Basingstoke, in North West Hampshire, has over the years suffered from some less than positive reviews, however Basingstoke has a lot going for it if you are searching for a property in Hampshire.
Basingstoke is often mistaken for a New Town, since it’s population exploded in the sixties when it became one of the London overspill towns, but was originally a market town that was in fact, mentioned in the Domesday book.
The town is an economic centre, and the place to be for many national companies’ headquarters and one of the largest centres of employment for the county.
Festival Place is currently number 3 in the UK for shopping centres in the middle of towns. As well as over 200 retail outlets, Festival Place has restaurants, a multi screen cinema, a library, sports centre and nightclub.
On the outskirts of town are many retail parks, a Leisure Centre which includes an ice rink, cinema, and aquadrome, and the Milestones museum, a popular, interactive, living history museum.
As a cultural centre, Basingstoke has plenty to offer. The Anvil which is a concert hall/theatre, the Haymarket theatre, Central Studio and Fairfields Arts Centre all boasting a wide repertoire of events through the year.
If you need to commute to London, the train from Basingstoke is a fast service into Waterloo and takes approximately 40 minutes.
There is a wide choice of housing in the area, from city apartment blocks, through to the modern housing estates on the outskirts of the town, and on to the many lovely villages within easy reach of the town, from Oakley in the West, Sherborne St John to the North, Old Basing to the East and Cliddesden to the South.
You can find more information on Basingstoke at
http://www.destinationbasingstoke.co.uk/