Epping Forest district is a district of Essex, bordering Greater London. Much of the district is covered with the forest of the same name. The district was formed on 1 April 1974. Much of the district has a rural appearance. In the south, at the border of Greater London it is more suburban. The biggest town in the district, Loughton, lies in this area. Chipping Ongar is a small market town a bit more to the north. The administration is in Epping, which is roughly in the centre of the district. The rest of the district is dominated by villages.