Acton is a district in the London Borough of Ealing in west London. It's 6.1 miles west of Charing Cross. At the 2011 census, Acton had a population of 62,480 - a 10 year increase of 8,791 inhabitants.
Acton means 'oak farm' or ''farm by oak trees', and comes from old English. It was originally an ancient village, and as London expanded it was absorbed in to the city. Since 1965, Acton has been part of the east of Ealing, but some sections of East Acton are inside the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and a small part of South Acton is inside the London Borough of Hounslow. Acton is one of the locations with the most stations bearing their name anywhere in the UK, with seven stations including its name.
Central Acton is referred to as the hub of commerce and retail on the former principal road between London and Oxford, generally known as the Uxbridge Road. The main road includes lots of inns, which go as far back to the late Tudor period as stopping places for travellers. Right now, the A40 dual carriageway is the major route from London to Oxford, and it bypasses central Acton. It still passes by way of East Acton and North Acton.
Acton contains the largest housing estate in West London, named the South Acton estate, with around 2,000 houses and 5,800 residents. The location is at the moment in phase 2 of a significant 15-year phased regeneration which includes nearly total demolition of the current residential units and also the construction of new and more residences. This is most likely to raise its population even further.