Tonbridge

With a population of 40,356, Tonbridge (earlier known as Tunbridge also) is located on the River Medway. It falls in the Burroughs of Tonbridge and Mailing.It may possibly have acquired its name from “town of bridges” as there are a number of streams that the High Street had to cross.Old maps till 1871 show the name of the town as Tunbridge.

Economy

The Tonbridge economy relies on engineering, printing, publishing, and many other services. As it is a market town, it is home to numerous attractions for the sightseers that incorporate stops, castles, and sports offices.  The High Street is home to most of the shopping facilities in Tonbridge. However, Tonbridge residents have been complaining of an abundance of cheap shops and lack of branded retailers in High Street. This problem has been due to its neighbours such as Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Bluewater, where all the branded retailers are based.

Environment

A Pedestrian Action environmentalist group called PATHS came up in 2014 to make Tonbridge cleaner and safer. Up until 2014, the High Street was a freeway for various HGVS and heavy passenger transport.

In 2014 the Angel Community Garden was designed along the edge of Sainsbury's car park to encourage bees which were declining. The local citizens and shopkeepers also lent their support to this project.

Media

The KMFM West Kent and the Heart Kent (also known as Invicta FM) are the two local commercial radio stations. The KMFM studios are based in Medway now but initially were located in Tonbridge. BBC Radio Kent also serves the town, and many London based stations are also received. The Kent and Sussex Courier is the local newspaper having the largest readership in Tonbridge.