Stratford-upon-Avon is an historic town on the river Avon in the English county of Warwickshire, best known as the home town of the great English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare. Today, it is a major theater-going destination as the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. As such, it represents one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Stratford-upon-Avon has its origins in the Saxon culture of medieval England (the name straet-ford indicates that it was a river crossing). For many centuries it was little more than a small market town on the road to London; even today, it has only 24,000 permanent residents. Though it has developed some industrial capacity, Stratford is now known mostly for its association with Shakespeare. The town benefits tremendously from the resulting tourism and cultural activity, and has gone to great lengths to preserve those buildings that have survived since Shakespeare's time. As a result the centre of town is quaint and attractive, drawing many thousands of tourists each year to its cultural and historical amenities. http://wikitravel.org/en/Stratford-Upon-Avon