[9] The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settlement on the river, from which Luton derives its name.

[15] Production of commercial vehicles continues and the head office of Vauxhall Motors is in the village of Chalton on the northern border of the borough .

[34] Luton's hat trade reached its peak in the 1930s,[35] but severely declined after the Second World War and was replaced by other industries.

Despite heavy camouflage, the factory made Luton a target for the Luftwaffe and the town suffered a number of air raids.

Electricity connections to the national grid rendered the 23 megawatt (MW) coal and latterly oil-fired power station redundant.

New private and council housing was built in the 1920s and 1930s, with Luton starting to incorporate nearby villages Leagrave, Limbury and Stopsley between 1928 and 1933.

[41] Post-war, a number of substantial estates of council housing were built, notably at Farley Hill, Stopsley, Limbury, Marsh Farm and Leagrave (Hockwell Ring).

[42] The partial closure of the Vauxhall manufacturing plant in 2002 had negative effects for Luton, leading to increased unemployment and deprivation.

An alternative suggestion is that the rose was a national emblem, and the thistle represents the Marquess of Bute, who formerly owned the Manor of Luton Hoo.

The source of the River Lea, part of the Thames Valley drainage basin, is in the Leagrave area of the town.

The local climate around Luton is differentiated somewhat from much of South East England due to its position in the Chiltern Hills, meaning it tends to be 1–2 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding towns – often flights at Luton airport, lying 160 m (525 ft) above sea level, will be suspended when marginal snow events occur, while airports at lower elevations, such as Heathrow, at 25 m (82 ft) above sea level, continue to function.

As a result of this Luton has a diverse ethnic mix, with a significant population of Asian descent, mainly Pakistani (41,143 residents, 18.3%) and Bangladeshi (20,630, 9.2%).

However, today, Luton is moving towards a service based economy mainly in the retail and the airport sectors, although there is still a focus on light industry in the town.

[84] Luton is situated less than 30 miles (50 km) north of the centre of London, giving it good links with the City and other parts of the country via rail and major roads such as the M1 (which serves the town from junctions 10 and 11) and the A6.

[88] A network of bus services run by Arriva Shires & Essex, Grant Palmer and Centrebus serves the urban area of Luton and Dunstable.

Hertfordshire-based bus operator Uno also run buses on their 'Dragonfly' 610 route to Hatfield, Potters Bar and Cockforsters[90] Luton is also served by a large taxi network.

Luton is home to the UK Centre for Carnival Arts (UKCCA),[97] the country's first purpose-built facility of its kind.

[98] The festival celebrating the patron saint of Ireland St Patrick and organised by Luton Irish Forum,[22] is held on the weekend nearest to 17 March.

[99] In its 20th year in 2019,[100] the festival includes a parade, market stalls and music stands as well as Irish themed events.

[101] The first Luton Melā took place in August 2000 and has developed into one of the most significant and well attended South Asian cultural events in the eastern region.

The venue provides live music, club nights, theatre, dance, films, children's activities, workshops, classes and gallery exhibitions.

[107] Kidney Wood is ancient semi-natural woodland on the southern edge of Luton that has been identified as a County Wildlife Site.

Lady Ludlow presented the Park to the people of Luton on 12 June 1920, in memory of her son Alex Piggott Werner, who was killed in action during the First World War.

Located in the park is Stockwood Discovery Centre, a free museum that houses Luton local social history, archaeology and geology.

The collection of rural crafts and trades held at Stockwood Discovery Centre was amassed by Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe, who was a notable local historian and a leading authority on folk life.

The park has an athletics track, an 18-hole golf course, several rugby and football pitches and areas of open space.

The museum collection focuses on the traditional crafts and industry of Luton and Bedfordshire, notably lace making and hatmaking.

The shopping centre had some construction and re-design work done to it over the 2011/12 period, with a new square built to be used for leisure events, as well as a number of new food restaurants.

Contained within the main shopping centre is the market, which contains butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg, hairdressers, tattoo parlours, ice cream, a flower stall, T-shirt printing and the market's original sewing shop for clothes alterations and repairs as well as eating places.

[20] Their nickname, 'The Hatters', dates back to when Luton had a substantial millinery industry, and their logo is based on the town's coat of arms.