1,858,000 residents in 2021, counting both Kent County Council’s area and the Medway unitary authority.
Maidstone is the county town. The Medway Towns of Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham form the largest built-up area. Long orchard and hop growing earned Kent the name Garden of England, and about a third of the county is protected landscape.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | South East England |
| Area | 1,443 sq mi (3,738 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 1,858,455 (ONS estimate) |
| Population (2011 census) | 1,731,351 |
| County town | Maidstone |
| Councils | Kent County Council, 12 districts, Medway (unitary) |
| Coastline | Thames Estuary, North Sea, Strait of Dover, English Channel |
| Postcode areas | CT, DA, ME, TN, part of BR |
Kent County Council covers twelve districts: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, and Tunbridge Wells. Medway has been a separate unitary authority since 1998.
Towns and Villages in Kent
The GeoNames gazetteer records 994 named settlements across Kent and Medway. The list below covers the 167 towns and larger villages with a recorded population; the remainder are hamlets, farmsteads and outlying greens.
- Addington
- Aldington
- Alkham
- Allhallows
- Ash
- Ashford
- Aylesford
- Aylesham
- Barham
- Benenden
- Bethersden
- Biddenden
- Birchington-on-Sea
- Blean
- Borden
- Borough Green
- Brasted
- Bredgar
- Brenchley
- Bridge
- Broadstairs
- Brook
- Brookland
- Burham
- Canterbury
- Capel le Ferne
- Charing
- Chartham
- Chatham
- Chattenden
- Chilham
- Cliffe
- Cranbrook
- Crockham Hill
- Cuxton
- Darenth
- Dartford
- Deal
- Densole
- Detling
- Dover
- Dunkirk
- Dymchurch
- East Peckham
- Eastchurch
- Eastry
- Edenbridge
- Elham
- Eynsford
- Eythorne
- Faversham
- Fawkham
- Fawkham Green
- Five Oak Green
- Folkestone
- Frittenden
- Gillingham
- Goudhurst
- Grain
- Gravesend
- Greenhithe
- Hadlow
- Halling
- Halstead
- Harrietsham
- Hartley
- Hawkhurst
- Hawkinge
- Headcorn
- Herne Bay
- High Halden
- High Halstow
- Hildenborough
- Hoo
- Horsmonden
- Horton Kirby
- Hythe
- Ide Hill
- Istead Rise
- Iwade
- Kemsing
- Kennington
- Kings Hill
- Kingston
- Knockholt
- Lamberhurst
- Larkfield
- Lenham
- Leysdown-on-Sea
- Littlebourne
- Longfield
- Lower Halstow
- Lower Hardres
- Lower Stoke
- Lydd
- Lydden
- Lyminge
- Lympne
- Lynsted
- Maidstone
- Marden
- Margate
- Meopham
- Mersham
- New Romney
- Newington
- Offham
- Otford
- Paddock Wood
- Pembury
- Penshurst
- Plaxtol
- Queenborough
- Rainham
- Ramsgate
- Reculver
- Rochester
- Rolvenden
- Romney Marsh
- Royal Tunbridge Wells
- Rusthall
- Saint Peters
- Sandwich
- Sellindge
- Sevenoaks
- Shadoxhurst
- Sheerness
- Shepherdswell
- Shipbourne
- Shoreham
- Sissinghurst
- Sittingbourne
- Smarden
- Snodland
- Sole Street
- Southfleet
- Speldhurst
- St Mary's Bay
- Staplehurst
- Stone
- Sturry
- Sundridge
- Swanley
- Swanscombe
- Tankerton
- Tenterden
- Teynham
- Tonbridge
- Trottiscliffe
- Ulcombe
- Upchurch
- Upstreet
- Wateringbury
- West Kingsdown
- West Malling
- Westerham
- Westgate on Sea
- Whitstable
- Wingham
- Wittersham
- Woodchurch
- Wootton
- Worth
- Wouldham
- Wrotham
- Wye
- Yalding
Geography
Two chalk and sandstone systems set the shape of Kent. The North Downs run west to east across the county and end abruptly at the white cliffs of Dover and the South Foreland. South of them lies the Weald, a mix of sandstone ridges and clay vales shared with Sussex.
The Medway rises in Sussex and cuts north through Tonbridge and Maidstone to the estuary at Rochester. The Great Stour flows through Ashford and Canterbury to Sandwich Bay, and the Darent drains the west.
Romney Marsh occupies the flat south coast, reclaimed grazing land behind a shingle bank at Dungeness. The Isle of Sheppey, the Isle of Grain and the Isle of Thanet sit on the north and east coasts, though only Sheppey is still separated by water.
Kent borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west, East Sussex to the south-west and Essex across the Thames estuary. France lies 21 miles across the Strait of Dover.
Demographics
The 2011 census counted 1,466,466 people in the Kent County Council area and 264,885 in Medway, giving a ceremonial county total of 1,731,351. ONS put the combined figure at about 1,858,000 by mid-2021, growth of roughly 7% in a decade.
At the 2021 census the largest built-up areas were Maidstone (109,490), Gillingham (108,483), Chatham (76,983), Ashford (82,164), Margate (63,322), Canterbury (55,087) and Folkestone (51,991). Royal Tunbridge Wells, Gravesend, Dartford, Sittingbourne, Dover and Ramsgate each pass 40,000.
Growth is strongest along the Thames corridor at Dartford, Gravesend and Ebbsfleet, and around Ashford, where high-speed rail cut the London journey to 37 minutes. The Weald and Romney Marsh remain sparsely settled.
Economy and Local Life
Kent’s economy runs on freight, farming and commuting. The Port of Dover is the busiest ferry port in the United Kingdom, and the Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton near Folkestone carries road vehicles on shuttle trains to Coquelles.
Fruit and hops still shape the landscape. Apples, cherries, pears and cobnuts are grown on the Greensand and Medway valley soils, and oast houses survive across the county from the hop trade. English sparkling wine has taken over much of the chalk slope planting, with vineyards at Tenterden, Appledore and Westwell.
Manufacturing is concentrated in Medway and Swale, with paper, cement and marine engineering histories. Bluewater at Greenhithe is one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Canterbury supports two universities and a cathedral tourism economy.
Coastal towns have diverged sharply. Whitstable, Deal and Margate have gained from London money and the arts, while parts of Thanet and Folkestone remain among the more deprived districts in the South East.
History
The Cantiaci gave the county its name, one of the few English county names with a pre-Roman root. The Roman invasion of AD 43 landed at Richborough, where the fort and the base of a triumphal arch survive, and Watling Street ran from Dover through Canterbury and Rochester to London.
Augustine landed on Thanet in 597 and founded the see of Canterbury, which remains the senior archbishopric in England. Thomas Becket was murdered in the cathedral in 1170, and the pilgrim route to his shrine gave Chaucer his frame for the Canterbury Tales.
Dover, Hythe, New Romney and Sandwich were four of the original Cinque Ports, granted trade privileges in return for ship service. Chatham Dockyard, founded in 1567, built and repaired Royal Navy ships for four centuries and is now a museum.
Kent took the heaviest air fighting of the Battle of Britain in 1940, and the county was known for a time as Hell Fire Corner. Airfields at Manston, Hawkinge, West Malling and Detling were front line stations.
Getting There
The M20 and M2 run from London to Folkestone and Dover, joined by the M25 and M26 in the west. The A2, A20, A21, A28 and A249 carry cross-county traffic.
High Speed 1 runs domestic services from London St Pancras to Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Canterbury, Ramsgate, Folkestone and Dover, with Ashford reached in about 37 minutes. Classic lines from Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street serve Maidstone, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, the Medway Towns and the coast.
Eurostar passes through Kent to Paris and Brussels, and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle loads cars at Cheriton. Ferries sail from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk.
There is no operating passenger airport in the county since Manston closed in 2014. Gatwick, Heathrow and London Southend are the usual choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest town in Kent?
Maidstone is the largest single built-up area at 109,490 people in the 2021 census, but the linked Medway Towns hold more than 250,000 between them.
How many towns and villages are there in Kent?
The GeoNames gazetteer lists 994 named settlements across Kent and Medway, of which 167 have a recorded population.
Which councils cover Kent?
Kent County Council and twelve district councils cover most of the county. Medway Council has been a separate unitary authority since 1998.
Which postcode areas cover Kent?
CT (Canterbury), ME (Medway), TN (Tonbridge), DA (Dartford) and part of BR (Bromley).
Why is Kent called the Garden of England?
Because of its orchards and hop gardens. The soils and mild climate suited apples, cherries and hops, and the oast houses built to dry hops still stand across the county.
How far is Kent from France?
21 miles at the narrowest point, from Dover across the Strait of Dover to Cap Gris-Nez.