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Bedford is the county town of the English county of Bedfordshire. It is the administrative centre for the Bedford borough.

The population of the borough is 147,911 according to the 2001 census, which shows rapid growth has taken place in the last few decades. Of this number, approximately 100,000 live in the BedfordKempston urban area, and the remainder in the surrounding villages. A resident or native of Bedford is a Bedfordian.

Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages. It is the second oldest borough in England, having been granted its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons.

A number of major engineering works opened in the nineteenth century, but most of these have now closed, and the town lacks a strong driver for its economy. Nonetheless it is expanding more rapidly than most English towns, with a number of major residential developments in progress. This is partly to meet demand for dormitory housing for commuters to London and to Milton Keynes, which is about fifteen miles away.

It was the home and prison of John Bunyan, the author of the Pilgrim's Progress. Other prominent Bedfordians include Tim Foster, men's coxless fours Olympic gold medallist; Paula Radcliffe, the UK's top female long-distance runner; and the late comedian Ronnie Barker.

The River Great Ouse passes through the town centre (see also ford (river)), and is lined with attractive gardens known as The Embankment. Bedford is home to four public schools run by the Harpur Trust charity, endowed by Bedfordian Sir William Harpur in the sixteenth century.

Every two years, an event called "The River Festival" is held near the river in Bedford during early July. The event lasts for two days and regularly attracts about 250,000 guests. The event includes sports, funfairs and live music. It is the second largest regular outdoor event in the UK. The Bedford Regatta each May is Britain's largest one-day rowing event.

Bedford (Midland) is located on the Midland Main Line. It is the northern-most stop on the Thameslink rail service to London, and is also served by Midland Mainline trains. It is also the terminus of the Marston Vale Line from Bletchley.

Bedford is home to the largest concentration of Italian immigrants in the U.K. According to a 2001 census, 10% of Bedford's population is of Italian descent. This is mainly as a result of labour recruitment in the early 1950's by the London Brick Company in the southern Italian regions of Puglia, Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. Bedford's Italian, almost 'Little Italy' feel is enhanced by a wide variety of Italian bars, restaurants and social clubs thorughout the town as well as a large number of delis and grocery shops selling Italian continental produce and by the large Italian mission Church ran by the Scallabrini Fathers order.

In addition to Italian migrants, Bedford has also been the recipient of significant immigration from South Asia, Eastern Europe, GreeceCyprus, the Middle East and Africa making it one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse towns in both Britain and the European Union, especially in proportion to its size. Bedford is home to over one hundred immigrant languages, including Italian, Punjabi, Turkish, Polish, Portuguese and both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. With one language per thousand residents, the town has twenty-five times as many languages as London in proportion to population size, the most linguistically diverse city on the planet. If London had the same proportion of languages to population, every single known language on the planet would be spoken there. There are also significant numbers of English-speaking immigrants from former British colonies, most notably South Africa, the West Indies and the U.S.A.. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of Bedfordians are of British descent.Although this may well change.

Ampthill, Biggleswade, Bromham, Stagsden, Dunstable, Hitchin, Kempston, Leighton Buzzard, Letchworth, Luton, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rushden, Sandy, St Neots, Sharnbrook, Shefford, Wellingborough, Harrold