Hemel Hempstead is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles northwest of London. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Hemel was a noted watercress growing area. Today Hemel Hempstead has a mixture of heavy and light engineering companies and has attracted a significant number of information and telecommunications sector companies helped by its proximity to London and the UK motorway network.