About Waltham Forest
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is a London borough in East London, England and forms part of Outer London.
It is a a mix of built-up residential development and a fifth of the borough is made up of forestland, reservoirs, open space, parks and playing fields. It is located between part of Epping Forest in the east and the River Lee in the west which form two green corridors, passing into London from the surrounding countryside.
History
Many Stone Age remains are found in the area. Roman remains have also been found scattered around the borough proving it was a significant area of Roman occupation.
The borough was formed in 1965, by the London Government Act 1963, from the area of the former Municipal Borough of Chingford, Municipal Borough of Leyton and Municipal Borough of Walthamstow which was transferred to Greater London from Essex.
The borough was named Waltham Forest after the forest the area used to reside in now known as Epping Forest. The Epping Forest Act of 1878 not only assisted in preserving the forest but also help develop the towns around it; Chingford, Walthamstow and Leyton. The boroughs location between the City of London and Epping Forest caused the large scale urban development of much of the borough.
Settlement
The main centers of population in the borough are, Chingford in the north, Walthamstow in the center (and the administrative hub including the council offices) and Leyton and Leytonstone to the south. Waltham Forest has the 5th biggest Muslim population in England and the 3rd biggest in London (coming after its neighbouring boroughs, Newham and Tower Hamlets).
Demographics
Out of the 376 local government districts in England and Wales, Waltham Forest has the 11th largest non-white minority ethnic population. The largest minority ethnic group are black Afro-Carribeans/Africans with a population of 30,300, followed by Pakistanis who number over 17,000. Out of the 376 local government districts in England and Wales, it ranks 19th for over-crowded housing conditions, 29th for unemployment and 17th for number of single-parent households.
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