Exmouth has a wide and varied range of architecture, ranging from small cob cottages in parts of the town that were once villages and are now incorporated into it, such as Withycombe, to the many Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian town houses. The seafront has a traditional promenade.

The RNLI has a lifeboat station at Exmouth with a Trent Class All Weather Lifeboat (ALB) named Forward Birmingham and "D" Class Inshore Lifeboat (ILB).

The majority of buildings in Exmouth were constructed during the Victorian era with the arrival of the railway. The area to the west of Exeter Road is land that was reclaimed by the railway, Exeter Road originally being part of the seafront. The houses in the colony were mainly constructed for the workers of the railway.

In addition to its substantial summer tourist trade, Exmouth serves as a regional centre for leisure industries, particularly water sports such as sailing and wind-surfing, and outdoor activities such as bird-watching and walking. The Exe estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is noted in particular for its wading and migrating birds. A large part of the estuary lies within a nature reserve. Exmouth marks the western end of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, which stretches eastwards along the coast to Poole, in Dorset; the South West Coast Path allows for walking along this coast. The town is also at the western end of the East Devon Way path that leads to Lyme Regis.

Exmouth serves as a commuter town for Exeter, to which it has good public transport links by train and bus. Commuters by car mainly using a very crowded A376 to get to Exeter from the Northern part of the town.

Key Stats

• The population for the market town area has risen by around 14% since 1991, but has risen by about a third in Woodbury over the same period. The population is around 35,400.
• Economic activity as a whole within the market town area is similar to the district and county averages although they are lower in Budleigh Salterton and higher in Woodbury. This is to be expected due to higher proportion of working age population in Woodbury and an older population in Budleigh Salterton. Self-employment levels in Budleigh Salterton and the remaining rural parishes are significantly higher than the other population centres and the national average.
• Claim rates for Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance are significantly higher in Exmouth than in the other areas. Claim rates for Job Seekers Allowance are similar to Devon in Exmouth and significantly below the national average in all areas.
• Forty percent of the population of Woodbury who work are employed in the public administration and defence sector.
• Children living in areas other than Exmouth achieve significantly higher results at Key Stage 2 than those that live in the town.
• Achievement rates for GSCEs at grades A* to C were also better for children living outside Exmouth although the percentage of children achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to G were similar across the area.
• Select here for more statistics about Exmouth and surrounding area. (4.91MB - pdf help)