Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire
Ceremonial county
  • Dunstable Downs
  • Bedford
  • Wrest Park
Bedfordshire shown within England
Coordinates: 52°05′N 0°25′W / 52.083°N 0.417°W / 52.083; -0.417
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast
EstablishedAncient
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
UK Parliament7 MPs
PoliceBedfordshire Police
Largest townLuton
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantSusan Lousada
High SheriffRussel Beard (2023–24)
Area
[1]
1,235 km2 (477 sq mi)
 • Rank41st of 48
Population 
(2022)[1]
715,940
 • Rank36th of 48
 • Density580/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 (2021)[2][3][4]
  • 72.0% White
  • 16.6% Asian
  • 5.6% Black
  • 3.8% mixed
  • 1.9% other
Districts

Districts of Bedfordshire
  Unitary
Districts
  1. Bedford
  2. Central Bedfordshire
  3. Luton

Bedfordshire (/ˈbɛdfərdʃɪər, -ʃər/; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Luton (225,262),[5] and Bedford is the county town.[6]

The county has an area of 1,235 km2 (477 sq mi) and had a population of 704,736 at the 2021 census.[7] Its other towns include Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Houghton Regis, and Flitwick. Much of the county is rural. For local government purposes, Bedfordshire comprises three unitary authority areas: Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton.

The county's highest point is 243 m (797 ft) on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Mid-2022 population estimates by Lieutenancy areas (as at 1997) for England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  2. ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Bedford LA (E06000055)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  3. ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Central Bedfordshire LA (E06000056)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  4. ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Luton LA (E06000032)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  5. ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Luton LA (E06000032)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  6. ^ "About Bedford". Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  7. ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Bedford LA (E06000055)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023. plus UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Central Bedfordshire LA (E06000056)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023. plus UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Luton LA (E06000032)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  8. ^ Bathurst, David (2012). Walking the county high points of England. Chichester: Summersdale. pp. 65–68. ISBN 978-1-84-953239-6.
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