Welwyn Garden City, new town and urban area (from 2011 built-up area) in Welwyn Hatfield district, administrative and historic county of Hertfordshire, southeast-central England. It is located on the northern periphery of London.
It was founded in 1920 by Sir Ebenezer Howard as a planned town to provide for both industry and pleasant living conditions. Across a main railway line a large concentration of light industrial factories has developed, but many of the inhabitants commute daily to London, which is 23 miles (37 km) away. After World War II Welwyn was designated and administered as a new town and grew rapidly. Pop. (2001) urban area, 46,812; (2011) built-up area subdivision, 48,380.