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Hertford is an affluent town in the county of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. In 2006 East Hertfordshire was ranked within the top 10 places to live in the UK following a survey commissioned by the Channel 4 TV station. The population of Hertford is estimated to be around 28,000.

The River Lea and it's crossing at Hertford lie at the heart of the town's history. Following a Norman Conquest many centuries back, a castle was established at Hertford, together with a priory and a new mill. For the next 300 years the Castle was a Royal residence. With the patronage of kings and queens, together with the town's agricultural base, Hertford prospered.

In 1628 the castle passed into the ownership of the Earldom of Salisbury and eventually fell into ruin. The only remains of the Castle today are the original motte, the flint walls and the gatehouse. In the late 18th Century the River Lea navigation was cut through the town providing important access to London's corn markets. Because the town was surrounded by agricultural estates it was unable to expand outwards and so expanded upwards by adding storeys to existing buildings. The outward expansion of the town didn't come about until the late 19th Century when the railway came to the town. The Victorian era saw much building in the town as transport links to London improved. Electricity and gas were introduced and industry grew.

Hertford is now a thriving and rapidly expanding town with a rich heritage and bright future ahead.
There are many landmarks and attractions in Hertford. In the town are the remains of the original Hertford Castle. The building often referred to as Hertford Castle is in fact the gatehouse with the land that the castle would have occupied being stood behind the gatehouse. There are several churches in the town; All Saints' and St Andrew's. These are late and mid 19th century respectively. In Railway Street the oldest purpose-built Quaker Meeting House in the world can be found, which has been in use since 1670. The Hertford Corn Exchange was built on the site of a former gaol, which is a site for the incarceration of wrongdoers. After years in the doldrums it has now reverted to being a live entertainment venue. McMullens Brewery, one of a dwindling number of independent brewers in the United Kingdom, is based in Hertford and brewing started in 1891.

There are a high number of independent shops in the town with a variety of boutiques and salons which gives the town a more friendly, quaint feel.