Berkhamsted is a medium-sized historic market town on the western border of the English county of Hertfordshire. Located within the little Bulbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills, its major purpose is as a commuter town, due to its location 26 miles northwest of London. As noted in population information from 2013, the town has a permanent resident population of roughly 18,100, occupying roughly 7363 properties. There are a number of buildings in residential areas, with 77 percent of household areas being houses or bungalows and 23% being flats or maisonettes. Settlements have appeared in Berkhamsted for over five hundred years, as suggested by archaeological evidence of flint working in the Neolithic period and metal working in the late Iron Age and Roman periods. Although farming, service and light industry were normal occupations in the area in 1986, the most significant employers in the town in 2015 were educational facilities and retail. Almost all of the companies in the area can be found inside the nationally recognised Berkhamsted West ward. In 2014, the Academy of Urbanism's Urbanism Awards referred to the appeal of Berkhamsted's High Street as 'vibrant' and 'bustling', creating a 'pleasant' and 'successful' shopping location. You can find a large selection of outlets and food retailers available to residents and visitors, boasting a mixture of independent and commercial chain retailers, cafes, coffee shops, places to eat and public houses. For social events, the Rex Cinema offers many recent films for the residents of Berkhamsted to check out. Being constructed in the art deco style in 1937, the Daily Telegraph has described the Rex as the UK's most beautiful cinema, and it was named Britain's Best Cinema in the inaugural Guardian film awards of 2014. For all of your house improvement projects, make certain that you choose trusted professionals in Berkhamsted to ensure you get a great quality service.