Ahlen is the biggest city (51.766 inhabitants) and the economicaly most important town in the district of Warendorf. The city of Ahlen is an important location for the metal manufacturing industry. One of the most famous companies in Ahlen is Franz Kaldewei GmbH & Co. KG, one of the biggest bathtub manufacturers worldwide.
The city of Ahlen is located very close to the most important cities in Westphalia. Dortmund, Münster and Bielefeld are just one hour away.