Acton is a district in the London Borough of Ealing in west London. It's 6.1 miles west of Charing Cross. In the 2011 census, Acton had a population of 62,480 - a ten-year increase of 8,791 individuals.
Acton means 'oak farm' or ''farm by oak trees', and comes from old English. It was initially 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 in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and a small portion of South Acton is in the London Borough of Hounslow. Acton is one of the locations with the most stations bearing their name anywhere in the United kingdom, 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, called the Uxbridge Road. The main road contains a lot of inns, which go back to the late Tudor period as stopping places for travellers. Right now, the A40 dual carriageway is the key route from London to Oxford, and it bypasses central Acton. It still passes by means of East Acton and North Acton.
Acton hosts the biggest housing estate in West London, named the South Acton estate, with about 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents. The area is at present in phase two of a major 15-year phased regeneration which consists of nearly full demolition of the existing residential units plus the building of brand new and much more residences. This is most likely to raise its population even more.