section_path: Geography/Areas
section_name: Areas
paragraph_text: Areas
  
  Places within London's vast urban area are identified using area names, such as Mayfair, Southwark, Wembley and Whitechapel. These are either informal designations, reflect the names of villages that have been absorbed by sprawl, or are superseded administrative units such as parishes or former boroughs.
  
  Such names have remained in use through tradition, each referring to a local area with its own distinctive character, but without official boundaries. Since 1965, Greater London has been divided into 32 London boroughs in addition to the ancient City of London. The City of London is the main financial district, and Canary Wharf has recently developed into a new financial and commercial hub in the Docklands to the east.
  
  West London is located west of the City of London. The West End of London is a prestigious area of inner West London focussed on parts of Westminster close to the City of London. The West End includes London’s main shopping and entertainment areas, including West End theatre, and as such attracts many tourists. West London includes expensive residential areas where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds. The average price for properties in Kensington and Chelsea is over £2 million.
  
  East London is located to the east of the City of London, with the East End being the part of East London closest to the City of London. It has long been known for its high immigrant population and for being one of the poorest areas of the capital. East London included the main northern part of the Port of London and extensive industrial areas. In the late 20th century, deindustrialisation and the closure of the docks brought great hardship. Throughout the area many large brownfield areas now being redeveloped including London Riverside and the Lower Lea Valley, which was developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.