The District of North Kesteven is a large, diverse, rural area, stretching from the Witham in the east almost to the Trent in the west and from the sparsely populated villages to the south of Sleaford to the more densely-populated Lincoln fringe in the north. North Kesteven is one of seven districts in Lincolnshire and covers an area of 92,244 hectares (356 square miles). The District is characterised by small settlements and large areas of arable farmland; 90% of land in the district has been classified as agricultural. There are around 100 communities in the North Kesteven District. The population of the District is 109,906 (Office for National Statistics mid year population estimate 2013). There are two towns with approximately 17,671 people in Sleaford and 13,884 in North Hykeham (Census 2011). Almost 40% of North Kesteven’s residents live in communities in the Lincoln “fringe”, the area immediately surrounding Lincoln City (including North Hykeham) and about 15% live in Sleaford. Of the remaining 45%, about half live in 57 communities with fewer than 1,000 people and the other half live in communities, not in the Lincoln fringe, with more than 1,000 people.