Stevenage
Stevenage is a town in Hertfordshire approximately 35 miles north of London. Although there is evidence of a Roman settlement, Stevenage grew very slowly over the centuries. However, in 1946 Stevenage was designated Britain’s first “New Town” which meant six neighbourhoods being developed to help resolve the UK’s post-war accommodation problems. Opened by the H.M. the Queen in 1959, Stevenage's pedestrianised town centre was the first traffic free shopping zone in Britain. From a business point of view, Stevenage has become a centre for Life Sciences thanks to the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst which aims is to support the next generation of pharma and biotech companies by offering access to equipment and facilities and in so doing placing the UK bioscience sector at the forefront of worldwide biomedical innovation. More recently Stevenage has become famous for the annual rock and pop festival held at Knebworth.
Famous people born in Stevenage: Lewis Hamilton, F1 motor racing world champion and Ian Poulter, professional golfer