Luton | ||
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Town, Borough and unitary authority area | ||
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Luton shown within Bedfordshire |
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Coordinates: 51°52′47″N 0°25′03″W / 51.879728°N 0.417478°W | ||
Country | United Kingdom | |
Constituent area | England | |
Region | East of England | |
Ceremonial county | Bedfordshire | |
Borough | Luton | |
Government | ||
• Type | Borough | |
• Governing body | Luton Borough Council | |
• Executive: | Labour | |
• Mayor | Tahir Khan | |
• MPs |
Kelvin Hopkins (L) Gavin Shuker (L) |
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Area | ||
• Total | 16.74 sq mi (43.35 km2) | |
Population | ||
• Total | 216,800 | |
• Density | 10,000/sq mi (5,000/km2) | |
• Ethnicity | 54.6% White 29.9% Asian 9.8% Black 4.2% Mixed Race 1.5% Other |
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Time zone | GMT | |
• Summer (DST) | British Summer Time (UTC) | |
Postcode Area | LU | |
Area code(s) | (01582) | |
ONS code | 00KA | |
Demonym | Lutonians | |
Airport code | LUT | |
Website | www.luton.gov.uk |
Luton (/ˈluːtən/ ( listen) LOOT-ən) is a large town in Bedfordshire, England, 20 miles (30 km) east of Aylesbury, 14 miles (20 km) west of Stevenage, 30 miles (50 km) northwest of London, and 22 miles (40 km) southeast of Milton Keynes.
London Luton Airport, opened in 1938, is one of Britain's major airports. The University of Bedfordshire is also based in the town.
Luton is home to League Two team Luton Town Football Club, whose history includes several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988. They play at Kenilworth Road, their home since 1905.
The town was for many years famous for hat-making, and also had a large Vauxhall Motors factory. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until 2002. Production of commercial vehicles continues, and the head office of Vauxhall Motors is still in the town.