Throughout its history, Christchurch remained generally a small town which had expanding very little beyond its medieval suburbs. The rapid expansion of Bournemouth to the west during the 20th century made Christchurch part of a much larger urban area stretching to Poole. This was recognised in the local government re-organisation of 1974 which removed the town from Hampshire and placed it in Dorset with Bournemouth and Poole.
Despite its close links with the sea, Christchurch has remained very much a seaside town in character into the 21st and, although tourism is an important part of its economy, it has not taken on the mantle of a resort together with the dejected air such places often take on 'out of season'.
Despite the spread of suburbs along the roads to the east, north and west of the town, the town centre itself retains a charming mixture of the ancient alongside the modern with modern shops and facilities as well as the proud relics of the town's ancient past within minutes' walk of each other.