Like many other English boroughs, Erewash is a mixture of rural and urban centres. The Borough can be split into three distinct regions each with its own character and interest. Erewash's population is concentrated along its eastern boundary from Long Eaton in the south, through Sandiacre and up to Ilkeston in the north.

To the south of the Borough lie the flatter lands of the Trent and Derwent river valleys plains. Major centres here are Sawley, Draycott and Borrowash. The remaining areas consist of picturesque English 'shire' land to the west and north which includes a mixture of large and small villages such as Stanley, West Hallam and Little Eaton.