The county of Hampshire is a sprawling zone that can often be confusing even to longtime residents. First off, Hampshire is colloquially referred to as Hamptonshire, Southamptonshire, and Old Hampshire on top of its preferred name. After all, the land the county sits upon has been inhabited for thousands of years and old habits, as they say, die hard. To make matters more confusing, the proper county of Hampshire itself is divided into a northern and southern part and it can be rather difficult to tell which part of Hampshire you are currently in. At any rate, you can be sure that you're somewhere in Hampshire by the sheer beauty of the area. Theme parks, national parks and coastal resorts can all be found in the area and the county has drawn famous luminaries from Jane Austen to Ricky Gervais throughout the countless years that the area has been a tourist haven.
Though it would be difficult to single out one city that best exemplifies the beauty of Hampshire, a safe bet would be the town of Hook. Not to be confused with the mediocre Steven Spielberg movie from 1995, Hook is a town with roots stretching far back into England's history. Though the Hook of today is a small town with a population of less than ten thousand citizens, the city still commands a sizable presence in the business community. Bartley Wood Village Park, one of the largest office districts in the area, houses some of Britain's most powerful companies including Virgin Media Inc., the largest cable television provider in the United Kingdom. BMW Financial Services, Serco, Lenova, and Old Mutual are some other heavy hitters that have offices in Hook. Though Hook is admittedly small in size in addition to its low population, the business part of the town is perpetually growing and nearby towns like Holt are themselves experiencing growth in their business sectors thanks to the prowess of Hook.
Hook is more than just a town filled with office buildings, though. For countless centuries the area now known as Hook was little more than a loose smattering of homes and farms that could hardly be referred to as a city. It wasn't until the advent of the railways in the middle 1800s that the town truly came into its own. Though this doesn't do much in the way of historical buildings, one thing that can be said about Hook is that it maintained its own identity far longer than many of its neighboring towns. The city naturally became more akin to towns like Basingstroke as time went on but even now you can see a marked difference between the day to day life of a Hook citizen and a citizen in nearly every other English town. This should serve as a testament to the unique and beautiful nature of the town of Hook. Be forewarned, though: Once you visit the town you may never wish to leave it. Many people claim to have been "hooked" upon stepping foot into this gorgeous burg.
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