A line of populous villages extends down the valley between Orpington and Bexley - St Mary Cray (pop. 1894), St Paul's Cray (1207), Foots Cray (an urban district, 5817), and North Cray.
From its pleasant situation in a hilly, wooded district near the headwaters of the Cray stream, Orpington has become in modern times a favourite residential locality for those whose business lies in London.
Housing to the north of Farnborough Way, heading toward Orpington, is more suburban in character than that found in the village.
In this aspect the principal extension of London has been into the counties of Kent and Surrey, to the pleasant hilly districts about Sydenham, Norwood and Croydon, Chislehurst and Orpington, Caterham, Redhill and Reigate, Epsom, Dorking and Leatherhead; and up the valley of the Thames through Richmond to Kingston and Surbiton, Esher and Weybridge, and the many townships on both the Surrey and the Middlesex shores of the river.