White City is the name of a specific area in London, and a particular housing development within that. The lyrics are narrated by a man who is now doing quite well for himself but had a rougher, violent youth in White City, and he considers the contrast between his past and present as well as the ironic name of a place where reality was quite dark.
Pete Townshend is not actually from there, and the album as a whole was conceived as a novel telling the story of a fictional man; the lyrics describe a portion of that character's past and present.
White City is the name of a specific area in London, and a particular housing development within that. The lyrics are narrated by a man who is now doing quite well for himself but had a rougher, violent youth in White City, and he considers the contrast between his past and present as well as the ironic name of a place where reality was quite dark.
Pete Townshend is not actually from there, and the album as a whole was conceived as a novel telling the story of a fictional man; the lyrics describe a portion of that character's past and present.