London Borough of Waltham Forest

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is in northeast London, England. Officially, it forms part of Outer London as it borders Essex. However, it can be seen that the NE London boundary does not extend far compared to elsewhere in the city (e.g. due north and east). Perhaps as a consequence of this, the south of the borough contrasts markedly with the north (split by the North Circular Road). in terms of its mixed ethnicity and socio-economic indicators, and is often regarded as part of London's East End (along with nearby Clapton, Stratford and Forest Gate). Taken as a whole, Waltham Forest comprises built-up urban districts in the south with inner-city characteristics, and more affluent residential development in the north with a variety of reservoirs, open space, small sections of Epping Forest, parks, and playing fields, which together cover a fifth of the borough. It is located between Epping Forest (Essex) in the north, London Borough of Redbridge in the east, London Boroughs of Newham and Hackney in the south, and London Boroughs of Haringey and Enfield in the west (where the River Lea and the surrounding parkland forms a green corridor, traditionally separating north and east London). Waltham Forest is one of the six London boroughs that are hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.