Bournemouth was once a barren heathland but it blossomed in the 19th century as a result of the Victorian love for the seaside.
The tourist industry still forms a vital part of Bournemouth's economy, though over the past 20 years this has been boosted by rapid local development of the insurance, banking and financial sectors.
Much of this has been concentrated in Bournemouth East. Companies including Chase Manhatten Bank,and Abbey Life have been attracted to the town and its outskirts by comparatively low rents and low wages.
Furthermore, it has one of the lowest proportions of council housing anywhere in Britain and a large number of pensioners.
This has long been a Conservative seat, but one where the Liberal Democrats have considerable support in local elections. General elections, however, are different.
All three Tory seats in Poole and Bournemouth survived the 1997 election, although Bournemouth East had a substantially reduced majority of just 4,342.