Watford
§ This page gives an overview of the Watford local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Watford is a Hertfordshire town with a strong urban character, cultural venues, and surrounding green spaces. The town centre features shopping districts, the Palace Theatre, and the Watford Colosseum concert venue. Cassiobury Park provides one of the largest green spaces in Hertfordshire, with woodlands and canalside walks. The River Colne and Grand Union Canal add to the town’s landscape, while nearby Warner Bros. Studio Tour London draws visitors with its film-making heritage. Watford’s blend of busy urban centre, historic churches, and surrounding countryside creates a lively and diverse character.
The administrative boundary of Watford can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Watford.
Key Facts about Watford
What region is Watford in? Watford is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Watford in? Watford is located in the county of Hertfordshire.
Is Watford a city? No, Watford is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Watford? The local authority for this district is: Watford Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Hertfordshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Hertfordshire County Council.
▶ Official website of Watford Borough Council 🔗 watford.gov.uk
Which police force covers Watford? Policing in Watford is provided by Hertfordshire Constabulary 🔗 herts.police.uk, which serves 10 local authority districts: Broxbourne ⁞ Dacorum ⁞ East Hertfordshire ⁞ Hertsmere ⁞ North Hertfordshire ⁞ St Albans ⁞ Stevenage ⁞ Three Rivers ⁞ Watford ⁞ Welwyn Hatfield.
Constituencies in Watford
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Watford
Watford is divided into 12 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Callowland
- Central
- Holywell
- Leggatts
- Meriden
- Nascot
- Oxhey
- Park
- Stanborough
- Tudor
- Vicarage
- Woodside
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Watford
Watford is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.
Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.
Built-up Areas in Watford
Watford covers 3 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bushey *
- Rickmansworth *
- Watford (Watford) *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Watford.)
Watford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Watford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Watford has 12 electoral wards.
Watford has a population of 107,171 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Watford can be found on the ONS statistics for Watford.