Harlow is a former new town and now a borough town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt. The district has a current population of 78,889 (2010 estimate).
The other theory is that it derives from the words 'here' and 'hearg', meaning "temple hill/mound", probably to be identified with an Iron Age burial mound, later a Roman temple site on River Way.
The town centre is notable being the location of Britain's first pedestrian precinct, and first residential tower block, The Lawn, constructed in 1951; it is now a Grade II listed building. From 1894 to 1955, the Harlow parish formed part of the Epping Rural District of Essex. From 1955 to 1974, Harlow was an urban district.
Other major developments under consideration include both a northern and southern bypass of the town, and significant expansion to the north, following the completed expansion to the east. The Harlow North plans, currently awaiting permission, involve an extension of the town across the floodplains on the town's northern border, into neighbouring Hertfordshire. The plan is supported by MP Bill Rammell, all three political groups on Harlow Council, and the East of England Regional Assembly. It is opposed by Hertfordshire Council Council, East Herts Council, Mark Prisk, MP for Hertford, and Stortford in whose constituency the development would be and all the parishes concerned. The opposition is coordinated by a local group based in neighbouring East Hertfordshire. An attempt to have Harlow North designated an "Eco Town" was rejected by the Minister for Housing, Caroline Flint, MP in April 2008
Harlow was originally expected to provide a majority of employment opportunities in manufacturing, with two major developments of The Pinnacles and Templefields providing the biggest employers in the region; as with the rest of the country, this manufacturing base has declined and Harlow has had to adjust.
It is also the 2nd most important town for research after Cambridge, with major employers including Raytheon and GlaxoSmithKline both having large premises within the town. Nortel also had a large site on the eastern edge of the town, acquired when STC was bought in 1991, and it was here that Charles K. Kao developed optical fibre data transmission. Nortel still has a presence, but it is much reduced.
Harlow Chamber of Commerce is a thriving group of local businesses that are committed to helping business grow.
Harlow has an extensive bus network and serves as a regional hub for the local area, with operators such as Arriva East Herts & Essex, SM Coaches, Centrebus and TWH Bus & Coach.There are many frequent local routes (including routes 2/3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, M1, M31) which serve most housing estates in Harlow. Major routes operating to other towns include the 510 service linking Harlow to Stansted Airport through Bishop's Stortford, the important Greenline 724 route linking Harlow to Heathrow Airport through Hertford, Hatfield, St Albans, Watford and Uxbridge. Route 501 takes the long serving route to Brentwood (and further on to Warley), as well as the 500 which previously went all the way to Romford, but was recently cut back to just Ongar due to low passenger numbers.Route 59 is another route which provides another vital link, it connects to Chelmsford through villages such as Hatfield Heath, Sheering and The Rodings, the route was recently upgraded with brand new Optare Versa buses.You can also see the List of bus routes in Essex.
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