Living in Hertfordshire
Welcome to a county of contrasts; a place where thriving modern towns connected by fast transport links go hand in hand with sleepy villages and picturesque countryside. It is a combination which gives Hertfordshire an enviable quality of life and makes the county such a popular place to live and work.
Located just to the north of London, Hertfordshire is bordered by Buckinghamshire to the west, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north and Essex to the east. Around a million people call Hertfordshire home, living in historic market towns, modern industrial towns, Garden Cities and New Towns, commuter villages or rural villages. The south is the most urban area and the east and north most rural.
Superbly well connected, the county has four motorways and is within easy reach of Luton, Stanstead and Heathrow airports. Five main train lines run into London and out into East Anglia, the Midlands, Wales and the north.
Hertfordshire’s location has long been the key to its prosperity. In days gone by, market gardening in the Lea Valley supplied London with fruit and vegetables and a thriving malting and brewing industry developed using local barley.
Today, financial services, the computer industry, pharmaceuticals and the film and media sectors are major employers of a highly skilled workforce. Hertfordshire has one of the strongest research and development clusters in the UK, with big-name pharma and biotech companies in Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Ware and Hoddesdon.
Economic success is supported by some of the best facilities for education in the country. Every four-year-old child is offered a free nursery place. Some 418 primary schools and 76 secondary and middle schools offer exceptional facilities and deliver results, with Hertfordshire children gaining more GCSE passes and taking more A levels than the national average. If you’re looking for private education, there are more than 45 independent schools to choose from, including Sherrardswood in Welwyn. Four further education colleges including Oaklands College in Welwyn Garden City and St. Albans cater for teenagers and lifelong learners and the University of Hertfordshire at Hatfield provides more than 400 degree and diploma programmes.
Out of work, there’s plenty to see and do for the whole family. Take a step back through the millennia at Roman Verulamium in St Albans or the Welwyn Roman Baths. Spend a day at the gothic Knebworth House, the magnificent Hatfield House (Queen Elizabeth I´s childhood home) or George Bernard Shaw’s former home in Ayot St Lawrence. Shop ‘til you drop at the wide range of modern malls, traditional markets, antique centres and smaller speciality shops. Enjoy an evening out at bars, pubs and restaurants. Catch a game of football or rugby in Watford or play a round of golf at excellent courses including St. Albans, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.
With London on your doorstep, you can easily access some of the world’s greatest art galleries and museums, shops and restaurants. But if you want to escape the crowds, you don’t have to go far, with nearly two thirds of Hertfordshire’s rural area designated as Green Belt. Venture off the beaten track on foot, bicycle or horseback and you’ll soon discover a network of villages and farms nestling among tranquil woodland, river valleys and fields connected by hedgerow lined lanes.
Explore more than 5,200 public rights of way covering more than 3,000km, including peaceful disused railway tracks snaking across the centre of the county. Enjoy the rolling countryside and ancient woodlands of the Ashridge Estate. Go bird-watching in the Lee Valley Park, discover the tranquillity of life afloat on the Grand Union or try a spot of windsurfing, canoeing or angling at Stanborough Park in Welwyn Garden City.
So whether you’re looking to work, study, rest or play, Hertfordshire has it all.
Located just to the north of London, Hertfordshire is bordered by Buckinghamshire to the west, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north and Essex to the east. Around a million people call Hertfordshire home, living in historic market towns, modern industrial towns, Garden Cities and New Towns, commuter villages or rural villages. The south is the most urban area and the east and north most rural.
Superbly well connected, the county has four motorways and is within easy reach of Luton, Stanstead and Heathrow airports. Five main train lines run into London and out into East Anglia, the Midlands, Wales and the north.
Hertfordshire’s location has long been the key to its prosperity. In days gone by, market gardening in the Lea Valley supplied London with fruit and vegetables and a thriving malting and brewing industry developed using local barley.
Today, financial services, the computer industry, pharmaceuticals and the film and media sectors are major employers of a highly skilled workforce. Hertfordshire has one of the strongest research and development clusters in the UK, with big-name pharma and biotech companies in Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Ware and Hoddesdon.
Economic success is supported by some of the best facilities for education in the country. Every four-year-old child is offered a free nursery place. Some 418 primary schools and 76 secondary and middle schools offer exceptional facilities and deliver results, with Hertfordshire children gaining more GCSE passes and taking more A levels than the national average. If you’re looking for private education, there are more than 45 independent schools to choose from, including Sherrardswood in Welwyn. Four further education colleges including Oaklands College in Welwyn Garden City and St. Albans cater for teenagers and lifelong learners and the University of Hertfordshire at Hatfield provides more than 400 degree and diploma programmes.
Out of work, there’s plenty to see and do for the whole family. Take a step back through the millennia at Roman Verulamium in St Albans or the Welwyn Roman Baths. Spend a day at the gothic Knebworth House, the magnificent Hatfield House (Queen Elizabeth I´s childhood home) or George Bernard Shaw’s former home in Ayot St Lawrence. Shop ‘til you drop at the wide range of modern malls, traditional markets, antique centres and smaller speciality shops. Enjoy an evening out at bars, pubs and restaurants. Catch a game of football or rugby in Watford or play a round of golf at excellent courses including St. Albans, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.
With London on your doorstep, you can easily access some of the world’s greatest art galleries and museums, shops and restaurants. But if you want to escape the crowds, you don’t have to go far, with nearly two thirds of Hertfordshire’s rural area designated as Green Belt. Venture off the beaten track on foot, bicycle or horseback and you’ll soon discover a network of villages and farms nestling among tranquil woodland, river valleys and fields connected by hedgerow lined lanes.
Explore more than 5,200 public rights of way covering more than 3,000km, including peaceful disused railway tracks snaking across the centre of the county. Enjoy the rolling countryside and ancient woodlands of the Ashridge Estate. Go bird-watching in the Lee Valley Park, discover the tranquillity of life afloat on the Grand Union or try a spot of windsurfing, canoeing or angling at Stanborough Park in Welwyn Garden City.
So whether you’re looking to work, study, rest or play, Hertfordshire has it all.