What it's like to live in Ashford

There is a good cluster of primary schools close in. Victoria Road Primary is roughly a third of a mile away, with St Mary's Church of England Primary, St Teresa's Catholic Primary, Ashford Oaks Community Primary and Saint Simon of England R.C. Primary all within a mile.

For older children, The North School is under a mile off, The Wyvern School about 1.2 miles, and Towers School & Sixth Form Centre just under two miles. Always check current admissions and Ofsted reports yourself before you commit to a swap.

Family life is helped by three libraries within easy reach - Ashford Library in the centre, plus Bockhanger and Stanhope. Across the borough, 19.5% of people are under 16, slightly above the England average, so there are plenty of other families around.

Ashford International is about a quarter of a mile from the centre, which is the town's biggest single asset for anyone who travels. Being able to walk to a mainline station is not something most towns this size can offer.

Buses run from Park Street, where several stops sit within a couple of hundred metres of the centre, plus North Street nearby. That makes the town centre the natural hub if you do not drive.

If you do have a car, Warren Retail Park and the outlet shopping to the west are a short hop, and the town's road links are what draw a lot of people here. Plenty of day-to-day life in TN23, though, is walkable: the library, the shops, the doctors and the parks are all within half a mile of each other.

For a town this size, the centre is well stocked. The Ashford Cinema is a couple of minutes from the shops, with Cineworld and Eureka Entertainment Park under a mile away. County Square and Elwick Place cover everyday shopping, and the outlet stores to the west, including Columbia and GANT, pull in visitors.

Green space is close: Memorial Gardens, the Remembrance Memorial and Civic Park are all within a third of a mile, with Queen Mother Park and the Ashford Green Corridor about half a mile out. The Corridor is the one to know if you want a longer walk.

There are several gyms within a short walk, a good spread of pubs including The Phoenix, The New Swan and The George Hotel, and community hubs such as Ashford Arts Centre, Ashford Community Network and The Riverside Centre.

The borough's employment picture is steady. Around 59.6% of adults are in work, a little above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 2.9% against 3.5% nationally. Benefit claims tied to unemployment were also 2.9% of working-age people in August 2026, below the England rate of 4%.

Retail and services in the town centre, the retail parks and the outlet shopping are visible sources of local jobs, along with health services such as Spire Ashford Clinic and several medical centres within a mile.

The station matters for work too. Commuting out is a realistic option from here, which widens your choices if local vacancies do not suit.

Social renting is a smaller slice of the market here than nationally: 14% of homes in the borough, against 17.1% across England, split between 8.9% council and 5.1% housing association. Two thirds of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage.

Ashford Borough Council is by far the biggest social landlord with around 5,157 homes, followed by Moat Homes, West Kent Housing Association, Southern Housing and Clarion.

Average weekly social rents in the borough for 2024/25 were about £99 for a one-bed, £115 for a two-bed and £125 for a three-bed. Your own rent will depend on your landlord and property, so check before you agree anything.

The age mix is broadly typical, with slightly more people aged 45 to 64 and over 65 than the England average.