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Milton Keynes

Living in Milton Keynes

Welcome to Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes was designated a New Town on 23 January 1967. With an area of approximately 34 sq miles, Milton Keynes enjoys a strategic location, impressive design, first class industrial and commercial premises and an excellent quality of life. It is in the heart of one of the nation's fastest growing regions which in turn is the most heavily populated urban area in Europe. In recent years, Milton Keynes has undergone a major leisure and growth expansion including the opening of the first UK real indoor ski slope complex, Xscape, and a further development of some 50 shops in the main shopping centre - Midsummer Place. It also has its own regional theatre and art gallery.

Travel and transport

Milton Keynes is well-placed for major cities including London, Birmingham, Cambridge and Oxford and has good road links to surrounding towns including Bedford, Northampton, Aylesbury and Luton. The city is situated near the M1 (Junctions 13 and 14) and is ideally placed for London's airports at Luton and Heathrow. It has a fast rail link into London Euston (approximately 45 minutes).

Employment

Milton Keynes is the business base for more than 10,000 companies, including around 300 with a non-UK parent company. Main industries in the area include electronics, computing, financial services, food processing, distribution and business services. Major employers include the Open University, Argos and Tesco.

Population

Milton Keynes has a population of nearly 230,000 people and is home to over 10,000 businesses.

Special Status

Milton Keynes has been earmarked by government as the major focus for expansion in the Milton Keynes/South Midlands Growth Area, identified in the Sustainable Communities Plan. To deliver this growth, government has put forward plans to create a Partnership Committee with additional powers to drive forward new sustainable development.

Shopping

Milton Keynes is a shopper's paradise. Whether you're looking for a state-of-the-art modern shopping mall, traditional boutique shops, farmers' markets or even a Swedish superstore, Milton Keynes has it all.

  • thecentre:mk and Midsummer Place combine to make one of the largest covered shopping centres in Europe.
  • The city centre alone has over 400 shops.
  • Check out The Hub in Central Milton Keynes for a mix of great shops and lively restaurants and bars.
  • In the surrounding market towns and villages, you'll find a wealth of traditional boutique shops offering designer clothes, crafts and gifts, antiques and much more.
  • Five farmers' markets operate each month within the surrounding areas of Newport Pagnell, Olney, Woburn, Stony Stratford and Wolverton.
  • Regular genuine French, German and Italian markets are held within the city centre.

You can also download a leaflet giving you loads of information about the many market towns surrounding Milton Keynes including Newport Pagnell, Olney and Stony Stratford - just click here to download (PDF)

Leisure

Milton Keynes has an enviable reputation for the wide range of entertainment it has to offer. As a new and vibrant city you can always find something to entertain you, from concerts and theatre through to multi-screen cinemas and live comedy. Here are some of the highlights:

Xscape, featuring some of the best and most diverse entertainment and leisure activities in the UK. Indoor skiing and snowboarding, indoor sky-diving, rock-climbing, a multiplex cinema, retail outlets, and numerous bars and restaurants. City Limits within the Xscape complex features tenpin glo-bowling, bars and restaurants and a live comedy club.

At The Hub in Central Milton Keynes you'll find some great entertainment including restaurants and bars, a monthly food market and regular street entertainers.

Milton Keynes Theatre is the most successful theatre outside London's West End. The Point is one of the most recognisable buildings in Milton Keynes and it now houses a multi-screen cinema.

The National Bowl is the UK's premier all-outdoor live music venue with acts such as Linkin Park and Jay-Z, Robbie Williams, Take That, Green Day and Eminem all performing in recent years.

Milton Keynes City Orchestra is the live classical music resource for Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. Over more than 30 years, it has built a national and international reputation through performances of outstanding quality.

The Stables is Milton Keynes' premier live-music venue offering a wide range of musical genres including jazz, blues, folk, rock, classical, pop and world music.

For children of all ages there's Gulliver's Land, a fun-packed theme park that will thrill and delight your whole family. New for 2009 visit Gully Town the indoor play experience featuring a garage and a supermarket! You can also visit the new Gulliver's Farm & Dinosaur Park which is a unique hands on discovery experience for little ones! You can see life-size dinosaur models, meet farm animals and dig for fossils all under the watchful eye of Ranger Gully!

Woburn Safari Park is Britain's largest drive-through safari park, allowing you to get "up close and personal" with animals large and small.

The Xscape complex offers activities for all the family including indoor skiing and snowboarding, indoor rock-climbing, body-flying, cinema, bowling, restaurants and retail stores.

The city also has a great activity centre for children. 360 Playdays offers all year round fun everyday including a carousel, a dodgem track, a 3 storey indoor playframe and a interactive play street.

Milton Keynes boasts over 4,500 acres of parkland, rivers, lakes and woodland including over 20 million trees - it truly is "the city in the country”. When you visit Milton Keynes you can't help but notice the wide open green spaces and the huge number of wooded areas that help the city stand out from the crowd.

Campbell Park is the city's very own "Central Park" close to the city centre, and provides a green oasis for residents and visitors alike

Willen Lake is a world of extremes, with the serene Peace Pagoda and masses of wild birds through to the crazy world of cable-tow wakeboarding and dragon-boat racing. The ancient woods of Shenley, Howe Park and Linford transport you to a wealth of wild flowers, animals and tranquil woodland walks. The River Ouzel winds its way through the city past traditional country pubs and the remains of a medieval community. The Grand Union Canal forms a living, breathing artery through the very heart of the city, allowing you to slow down your pace of life on a narrowboat or cruiser. The city won the Britain in Bloom award in 2007 for its outstanding parkland and landscaping. Milton Keynes offers visitors wonderful woodland walks, peaceful parks, quiet riverside rambles and thrilling lake activities - all in one great destination.