Chadderton's modern commercial centre lies close to the boundary with Oldham; the expansion of Oldham in the mid-19th century caused urbanisation along the eastern boundary of Chadderton, which spread outwards into the rest of the township. Continued growth in the late-19th and early-20th centuries gave rise to a densely populated, industrial landscape of factories and rows of terraced housing, typical of mill towns in Northern England. There is a mixture of high-density urban areas, suburbs and semi-rural locations in Chadderton, but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is urban. The soils of Chadderton are sand based, with subsoils of clay and gravel.