Introduction
Eden lies in the eastern central part of Cumbria, bordered by South Lakeland to the south, Carlisle to the north and Allerdale to the west. The counties of Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire lie to the east of Eden. At 215,814 ha, and with a population of 52,800, Eden is the second largest and most sparsely populated District within England. The District is predominantly rural and attractive to visitors, with about a quarter of its area being located within the Lake District National Park. Penrith is the administrative centre of the District and the largest town. Other significant market towns include Appleby in Westmorland, Alston and Kirkby Stephen. The economy of the District is largely dependent upon tourism, agriculture and their support services.
Eden is the least populous District in England with 52,800 residents, accounting for only a tenth of Cumbria's population. Population growth in the District has been strong over the past 20 years, especially during the 1990s, consistently exceeding County and national averages, and this is set to continue for the next 15 to 20 years.
Eden has a relatively aged population, even in the context of Cumbria as a whole. Nearly 24% of the population are 60 or over, three percentage points higher than regional and national averages. Conversely, the District has three percentage points less population under 20 than regionally or nationally. As such, Eden's working age population (60.4%) is proportionately similar in size to the North West (61.6%) and GB (62.1%) , but it is skewed towards the older age groups.
ONS population projections suggest that Eden will continue to experience strong population growth over the next decade, exceeding national levels by two to three times. The District's past and expected future growth has been greatly driven by in-migration due to the lifestyle and environmental attractions of the District.
