Bournemouth is a famous coastal resort town situated on the south coast of England. It heads to the east of the Jurassic Coast, a 96-mile (approx 155 km) World Heritage Site. By 2011 census, the town has a total population of 183,491 that makes it largest area of Dorset. It has Poole to the west and Christchurch in the east, also covers the South East Dorset conurbation, which has over 465,000 residents.
Before Lewis Tregonwell founded it (in 1810), the area was a deserted heathland occasionally visited by smugglers and fishers. Originally marketed as a health resort, the town received a lift when it appeared in the book in 1841 by Augustus Granville named as The Spas of England. Bournemouth became a recognised town in 1870 as its growth truly accelerated with the arrival of the railway.
History
The area around the mouth of the River Bourne became part of the Hundred of Holdenhurst in the 12th century. Later the hundred became the Liberty of Westover when it also includes the settlements of Muscliff, North Ashley, Throop, Muccleshell, Ilford, Tuckton, Wick and Pokesdown, and incorporated into the Manor of Christchurch. The Hampshire and Dorset region around it had been the place of human settlement for hundreds of years.
Governance
Historically Bournemouth was part of Hampshire, with neighbouring Poole, just to the west of the border, in Dorset. At the time of the local government re-organisation in 1974, it was considered required that the whole of the Bournemouth/Poole urban area should be part of the same county. Bournemouth, therefore, became part of the non-metropolitan county of Dorset on 1 April 1974. On 1 April 1997, Bournemouth became an independent authority, independent from Dorset County Council. For the Lieutenancy, it remains part of the ceremonial county of Dorset.
Demography
The 2011 census records the total population of Bournemouth as 183,491, includes 91,386 males and 92,105 females, which is equal to 49.8% and 50.2% of the population respectively. The mean average age of all citizens is 40 years. With 4,000 citizens per sq km, it has the highest population density in the South-West region.
