Town and borough (pop., 2001: 138,959), administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England. It is situated on the River Medway southeast of London. Its name is derived from one given it in Domesday Book. A residence of the Norman archbishops of Canterbury until the Reformation, it grew as a market town. Still an agricultural centre, it is located in England's largest hops-growing area, and brewing is important to its economy. Among many sites of architectural interest is the medieval archbishop's palace.
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There were 45 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 14.3% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 41.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 133.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $19,167, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,668. There were 6.7% of families and 8.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.