Dartford sits in north-west Kent on the gentle valley of the River Darent, about eighteen miles east of central London. The town grew up around a historic ford and later became an important market and industrial centre; today it is dominated by the transport corridors of the M25 and the Dartford Crossing, with large retail and commuter hubs such as Bluewater and nearby Ebbsfleet International shaping the local economy.
Despite modern development, Dartford still has green lungs like Dartford Heath and a string of former mills along the river that hint at its industrial past. Culturally it punches above its weight - it was the childhood home of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - and the town combines ongoing regeneration projects, a mixed local economy and community institutions such as Dartford FC at Princes Park.