Acton has successfully cast off its image as Chiswick’s ‘poorer cousin’, becoming a popular and vibrant part of West London. Attracting new investment and residents with ease, Acton’s star is on the rise. But where are the best places to live in Acton right now? Let’s ask the residents who live there.
What is Acton famous for?
Like most of London, Acton has a long and storied history that dates back over 1,000 years. The first recorded mention of Acton was in 1181, but it’s likely that it started as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Its name even means Oak Town in Saxon.
Since then, Acton has enjoyed a range of specialities. In the 1600s and 1700s, the London gentry kept houses here as their quieter summer residences. Acton Wells was a big draw for the time, thanks to its reputation for providing health-giving mineral water.
In the 1920s, Acton became a heavily industrialised area, specialising in building automobiles. Most famous among its hosted factory names was Napier’s, a major car manufacturer.
10 best new developments in Acton
If you’re looking to get into specifics and start your search for Acton property, our resident reviewers can help you out. The following list covers the best places to live in Acton, as scored by the residents who submit their scores to HomeViews.
If you need a closer look at any of our top 10 entrants, just click on the listing. This will take you to the dedicated page, where you will find more details and the full list of comments.
*PLEASE NOTE these rankings take into account how many reviews a scheme has and how recently those reviews have been submitted, so may not match the overall star ratings shown. Buildings with a larger number of more recent reviews are given a greater weighting to reflect current building performance.
What’s living in Acton like?
Acton is known as a growing hotspot for property investment and young professionals wanting to move in and put down roots.
While Acton has a lot of competition from nearby Chiswick and Ealing, multi-million-pound regeneration projects have put it back on the map. The high street now throbs with new life and a slew of enticing independent shops. Acton Park is the spiritual heart of the area, and has benefitted from a major renewal scheme. Also, its “putting in the park” course is a delight for crazy golfers of all ages.
Acton continues to go from strength to strength in terms of attracting new investment. The recent Acton Gardens renewal project is a big success story of urban regeneration and sustainability. And back in April 2023, TfL’s largest residential development to date was approved, which will see around 900 new homes built in Acton.
This goes to show that Acton is still on the up and up. This makes it attractive to anyone who loves the West London vibe, but is still looking for an affordable property in an area that’s transforming for the better.
What are the best areas to live in Acton?
Although it covers a relatively small geographical area, Acton has several distinct neighbourhoods, with each boasting its own unique appeal. Acton Town is the central hub of the area, with its bustling high street and array of cafés and restaurants. Meanwhile, the quieter residential neighbourhoods of South Acton, East Acton and West Acton provide rows and rows of terraced period houses and semi-detached properties.
Not to be forgotten from the list of the best places to live in Acton, North Acton also offers a wealth of new-build developments, creating a thriving new community in a previously underdeveloped corner of the area.
Average property prices in Acton
The fact that Acton is realising its potential can be seen in the area’s steadily rising house prices. Even so, Acton remains a good place to hunt bargains. The overall average price of property for Acton was around £761,000 over the last year (June 2024). This is according to Rightmove, which also puts the average price of flats in the area at £464,000, with plenty of attractive lower-budget prospects.
If you’re looking to rent, Acton is still highly competitive. At an average of £2,300 per calendar month, the area’s rental rates are substantially below the London average of £2,950 PCM.
Need to know more about the best places to live in Acton? Our area guide below gives you a closer look at what this upwardly mobile part of West London has to offer.
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.
