Christchurch is a borough and town on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in the county of Hampshire, it became part of the administrative county of Dorset in the 1974 reorganisation of local government. Covering an area of , Christchurch had a 2011 population of 54,210, making it the fourth most populous town in Dorset, closely behind Weymouth which has a population of 54,539.