Berkhamsted is a medium-sized historic market town around the western border of the English county of Hertfordshire. Positioned in the compact Bulbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills, it is now a commuter town, being 26 miles to the northwest of London. As noted in population documents from 2013, the town has a permanent population of about 18,100, residing in approximately 7363 households. There are a number of buildings in residential locations, with 77 percent of household spaces being houses or bungalows and 23% being flats or maisonettes. Settlements have appeared in Berkhamsted for more than 500 years, as suggested by archaeological evidence of flint working during the Neolithic age and metal working throughout the late Iron Age and Roman periods. Though farming, service and light industry were characteristic local occupations in 1986, the largest employers in the town in 2015 were schools and retail. A lot of the companies are based in the famed Berkhamsted West ward. In 2014, the Academy of Urbanism's Urbanism Awards referred to the character of Berkhamsted's High Street as 'vibrant' and 'bustling', developing a 'pleasant' and 'successful' shopping area. There's a broad selection of retailers and food retailers available to inhabitants and guests, boasting a mix of independent and commercial chain stores, cafes, coffee shops, eating places and public houses. For social opportunities, the Rex Cinema offers numerous current films for the citizens of Berkhamsted to check out. Being constructed in the art deco style of architecture in 1937, the Daily Telegraph has described the Rex as the UK's most beautiful cinema, and it was declared Britain's Best Cinema in the first Guardian film awards of 2014. For all of your home improvement projects, make sure that you select vetted professionals in Berkhamsted to make sure you get a good quality service.