Dagenham is in the east of London and is approximately 12 miles east of Charing Cross. Historically Dagenham was a village in Essex and over time in the early and mid 20th century went through a number of different statuses before becoming part of Greater London in the 1960s. Dagenham is now part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

Dagenham used to have a major coaling port, which still operates on a smaller scale and a sizable industrial presence, which again sadly is largely reduced, in part due to the departure of Ford from the area. The area is undergoing a major redevelopment, much of which is using the old industrial land which propelled Dagenham's fortunes in the early to late 20th century. Historically the borough has housed a number of different features including a Saxon Moot point, which was a democratic meeting of elders and an antiaircraft battery and prisoner of war camp in the Second World War.

Dagenham has a number of transport connections with the rest of London. Transport for London's London Underground service has a number of district line stops that run into East London, along the south of the City of London, along the north Bank of the Thames near the West End and out into the west and south west to Ealing Broadway, Wimbledon and Richmond. National rail services also pass through the area, leading into Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street depending on the station. The area is also covered by a number of London Bus routes.

Dagenham hosts Dagenham and Redbridge FC, who at the time of writing play in the 3rd tier of English football, League One, formed by the merger of Redbridge Forest and Dagenham football clubs in 1992. Their presence in League One is a result of promotion at the end of the 2009-10 season, after only playing League football since the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

Dagenham recently provided the setting for the movie Made in Dagenham, covering the 1968 Ford machinist strike, which took place in the area, though in the main not at the major assembly plant as shown in the movie. The strikes were a protest against sexual discrimination and unequal pay and are considered to have been a major turning point in the fight for equal rights and are also considered to be a major factor in the passing of the Equal Pay Act 1970. The movie received 4 BAFTA nominations.

Dagenham is looking to benefit from the major redevelopment of the East end of London and the Thames gateway area as a whole. Plans for thousands of new homes and a sustainable business cluster for the area, with extension of transport links such as the Dockland Light Railway into the area, providing excellent transport links to much of the East End, as well as major business centres such as Canary Wharf, the City of London, as well as interchanges with the London Underground, National rail and the East London Line. The creation of these jobs and homes should enable Dagenham to recover the recent loss of the Ford plant.