Which English town became the world's first garden city when it was founded in 1903?

Letchworth Garden City became the world's first garden city when it was founded in 1903.

The town was created by the First Garden City Company after Ebenezer Howard published his planning ideas in Garden Cities of To-morrow. Howard proposed combining the advantages of town and country: employment and services in a planned settlement, with abundant gardens, open land, and limits on uncontrolled growth.

Architects Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker prepared the town plan, which used curving roads, low-density housing, public green space, and a separation between industrial and residential areas. Letchworth was established in Hertfordshire, north of London, on land assembled for the project.

Letchworth is sometimes confused with Welwyn Garden City, another important Howard-inspired settlement. Welwyn was founded later, in 1920. The garden-city movement also influenced new towns and suburban planning internationally, but Letchworth retains the distinction of being the first completed example of the model.