The town of Kirkcaldy developed from little more than a single street stretching for 4 miles (6km) along the sea-front and thus became known as the 'Lang Toun'. It has since expanded in most other directions and is now the largest town in Fife with good motorway and rail-links to neighbouring communities and beyond. The esplanade that shields the town's frontage from wild, winter North Sea waves was built in 1922-23 to help alleviate a chronic shortage of employment. This problem was further allayed when a local man, Michael Nairn, a sail cloth worker, combined jute as a backing and linseed as a main surface ingredient to make a water-resistant facing called linoleum.

Today, in spite of a strong resurgence of the linoleum industry, the town is trying to make the transition from an industrial to a service and tourist based economy. Kirkcaldy is Fife's main shopping centre with the usual outlets lining the High Street, but some of the side streets near the centre are worth exploring. Facing the inner harbour, in an area known as the 'Sailor's Walk' is the oldest crow-stepped house in Kirkcaldy, built around 1460. Kirk Wynd running down to the High Street has several antique buildings, the most notable being Kirkcaldy's Old Kirk with its admirable Norman tower.