It forms part of the Eastern Suburbs of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, situated on the north-eastern edge of False Bay and near the foot of the Helderberg Mountains.

Its geographical position is between Somerset West and Gordon's Bay, and is about 50 km southeast of Cape Town City Bowl.

In 1970, during the Apartheid era, all black, coloured and Asian people were forcefully removed when the town was classified as a white-only resort.

Recent expansion and development of both towns has resulted in the two now being adjacent to each other, with shopping malls and residential complexes creating the connections.

During the summer, tourists from other parts of South Africa, including Johannesburg, and abroad, come to enjoy the seaside offerings.

Tourism has been a major source of local income since 1950,[citation needed] when the town was popular with visitors from the north of the country, and was home to many retired veterans of the Boer War.

This area is being redeveloped into a large new mixed-use urban development, Paardevlei, and current tenants include Cheetah Outreach.

The coast between the Lourens River mouth and Gordon's Bay is popular with beach fishermen and rock anglers.

Friedman & Cohen is the largest single shop in the CBD and serves as a major attraction for residents and visitors.

Strand Beach Road is divided into three sections - the Golden Mile (also known as Melkbaai) is located between Lourens River and Hibernian Towers (cnr.

[citation needed] Strand has its industrial areas, mostly spread along the south side of the N2, including Gants Plaza, Broadlands, and a development near Paardevlei.

More recently, Gants Plaza has increasingly been accommodating non-industrial businesses, including the local newspaper, the District Mail / Distrikspos.