Ainsdale, although once a separate village, is now linked to Southport. It lays on the main road and rail routes to Southport from Liverpool to the south.

The village stretches from Birkdale in the north to Woodvale RAF base in the South, covering approximately 6 square kilometres.

There are small groupings of shops and other businesses all over Ainsdale, but the main concentration is in the old heart of the village, along Station Road between the junction with Liverpool Road and the Station itself. This is where most of the oldest buildings in Ainsdale can be found. There are a series of Victorian rows of shops either side of the church.