Ealing is a major suburban district of west London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located 7.9 miles (12.7 km) west of Charing Cross and around 12 miles (19.3 km) from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village in the county of Middlesex and formed an ancient parish. Improvement in communications with London, culminating with the opening of the railway station in 1838, shifted the local economy to market garden supply and eventually to suburban development.
As part of the growth of London in the 20th century, Ealing significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1901 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. It now forms a significant commercial and retail centre with a developed night time economy. Ealing's town centre is often colloquial with Ealing Broadway.
Most of Ealing, including the commercial district, Ealing Common, Hanger Hill, Montpelier and Pitshanger, fall under the W5 postcode. Areas to the north-west of the town centre such as Argyle Road are part of W13 instead. A small section near Hanger Lane station partly falls under the NW10 postcode area. The population of Ealing, comprising the Ealing Broadway and Ealing Common wards, was 28,048 in the 2011 census.