Facts about Milton Keynes
General Info
Milton Keynes (/kiːnz/ (About this soundlisten) KEENZ) (locally abbreviated to MK) is the largest town[b] in Buckinghamshire, England, about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. At the 2011 Census, its population was almost 230,000. The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
History
In the 1960s, the UK government decided that a further generation of new towns in the South East of England was needed to relieve housing congestion in London.[8] Since the 1950s, overspill housing for several London boroughs had been constructed in Bletchley.[9][10][11] Further studies[8][12] in the 1960s identified north Buckinghamshire as a possible site for a large new town, a new city,[13][d] encompassing the existing towns of Bletchley, Stony Stratford, and Wolverton.[14] The New Town (informally and in planning documents, ‘New City’) was to be the biggest yet, with a target population of 250,000,[15][16] in a ‘designated area’ of 21,883 acres (8,855.7 ha).[1] The name ‘Milton Keynes’ was taken from that of an existing village on the site.
