New Forest is part of the district, south of the fictional town Helstone in North and South. In the novel, New Forest is the place where Margaret and her brother, Frederick, had spent many days playing through the park. Hampshire itself is the largest county in southwest England, where the port Southampton (another setting within the novel) sits. Hampshire has 15 national parks, including New Forest, meaning the county isn't just known for Southampton's port trades, but also its nature and old trails that weave through the county.

In North and South, Southampton is one of the places that is mentioned but never visited, unless you count the time Mr. Hale had gone to get the papers from the town. Margaret and the others seem to know that Southampton is a wealthy town, comparing its buildings to the fancy ones in London. The characters we see from Southampton are the Gormons (through mention) and the reporter who questioned Dixon. In reality, Southhampton is an extremely large trading port town southeast of London.

Oxford is a place that is just alluded to in North and South. It's where Mr. Hale went to school and where his old friend from school, Mr. Bell, lives. This place sort of represents Mr. Bell, who is the one who suggests to Mr. Hale that he and his family should move to Milton in the first place. 

Wales was mentioned in north and south when Mr Hale arrived to Melton and he was rethinking his choice by saying" I wish I had gone into some country place in Wales.". Elizabeth traveled around the world and one of the country's she went to was Wales.

Oxford is a city in south central England, located in Oxfordshire. It hosts Oxford University, which is the oldest university in England. Several notable literary alumni include W. H. Auden, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Hugh Clough, John Donne, T. S. Eliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Aldous Huxley, C. S. Lewis, Percy Sysshe Shelley, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Oscar Wilde. The city’s main industries are the steel and manufactured motor vehicles. As of 2001, its population was 132,248.

Cornwall is a city in England. It was once one of England’s most populated southern counties. The city’s main exports today are Mr. Lemon Hart’s rum, cream, art, and pottery, though the city used to host thriving tin mines (Cannon and Crowcroft).

Rome became the capital city of Italy in 1871. In 753 BC, it was founded by Romulus. Initially, Rome began on the Palatine Hill, though it eventually grew to encompass “the other six hills of Rome (Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Viminal, and Quirinal Hill)”. The Roman Republic began after King Tarquinius Superbus was expelled in 510 BC.

Here is a picture of a factory on the Leeds and Liverpool canal. this is very significant for its importance in cotton making in the industrial revolution of the 1800's. This is the home of the cotton mill.  so this town is a large portion of the setting and background information.