Locate in Kent - Quality of Life
Kent and Medway is an area where individuals, families and businesses can flourish.
Housing
Choosing a home should be exciting - it is here. As well as great value - average house prices are among the lowest in the South East - there's a wide range of choice, from urban apartments in new waterside communities, sizeable semi's with gardens in leafy suburbs, and traditional cottages in picturesque villages, to designer pads in lively town centres.
House prices are considerably lower than prices in London and lower than many parts of the South East Land Registry, July 2009: Kent average house price is 13% cheaper than the South East and 44% lower than Greater London.
Education
Kent is full of educational opportunity, where businesses, individuals and families can fulfill their potential and stretch their abilities at institutions with a wealth of world-class facilities and exceptionally high standards. Five universities and 800 schools across Kent and Medway - including the highest number of grammar schools in England - provide the ideal environment for nurturing talent and shaping successful careers well into the future.
Culture
Kent offers a wealth of theatres such as the Marlowe (Canterbury) and the Orchard (Dartford), as well as concerts and art, including the annual Canterbury festival.
With historic houses, castles and towns ranging from medieval Canterbury to Charles Dickens' home town of Rochester, Kent offers a wealth of history to indulge in and learn from.
Recreational Activities
The county of Kent enjoys beautiful countryside and hundreds of miles of attractive coastline. It is the ‘Garden of England`, with thousands of acres of glorious countryside, including 360 miles of varied coastline, from the imposing sheer White Cliffs of Dover, to sandy beaches and estuaries teaming with rare wildlife.
Kent offers over 67 golf courses, horse racing at Folkestone, motor racing at Brands Hatch, watersports, from kite-surfing to sailing, Canterbury Cricket Ground, and historic listed buildings and castles to visit - Kent has more castles than any other area in the UK.
Kent is a paradise for shopping. There's Bluewater, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe, two major designer outlets in Ashford and Medway, and new shopping developments in Canterbury, Maidstone and Thanet.
Alternative Energy / Environmental Issues
There is already one on-shore and one off-shore wind farm in Kent, and construction of the biggest offshore wind farm in the UK will soon start begin off the north Kent coast. In addition, numerous companies are involved in renewable energy and there is a high level of household recycling. Many recent residential and commercial buildings in Kent have reached the highest levels of sustainability.
