| Stevenage is a town
of approximately 80,000 in the county of Hertfordshire, in the south east
of England, only around 32 miles north of central London.
Stevenage
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The town is well known for
being the first ever 'new town'; new towns were a series of towns built
near London after World War II. Stevenage as a whole is not as a major
tourist attraction, but there are some attractions that may attract local
visitors. An interesting fact about the town is that a view of Stevenage
from the air, shows it as a heart shape.
 Stevenage
is a must for architecture and planning historians, sociologists and socialists
to visit, it represents, perhaps, the most successful of the great Post-War
experiments with new housing. This was a huge project to relocate those
who were displaced by the war in clean, open, and healthy new towns. Its
often unattractive architecture is mostly that of the 1960s and 1970s;
in this it is perhaps unfortunate, but it was also conceived with a strong
vision in mind.
It is easy to write Stevenage
off as another soulless new town, and to make stereotypical remarks about
it as a place to live, as countless unthinking and lazy commentators have
done. But this is to miss what the town offers. Stevenage is like any other
UK town, it has its problems and these should not be dismissed, but it
also benefits from a good transport infrastructure, wide open spaces, plenty
of sporting facilities, a theatre of some reputation and lovely countryside
both around it, and within it.
 There
are many reasons why you might want to come to Stevenage to live. Swimming
pools, relatively low house prices, but a quick commute to London (20 minutes
by fast train), as well as tennis courts and wide open parks. All of these
do attract people from the surrounding area to Stevenage. A particularly
attractive feature is the network of separated bicycle paths that cross
the whole area, enabling one to cycle practically anywhere in the town,
without having to negotiate traffic. Stevenage has the first pedestrianised
shopping precinct in the UK, which on the whole remains vibrant and successful,
unlike those in many other new towns. Sadly, as with some other UK cities,
this is a different place at night - its bleak, sodium-lit environment
is not conducive to a thriving night time economy, which is mainly conducted
in the Leisure Park by the train station, and the old town. Overall, local
citizens are supportive of their town and football team (Stevenage Borough
FC), one of the most well supported non-league teams in the UK.... read
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Stevenage
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