Totton claimed to be the largest village in England until it was made a town in 1974.
The town is often considered to be made up of several smaller villages, such as Testwood, Calmore and Hammonds Green (as well as the original village of Totton) which have been connected by new clusters of housing to form the town as it is today. This is backed up by the presence of several areas of local shops, which served their respective villages in the past, and to an extent still do today.
Until the 1967 forest perambulation fencing, New Forest Ponies were free to roam its streets.
There is a busy Town Centre with an assortment of shops and cafes.