User:Royal Autumn Crest/towns
Israel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgKwymqcGJw
America
Template:Lists of settlements by U.S. state
| State | Distinctions | Town Definition | City Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | The Code of Alabama 1975 defines the legal use of the terms "town" and "city" based on population. A municipality with a population of 2,000 or more is a city, while less than 2,000 is a town. For legislative purposes, municipalities are divided into eight classes based on the municipality's population, as certified by the 1970 federal decennial census. The class of a municipality does not change if its population increases or decreases since the population figures refer to the 1970 federal census. Any municipality incorporated after June 28, 1979, is placed in a class according to the population of the municipality at the time of its incorporation. Class 1 is defined as all cities with a population of at least 300,000, as of the 1970 census. Birmingham is the state's only Class 1 municipality. Class 2 are cities between 175,000 and 299,999 inhabitants, as of the 1970 census. Mobile is the state's only Class 2 municipality. Montgomery and Huntsville are Class 3 municipalities. Class 3 cities are those with populations between 100,000 and 174,999 inhabitants, as of the 1970 census. Tuscaloosa and Gadsden are Class 4 cities with between 50,000 and 99,999 inhabitants, as of the 1970 census. Class 5 are cities with a population greater than 25,000 and less than 49,999. Class 6 are those with between 12,000 and 24,999 inhabitants, and Class 7 are cities with a population from 6,000 to 11,999 inhabitants. Class 8 includes all towns, plus all remaining cities with populations of less than 6,000. | less than 2,000 people | Class 1 - 300,000+[1]
Class 2 - 299,999 to 175,000 Class 3 -174,999 to 100,000 Class 4 - 99,999 to 50,000 Class 5 - 49,999 to 25,000 Class 6 - 24,999 to 12,000 Class 7 11,999 to 6,000 Class 8 - smaller than 6,000 |
| Alaska | In general, the powers and functions of general law cities and home rule cities are substantially the same, with all legislative powers not prohibited by law or charter. Apart from duties such as conducting elections and holding regular meetings of the governing bodies, the duties of local cities vary considerably and are determined at the local level. Home rule cities and first class cities in the unorganized borough must, however, operate municipal school districts, exercise planning, and land use regulations while organized boroughs take on these responsibilities unless delegated to the city by the borough. Unified home rule cities (and other boroughs) also have the duty to collect municipal property and sales tax for use in their jurisdiction. Home rule cities occur when a community establishes a commission to draft a charter, which is then ratified by voters at an election.Title 29 of the Alaska Statutes, which covers municipal government, requires that a community must have at least 400 permanent residents to incorporate as a home rule or first class city | x | second class general law, first class general law, home rule, unified home rule (city/borough) |
| Arizona | The Arizona Constitution has, since its ratification in 1912, allowed for the creation of municipal corporations in any community with a population of 3,500 or greater. According to the Constitution, a municipal charter cannot be created by special laws or by the legislature, but rather by the communities themselves as provided by general law. The population limit specified by the constitution was lowered by state law to a minimum of population of 1,500 for most locations, and further reduced to 500 for communities located within 10 miles (16 km) of a national park or national monument. State law further restricts the incorporation of new municipalities within urbanized areas, which are defined as a specific buffer zone surrounding existing cities and towns.
State law allows for the incorporation of a community as either a city or a town; the only additional requirement to incorporate as a city is a minimum population of 3,000. Cities and towns in Arizona function largely in an identical manner, but cities are provided with additional powers that a town charter does not provide, limited primarily to certain powers regarding the regulation of utilities and construction within the city limits. State law allows adjoining towns to merge and it allows a city to annex a town, but it does not allow cities to merge. Additionally, a town may change its form of government to a city upon reaching the minimum population of 3,000. There are, however, large communities that have remained incorporated as a town in spite of attaining a large population; Gilbert, with 267,918 residents, remains incorporated as a town. Twenty Arizona municipalities were incorporated before 1912, when the state was admitted to the Union. As such, these cities and towns were incorporated by means other than those stipulated by current state law and the constitution. Phoenix, for example, was incorporated in 1881 by an act of the Territorial Legislature. |
at least 1,500 people | at least 3,000 people |
| Arkansas | Arkansas municipalities are divided into three categories based on population.[2] Other differences include that town council members must be elected at-large whereas cities may elect members from city wards, and towns generally have fewer municipal responsibilities and obligations.[3] | an Incorporated Town has 499 or fewer population. | City of the First Class has a population over 2,500, City of the Second Class has a population between 500 and 2,499 population |
| California | California is divided into 58 counties and contains 482 municipalities.[4] One, San Francisco, is a consolidated city-county. California law makes no distinction between "city" and "town", and municipalities may use either term in their official names.[5] They can be organized as either a charter municipality, governed by its own charter, or a general-law municipality (or "code city"), governed by state statute.[6] | ||
| Colorado | Colorado law makes relatively few distinctions between a city and a town. A Home Rule Municipality may declare itself either a city or a town. In general, cities are more populous than towns, although the towns of Castle Rock and Parker have more than 50,000 residents each, while the City of Black Hawk has fewer than 150 residents.
The City of Central is the only Colorado municipality that does not place its full place name at the end of its municipal name. The towns of Garden City, Lake City, Orchard City, and Sugar City are statutory towns despite the word "city" at the end of their name. The municipality of Creede uses the official title "City of Creede" despite its status as a Colorado statutory town. Neither village nor civil township is a type of civil division in the State of Colorado, although the cities of Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village and the towns of Log Lane Village, Mountain Village, and Snowmass Village have the word "village" at the end of their names. Several resort communities use the word "village" to describe their central business district. Nineteen Colorado municipalities currently extend into two counties, but only the cities of Aurora and Littleton currently extend into three counties. |
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| Connecticut | The U.S. state of Connecticut is divided into 169 towns (including 21 cities), which are grouped into eight counties.
Towns traditionally have a town meeting form of government; under the Home Rule Act, however, towns are free to choose their own government structure. Nineteen of the towns in Connecticut are consolidated city-towns, and one (Naugatuck) is a consolidated borough-town. City incorporation requires a Special Act by the Connecticut General Assembly. All cities in Connecticut are dependent municipalities, meaning they are located within and subordinate to a town. However, except for one, all currently existing cities in Connecticut are consolidated with their parent town. Former cities are listed in a separate table below. Towns in Connecticut are allowed to adopt a city form of government without the need to re-incorporate as a city. Connecticut state law also makes no distinction between a consolidated town/city and a regular town. Bolded city names indicate the state's largest cities, with the most populated being Bridgeport. Currently, Tolland County and Windham County are the only counties in Connecticut without a single city in them. |
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| Delaware | Delaware is divided into three counties and contains 57 incorporated places consisting of cities, towns, and villages. Of these, there are 10 cities, 3 villages, and 44 towns. | [1] | |
| Florida | Municipalities in Florida may be called cities, towns, or villages, but there is no legal distinction between the different terms. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 10 million Floridians, 55% of the state's total population of 18,801,310, lived in municipalities. The remainder lived in unincorporated areas. However, 92% of the population lives in urban areas, thus the actual number of residents living in truly rural areas is small. There are ten counties in the state with just one municipality and ten counties with only two.
The formation and dissolution of municipalities is governed by Chapter 165 of the Florida Statutes. All Florida municipalities must be operated under a municipal charter approved by a majority of the registered voters in the geographic area of the municipality, which must be confirmed by the state legislature through special legislation. The largest cities in Florida (population over 200,000) utilize the strong mayor–council form of government. The mayor typically appoints a chief administrative officer who performs the same function as a city manager which is utilized by 70% of Florida's municipalities, whose mayors are primarily symbolic and ceremonial. |
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| Georgia | There is no legal difference in Georgia between cities and towns. Eight municipalities have merged with their counties to form consolidated city-counties: Athens with Clarke County, Augusta with Richmond County, Columbus with Muscogee County, Cusseta with Chattahoochee County, Georgetown with Quitman County, Macon with Bibb County, Statenville with Echols County, and Webster County unified government with Webster County. Athens and Augusta also have municipalities independent of the consolidated governments and are considered consolidated cities. | ||
| Hawaii | There are no separately incorporated cities in the entire state; Honolulu is both a city and county. There are 151 census-designated places. Population data from the 2020 Census. | ||
| Idaho | Idaho is divided into 44 counties and contains 201 municipalities legally described as cities. | ||
| Illinois | The administrative divisions of Illinois are counties, townships, precincts, cities, towns, villages, and special-purpose districts. The basic subdivisions of Illinois are the 102 counties. Illinois has more units of local government than any other state—over 8,000 in all. The Constitution of 1970 created, for the first time in Illinois, a type of "home rule", which allows localities to govern themselves to a certain extent. Illinois also has several types of school districts and additional units of government that oversee many other functions.
Property taxes are a major source of tax revenue for local government taxing districts. The property tax is a local tax, imposed by counties, townships, municipalities, school districts, and special taxation districts. The property tax in Illinois is imposed only on real property. Illinois counties, townships, cities, and villages may also promulgate local ordinances. |
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| Indiana | Under Indiana law, a municipality must have a minimum of 2,000 people to incorporate as a city. Except as noted, all cities are "third-class" cities with a seven-member city council and an elected clerk-treasurer. "Second-class" cities had a population of at least 35,000 and up to 600,000 at time of designation, and have a nine-member city council and an elected clerk. Indianapolis is the only "first-class" city in Indiana under state law, making it subject to a consolidated city-county government known as Unigov. A town is differentiated from a city in that a town can not become a city until it has a population of at least 2,000. The form of government is also different from that of a city in that the council is both the legislative and executive branches of government. The mayor is selected by the council from within its ranks and operates as a first among equals.[1] | ||
| Iowa | Iowa is divided into 99 counties and has 943 cities. Every incorporated place in Iowa is called a "city", regardless of population. Incorporated cities can choose one of six forms of municipal government that differ primarily on how the legislative and administrative responsibilities are separated: mayor-council, mayor-council with an appointed manager, council-manager-at-large, commission, council-manager-ward, home rule charter or special charter. Most operate as mayor–council. | ||
| Kansas | All incorporated communities in Kansas are called cities, unlike in some states where some are called towns or villages. (11 of 50 states only have cities).
Once a city is incorporated in Kansas, it will continue to be a city even after falling below the minimum required to become a city, and even if the minimum is later raised. A city can de-incorporate, but if citizens decide to re-incorporate at a later date, then new minimum requirements must be met. By State law, cities in Kansas are divided into three classes.
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| Kentucky | The two largest, Louisville and Lexington, are designated "first class" cities. A first class city would normally have a mayor-alderman government, but that does not apply to the merged governments in Louisville and Lexington. All other cities have a different form of government, including mayor-council, commission, and city manager, and are designated "home rule class" cities.
The two-class system went into effect on January 1, 2015, following the 2014 passage of House Bill 331 by the Kentucky General Assembly and the bill's signing into law by Governor Steve Beshear. The new system replaced one in which cities were divided into six classes based on their population at the time of their classification. Before the enactment of House Bill 331, more than 400 classification-related laws affected public safety, alcohol beverage control, revenue options and others. Lexington and Fayette County are completely merged in a unitary urban county government (UCG); Louisville and other cities within Jefferson County have also merged into a single metro government. However, under state law, both major cities retained their pre-merger classification before the new scheme took effect. The General Assembly had historically reclassified cities only when requested by the city government. If all cities had been reclassified in the pre-2015 scheme according to actual population, about one-third of classifications would have changed. In particular, Lexington would have been classified as a first-class (Class 1) city. Although basic city classification changed in 2015, the old classifications will remain relevant for some time. Because many provisions of state law applied only to cities of certain pre-2015 classes, House Bill 331 was explicitly written to address such issues. In certain areas of law, class-based distinctions between cities have been replaced by population-based distinctions. In certain other areas that were more controversial, the pre-2015 status quo is being maintained through a registry of cities that were covered by prior laws. Under the new system, Louisville and Lexington are classified as first class. All other cities in the state are in the home rule class. |
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| Louisiana | According to the 2015 Louisiana Laws Revised Statutes, residents of any unincorporated area may propose to incorporate as a municipality if the area meets prescribed minimum population thresholds. Municipal corporations are divided based on population into three classes: cities, towns, and villages. Those having five thousand inhabitants or more are classified as cities; those having less than five thousand but more than one thousand inhabitants are classified as towns; and those having one thousand or fewer inhabitants are classified as villages. The governor may change the classification of the municipality if the board of aldermen requests a change and a census shows that the population has increased or decreased making it eligible for a different classification. Municipalities are granted powers to perform functions required by local governments including the levy and collection of taxes and to assume indebtedness. | ||
| Maine | Maine is a state located in the Northeastern United States. According to the 2020 United States census, Maine is the 9th least populous state, with 1,372,247 inhabitants, and the 12th smallest by land area, spanning 30,842.92 square miles (79,882.8 km2). Maine is divided into 16 counties and contains 482 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, and plantations. In Maine, a plantation is an organized form of municipal self-government similar to but with less power than a town or a city. One difference is that plantations cannot make local ordinances. Unlike towns or cities, with few exceptions, this type of municipality usually includes the word Plantation as part of its full name, which is also commonly used locally.
As of 2023, Maine has 23 cities, 430 towns, and 29 plantations, listed below. |
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| Maryland | Maryland is a state located in the Southern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, Maryland is the 18th-most populous state with 6,177,224 inhabitants and the ninth-smallest by land area, spanning 9,707.24 square miles (25,141.6 km2) of land. The state is divided into 23 counties and contains 157 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, or villages. Its municipalities cover only 4.4% of the state's land mass but are home to 26.2% of its population. As Maryland does not have minor civil divisions such as townships, areas outside of municipalities have no government below the county level.
With the exception of Baltimore, which was chartered by the state Constitution, municipalities in Maryland are self-governing municipalities chartered as cities, towns, or villages by an Act of the Maryland General Assembly or, in some cases, by a referendum. Municipalities are the lowest tier administrative units in the state, and all except Baltimore are also subject to county administration. Despite the designations of city, town, or village, there are no differences in municipal power and authority. There is no official classification of municipal governments and the municipalities are equal under state law. The municipalities themselves decide whether to avail themselves of the specific powers conferred on them by the Maryland Constitution and state code. Since its separation from Baltimore County in 1851, the City of Baltimore functions more as a county than a city under state law since it exercises charter home rule, which empowers the city with broad legislative authority similar to Maryland's six home rule counties. |
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| Massachusetts | Massachusetts is a state located in the Northeastern United States. Municipalities in the state are classified as either towns or cities, distinguished by their form of government under state law. Towns have an open town meeting or representative town meeting form of government; cities, on the other hand, use a mayor-council or council-manager form. Based on the form of government, there are 292 towns and 59 cities in Massachusetts. Some municipalities, however, still refer to themselves as "towns" even though they have a city form of government.
The Census Bureau classifies towns in Massachusetts as a type of "minor civil division" and cities as a type of "populated place". However, from the perspective of Massachusetts law, politics, and geography, cities and towns are the same type of municipal unit, differing only in their form of government. There is no unincorporated land in Massachusetts. The land area of the state is completely divided up among the 351 municipalities. Massachusetts shares with the five other New England states the New England town form of government. All land in Massachusetts is divided among cities and towns and there are no unincorporated areas, population centers, or townships. Massachusetts has four kinds of public-school districts: local schools, regional schools, vocational-technical schools, and charter schools. Amendment Article 89 (LXXXIX) of the Massachusetts Constitution defines the powers of self-government that municipalities are entitled to. Additional powers, such as the ability to collect certain taxes, are delegated to municipalities under state law. The article requires that General Laws passed by the General Court apply to at least two municipalities. Special Laws that apply to only one municipality must be enacted in response to a home rule petition from that city or town, or with a two-thirds majority in the General Court, or for the purpose of establishing, disestablishing, or modifying municipal boundaries. Proposition 2½ gives municipalities the right to state payment of municipal costs incurred as a result of any new state mandates implemented after January 1, 1981. Cities and towns can vote to accept a new mandate, or ask the Massachusetts State Auditor to determine the amount of funding owed; if the legislature does not provide that amount then ask the Massachusetts Superior Court for a ruling that grants the municipality an exemption from complying with unfunded mandates. |
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| Michigan | Municipalities include incorporated cities and villages, and townships, which may either be general law or chartered. Charter townships are unique to Michigan among U.S. states, are delegated more power over local taxation, but have more municipal responsibilities and obligations. Cities are not subject to a township's jurisdiction, but villages remain part of the township in which they are located; village residents pay both township and village taxes, and share services with the township. Since all Michigan residents who do not live in a city live in a township, a village's population is counted in the population of the township in which it is located. | ||
| Minnesota | Minnesota is divided into 87 counties and contains 853 incorporated cities, with populations ranging from 425,115 (Minneapolis) to 12 (Funkley) in 2023. Minnesota cities are classified by population as a first class city, a second class city, a third class city, or a fourth class city; this is done for legislative purposes. | ||
| Mississippi | Mississippi is divided into 82 counties and contains 300 municipalities, consisting of cities, towns, and villages. Mississippi's municipalities cover 4.3% of the state's land mass and are home to 50.5% of its population.
Municipalities in Mississippi are classified according to population size. At time of incorporation, municipalities with populations of more than 2,000 are classified as cities, municipalities containing between 301 and 2000 persons are classified as towns, and municipalities between 100 and 300 persons are classified as villages. Places may be incorporated to become a city, town, or village through a petition signed by two-thirds of the qualified voters who reside in the proposed municipality. The major function of municipal governments are to provide services for its citizens such as maintaining roads and bridges, providing law, fire protection, and health and sanitation services. |
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| Missouri | In Missouri, cities are classified into three types: 3rd Class, 4th Class, and those under constitutional charters. A few older cities are incorporated under legislative charters (Carrollton, Chillicothe, LaGrange, Liberty, Miami, Missouri City, and Pleasant Hill) which are no longer allowed. (Carthage is also a Charter City and Charter Cities are by constitution not legislation and are still allowed to this day). The level at which they incorporate is determined by their population when they incorporate. They do not change if they gain or lose in population, unless a vote is held by the people.
A municipality incorporates as a 4th Class city if the population is between 500 and 2,999 (under 500, it may incorporate as a village – see list of villages in Missouri). It may incorporate as a 3rd Class city if the population is between 3,000 and 29,999. There is more flexibility in government for 3rd Class cities than 4th Class. Cities under constitutional charters may operate under any form of municipal government if it is enacted in the city's charter. |
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| Montana | Montana is divided into 56 counties and contains 129 municipalities consisting of cities and towns. Montana's municipalities cover only 1.2% of the state's land mass but are home to 53.8% of its population. The Montana Code 7-1-4124 gives municipal governments in Montana powers to enact ordinances, borrow money, and enact eminent domain among other legal powers.
In Montana, municipalities are divided into four classes by state statute based on their population. Members of the three largest classes are deemed cities, while the members of the fourth class are called towns. Cities and towns are classified at the time of their organization, and are reorganized when they change classification due to an increase or decrease in population. A place may incorporate as a town with the support of 300 electors or two-thirds of the registered electors. A municipality with a population between 1,000 and 5,000 people is a Third Class city. A municipality with a population between 5,000 and 10,000 people is a Second Class city. And a municipality with a population over 10,000 people is a First Class city. Under certain exceptions municipalities with a population of between 9,000 and 10,000 may elect by resolution to be either a First or Second Class city. Under similar exceptions municipalities with a population of between 5,000 and 7,500 may elect by resolution to be either a Second or Third Class city. Municipalities with a population of between 1,000 and 2,500 may by resolution be classified as either a town or Third Class city. Unincorporated places such as census-designated places fall outside this scheme, and are subject to county governance, and thus are not towns or cities. |
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| Nebraska | Incorporated communities in Nebraska are legally classified as cities or villages depending on their population: a village is a municipality of 100 through 800 inhabitants, whereas a city must have at least 800 inhabitants. There are 529 municipalities. Of Nebraska's 529 municipalities, 147 are cities and 382 are villages. | ||
| Nevada | Nevada is divided into 17 counties and contains 19 municipalities. Nevada's municipalities cover only 1% of the state's land mass but are home to 56.7% of its population.
Municipalities in the state are legally described as cities, except for the state capital Carson City, which has no legal description but is considered an independent city as it is not located in any county. To incorporate, a petition for incorporation can be made to the board of county commissioners, who consider numerous geographic, demographic, and economic factors. Cities are categorized by population for the purpose of determining the number of wards and council election structure as well as the number of city clerks: cities with 50,000 or more inhabitants are in population category one, cities with 5,000 or more but fewer than 50,000 inhabitants are in population category two, and cities having fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are in population category three. Cities are responsible for providing local services such as fire and police protection, road maintenance, water distribution, and sewer maintenance. |
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| New Hampshire | Historically, the distinction between towns and cities was the form of government. Towns are led by a board of selectmen, who enforce municipal ordinances enacted during town meetings. Cities are led by a mayor, who enforces ordinances passed by a city council or a board of aldermen. City charters are granted by special act of the New Hampshire General Court. The most recent town to be granted city status was Lebanon, in 1957. In 1979, the General Court established new processes for towns to change the form of government, and such changes no longer confer city status. Towns may adopt a new charter for a representative government, such as a council-manager form, and retain their status as a town with a more limited form of town meeting.
Generally, government forms come in several varieties:
Regardless of which form of government a municipality uses, and whether it calls itself a city or town, all cities and towns are treated identically by the state law. |
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| New Jersey | New Jersey is divided into 21 counties and contains 563 municipalities consisting of five types: 253 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 239 townships, and 4 villages.As of 2023, New Jersey's 21 counties are divided into 564 municipalities. Each municipality is located in exactly one county; there are no independent cities or consolidated city-counties. There is no unincorporated territory in the state, making New Jersey one of the few states outside New England in which every square foot is incorporated. Title 40 of the New Jersey Statutes allows the state's municipalities to be incorporated under five types- city, town, township, borough, and village, with twelve management forms. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that New Jersey has 252 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 241 townships, and 4 villages. Several municipalities continue to operate under special charters that do not conform with the government formats prescribed by the current statutes. New Jersey's municipalities range in population from towns with small single-digit or double-digit populations (as in Tavistock or Walpack Township) or cities in which several hundred thousand people reside, such as Newark, Paterson or Trenton. | ||
| New Mexico | New Mexico is divided into 33 counties and contains 106 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, villages and an incorporated county. New Mexico's municipalities cover only 1% of the state's land mass but are home to 65.4% of its population.
All municipalities are granted local government powers including the collection of property tax, funding of fire protection and public transit, providing and maintaining public parks, cemeteries, hospitals, libraries, and museums, building and zoning regulations, and the maintenance of municipal water, sewer, electric, natural gas and solid waste utilities. Municipalities in New Mexico may adopt one of five forms of municipal government including Mayor-Council, Mayor-Council with Manager, Council-Manager, Commission-Manager, or City-County Council-Manager. All municipalities over 10,000 people must elect their representatives by district, with those under 10,000 having option to do so. Citizens in a Mayor-Council form of government elect a mayor (who only votes to break a tie, and does not have veto power), and a council of 4 to 10 councilors or trustees. Any municipality with a population over 1,000 with a Mayor/Council form of government may establish the office of manager who is not elected and administers the hiring and firing of municipal employees, enforces ordinances, prepares the budget, but cannot vote on council. The manager in a Commission/Manager municipality has identical powers to the manager in the Mayor/Council form of government. Mayor-Council system can be changed to a Commission/Manager municipality by popular vote if the population exceeds 3,000. Citizens in a Commission/Manager municipality may also vote on initiatives, referendums and recalls and the mayor has the right to vote on council issues. Only one municipality, Los Alamos, is an incorporated City-County with a Council-Manager system through the Los Alamos County Charter. Municipalities may also adopt a home rule charter which gives local municipalities powers not specifically authorized for municipalities by the state statutes. Twelve municipalities have adopted home rule or a charter in New Mexico. |
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| New York | the 62 counties of the State of New York are subdivided into 933 towns, 62 cities, and 10 American Indian reservations. Towns in New York are considered a third-level administrative division and a minor civil division by the US Census Bureau, in contrast to cities and villages, which are fourth-level divisions.
The state is divided into counties, cities, towns, and villages, which are all municipal corporations with their own government that provide most local government services. Whether a municipality is defined as a city, town, or village is not dependent on population or land area, but rather by the form of government selected by the residents and approved by the New York State Legislature. Each such government is granted varying home rule powers as provided by the New York Constitution, and a local law has a status equivalent with a law enacted by the Legislature (subject to certain exceptions and restrictions). New York also has various corporate entities that serve single purposes that are also local governments, such as school and fire districts as well as New York state public-benefit corporations, frequently known as authorities or development corporations. New York has 62 counties, which are subdivided into 932 towns and 62 cities; it also has 10 Indian reservations. In total, the state has over 3400 active local governments and over 4200 taxing jurisdictions. In 1898, when New York City was consolidated into its present form, all previous town and county governments within it were abolished in favor of the present five boroughs and unified, centralized city government (the New York City government). |
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| North Carolina | North Carolina is divided into 100 counties and contains 552 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, or villages. The three different terms have no legal distinction. | ||
| North Dakota | All incorporated communities in North Dakota are considered cities, regardless of population; there are no towns, villages, or hamlets in the state. There are 355 municipalities. | ||
| Ohio | Cities in Ohio are municipalities whose population is no less than 5,000; smaller municipalities are called villages. Nonresident college students and incarcerated inmates do not count towards the city requirement of 5,000 residents. There are currently 253 cities and 673 villages in Ohio, for a total of 926 municipalities.
Ohio is divided into 88 counties. Ohio law defines a structure for county government, although they may adopt charters for home rule. Summit County and Cuyahoga County have chosen an alternate form of government. The other counties have a government with a three-member board of county commissioners, a sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, clerk of the court of common pleas prosecutor, engineer, and recorder. There are two kinds of incorporated municipalities, 251 cities and 681 villages. If a municipality has five thousand or more residents as of the last United States Census it is a city, otherwise it is a village. Municipalities have full home rule powers, may adopt a charter, ordinances and resolutions for self-government. Each municipality chooses its own form of government, but most have elected mayors and city councils or city commissions. City governments provide much more extensive services than county governments, such as police forces and paid (as opposed to volunteer) fire departments. The entire area of the state is encompassed by townships. When the boundaries of a township are coterminous with the boundaries of a city or village, the township ceases to exist as a separate government (called a paper township). Townships are governed by a three-member board of township trustees. Townships may have limited home rule powers. There are more than 600 city, local, and exempted village school districts providing K-12 education in Ohio, as well as about four dozen joint vocation school districts which are separate from the K-12 districts. Each city school district, local school district, or exempted village school district is governed by an elected board of education. A school district previously under state supervision (municipal school district) may be governed by a board whose members either are elected or appointed by the mayor of the municipality containing the greatest portion of the district's area. |
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| Oklahoma | Oklahoma is divided into 77 counties and contains 596 municipalities consisting of cities and towns.
In Oklahoma, cities are all those communities which are 1,000 or more in population and are incorporated as cities. Towns are limited to town board type of municipal government. Cities may choose among aldermanic, mayoral, council-manager, and home-rule charter types of government. Cities may also petition to incorporate as towns.
Within Oklahoma there are two types of municipal governments cities and towns. To be a city, a community must have a population of at least 1,000. Both are municipal corporations in that they can both sue and be sued, may own and sell property, create debt, and may levy and collect taxes. They are the most basic level of government in Oklahoma and are also the most accessible. The term of office of municipal officials is four years with elections held on the first Tuesday of April of each odd-numbered year. Any area in Oklahoma, regardless of population, may incorporate. The county commission supervises incorporations in their county. Persons wishing to incorporate must first provide an accurate survey of the area to be incorporated. Next, within thirty days of applying for incorporation, a census must be taken to show the number of people living in the area to be incorporated. The petition to incorporate must include the signature of at least one-third of those people. The commission must then hold a hearing to determine the accuracy of the petition, survey, and census. If the commission is satisfied that all requirements have been met, it must issue a writ of election for an election to occur within ten days. If a majority of the qualified voters of the area to be incorporated approve of the incorporation, the community is declared incorporated and assumes the appropriate municipal government. TownsSee also: List of towns in Oklahoma In Oklahoma, a town governed by a board of trustees is the simplest government type in Oklahoma. The board is composed of three or five members, each representing a ward, and elected at large by the town. The board exercises both executive and legislative functions. The trustees elect from among themselves a president of the board, who presides over the board and serves as mayor of the town. The mayor is the head of state for the town and, depending on his or her duties, may serve as the head of government of the town. The judicial branch is known as the municipal court, which is a court of no-record in Oklahoma's judicial system. The town board of trustees appoints and removes town officers and employees as provided by law or ordinance, maintains the public peace and order, enacts municipal legislation and punishment for its violation, raises revenue, makes appropriations, manages the fiscal affairs of the town, inspects the books and accounts maintained by the town treasurer, investigates municipal affairs, creates and abolishes divisions of the town government, and grants pardons for violation of municipal ordinances. A major responsibility of a town is the construction and maintenance of streets, parks, and sewers for the town to use as well as maintaining public peace. Within each town are three major officials, either elected by the town as a whole or appointed by the board:
When a town's population reaches one thousand, the municipal incorporation remains classified as a town unless a majority of the qualified voters of the community approve of a change to city government. CitiesSee also: List of cities in Oklahoma In Oklahoma, a city is a highly autonomous incorporated area either contained within a county or spanning multiple counties. According to the state constitution, any community with a population of more than 2,000 can become a city. State law further stipulates that a city must have at least 1,000 inhabitants. City governments provide the same services as towns but are organized in a different manner under one of four possible governance structures. In an aldermanic or weak mayor-council structure, the city is governed by an elected at-large mayor and two councilmembers from each ward, forming the city council. The mayor serves as the presiding officer of the council and the head of state and head of government of the city, but does not vote on the council unless to break a tie vote. The council also elects a council president that can act in the mayor's absence. As the chief executive officer of the city government, the mayor appoints city officers with the council's oversight and can remove, suspend, and directly oversee city officers and employees. The mayor prepares an annual budget and submits it to the council, advises the council on the city's finances and future needs, makes recommendations, enforces city ordinances, and maintains the public peace. The council is responsible for enacting municipal legislation, revenue and spending decisions, and creating or abolishing city divisions. The governing body of a council-manager city is a city council composed of one councilmember from each ward of the city and one at-large councilmember. The council elects from among its members a mayor to preside over meetings and a vice-mayor to preside in his absence. Though recognized as head of state of the city, the mayor has no regular administrative duties except for signing conveyances and other written obligations of the city as the council requires. If a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor, the vice-mayor becomes the mayor for the remainder of the unexpired term. Aside from passing ordinances and raising city revenue, the council is responsible for appointing a city manager to serve as the head of government for the city. The city manager is the chief executive officer of the administrative branch of the city government. He is responsible to the council for executing the laws and administering the government of the city. Most city officials are appointed and removed by the city manager without prior council approval. The city manager also supervises and controls administrative departments, prepares an annual budget for the council to approve, and is to keep the council advised of the financial condition and future needs of the city. The strong mayor–council city is the third form of city government provided for in Oklahoma law. The governing body of a strong mayor city consists of the mayor, who is elected at large, and one councilmember from each ward of the city. The mayor serves as an ex officio councilmember at large and presides over meetings of the council. As the councilmember at large, the mayor has the powers, rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities of any other councilmember, including the right to vote on questions. The mayor serves as both head of state and head of government for the city as the city's chief executive officer. He is responsible to the people of the city for executing the laws and for administering the government of the city. In the event of martial law, the Governor of Oklahoma must recognize the mayor as head of the city. The mayor appoints and removes most city officials without prior council approval, supervises and controls city departments, prepares the annual budget for council approval, keeps the council advised of the financial condition and future needs of the city, and may grant pardons for violations of city ordinances upon the recommendation of the municipal judge. A unique feature of a strong-mayor city is the presence of a city personnel board to ensure that a merit system is employed by the city. The personnel board consists of three members elected by the council for staggered six-year terms. The board elects from among its members a chair and vice-chair. The personnel board also elects a secretary who need not be a member of the board. In strong-mayor form, city employees that are not elected, appointed, or confirmed by the council, members and secretaries of boards, commissions, and other plural authorities, and personnel who serve without compensation are part of the classified service. Neither the mayor nor any other authority may appoint or promote any person in the classified service of the city for any political reason but only for merit and fitness. Any qualified elector of the city may bring an allegation of a violation of the merit system before the personnel board for consideration and determination. Following a public hearing on the issues, if the board finds to its satisfaction that the appointment or promotion was made in violation of the merit system, it then vetoes the appointment or promotion. No officer or employee in the classified service may:Officers and employees are not prohibited from the ordinary exercise of their right as a citizen to express his opinions and to vote. An officer or employee who violates the merit system may be removed from office or position either by the authority normally having the power to remove him, or, after adequate opportunity for a public hearing, by the personnel board. An officer or employee who violates this section of the merit system is forbidden to hold any office or position in the city government for four years. Whenever a city officer or employee is laid off, suspended, demoted, or removed from office, that officer or employee may appeal the action to the personnel board. The appeal must be in writing and must be filed with the secretary or chair of the personnel board within ten days after the effective date of the layoff, suspension, demotion, or removal. The personnel board must then hold a public hearing on the appeal. The personnel board must submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the mayor. The mayor then makes the final decision regarding the appellant's layoff, suspension, demotion, or removal. However, if the personnel board finds to its satisfaction that the layoff, suspension, demotion, or removal was made for a political reason, it shall veto the layoff, suspension, demotion, or removal. Home Rule allows a city with a population of over 2,000 people to establish its own form of government under a City Charter. Regardless of the city's form of government, must include the following officials, either elected or appointed:
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| Oregon | Cities are the only form of municipal government incorporated in Oregon. While villages and hamlets exist in Oregon, they are created by Clackamas County only, and do not resemble municipalities due to the limited nature of their powers and their lack of home-rule charters.
This list does not distinguish villages, hamlets, and other forms of local organization in Oregon; they are shown below as unincorporated communities and are shown in italics. In addition, some formerly freestanding communities have been partially or wholly subsumed by neighboring cities or abandoned and turned into ghost towns; these also are represented in italics but are marked an asterisk (*) to distinguish them from unincorporated communities. |
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| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties and contains 2,560 municipalities. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities in the Commonwealth. From those largest in population to smallest, and excluding the single town of Bloomsburg, they are:
Local government in Pennsylvania consists of five types of local governments: county, township, borough, city, and school district. All of Pennsylvania is included in one of the state's 67 counties and each county is then divided into one of the state's 2,562 municipalities. There are no independent cities or unincorporated territory within Pennsylvania. Local municipalities are either governed by statutes enacted by the Pennsylvania Legislature and administered through the Pennsylvania Code, by a home rule charter or optional form of government adopted by the municipality with consent of the Legislature. Municipalities may enact and enforce local ordinances. Pennsylvania enacted the Local Government Commission in 1935, by an Act of Assembly. The commission is one of the oldest in the country, composed of five members of the state Senate and House of Representatives who are appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. The commission provides assistance to Members of the General Assembly on researching local issues. |
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| Rhode Island | Rhode Island is the 8th least populous state with 1,097,379 inhabitants and the smallest by land area spanning 1,033.81 square miles (2,677.6 km2) of land. It is divided into 39 municipalities, including 8 cities and 31 towns, grouped into 5 historical counties that have no municipal functions as the state has no county level of government. The entire area of the state is incorporated; all Rhode Island residents live within the borders of a city or town though some communities within towns and cities are census-designated places.
Municipalities in Rhode Island can incorporate as a town or city by a special act of the state legislature and there is no minimum population requirement. Eight municipalities were re-incorporated as cities operating under a charter, while the other 31 remain as towns which perform similar services. Since Rhode Island has no county level of government, cities and towns provide services commonly performed by county governments in other states. The state's cities and towns may adopt one of four forms of government: council–manager, mayor–council, town council–town meeting, or administrator–council. The primary difference between these forms of government is how the chief executive is selected. The Council–manager system involves an elected council who exercise overall control of the local government and a chief executive termed city or town manager who is generally appointed by and responsible to the council for the administration of local policies. Council–manager systems may elect a mayor but they have no formal administrative functions with the potential exception of a degree of veto power. Mayor–council systems have a similarly elected council however the mayor is elected and yields administrative power. In the town council–town meeting system, there is no full-time chief executive. |
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| South Carolina | South Carolina is divided into 46 counties and contains 271 municipalities consisting of 71 cities and 200 towns. South Carolina's municipalities cover only 6.2% of the state's land mass but are home to 36.8% of its population.
At incorporation, municipalities may choose to be named either "City of" or "Town of", however there is no legal difference between the two. All municipalities are responsible for providing local service including law enforcement, fire protection, waste and water management, planning and zoning, recreational facilities, and street lighting. Municipalities may incorporate with one of three forms of government: 141 chose mayor–council, 95 chose council, and 33 chose council–manager. Under the mayor–council form of government, an elected municipal council is composed of a mayor and four or more council members. The mayor's responsibilities include: staffing of all municipal employees; directing and supervising the administration of all departments, offices, and agencies; voting in, and presiding over, council meetings; and preparing the annual budget (with council), capital program (with council), and public financial reports. Under the council form of government, the council can be composed of five, seven or nine members including the mayor, all elected, and each with one vote on council. The council has the power to levy taxes and raise funds from other sources that match the operating and capital budgets. Under the council–manager form of government, the council is composed of a mayor and four, six, or eight councilmen each with one vote. The municipality must employ a manager, establish administrative departments upon recommendation of the manager, adopt an annual budget, provide an independent annual audit of the books and business affairs of the municipality, provide for the general health and welfare of the municipality, and enact ordinances of any nature and kind. The manager is the head of the administrative branch of the municipal government and is responsible for staffing (including the hiring, firing and compensation of all municipal employees), preparing the annual budget and financial report for council adoption. |
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| Tennessee | Before 1954, all Tennessee municipalities were established by private act of the state legislature and operated under charters established by private act of the legislature. As of 2007, 212 of the state's municipalities were operating under charters established by private act of the legislature. In 1953, amendments to the Tennessee Constitution prohibited subsequent incorporations by private act and provided for several new forms of municipal charter. Fourteen cities, including Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, three of the state's four largest cities, are "home rule cities" organized under charters approved by referendum of the citizens. Home rule charters are authorized by Article XI, Section 9, of the Tennessee State Constitution, as amended in 1953. Other municipalities are incorporated under one of several standardized types of charter authorized by state statute:
Some Tennessee municipalities are called "cities" and others are called "towns." These terms do not have legal significance in Tennessee and are not related to population, date of establishment, or type of municipal charter. Under current state law (TCA Title 6), a minimum of 1,500 residents are required to incorporate as a new municipality under the mayor-alderman or city manager-commission charter, and a minimum of 5,000 residents are required to incorporate under a modified city manager-council charter. In general, unincorporated areas within three miles of an existing municipality (within five miles if the municipality has a population of 100,000 or more) are not permitted to incorporate as new municipalities. Provisions for incorporation were less restrictive in the past. The capital of Tennessee is Nashville. |
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| Texas | As of May 2024, the 1,225 Texas municipalities include 971 cities, 231 towns, and 23 villages. These designations are determined by United States Census Bureau requirements based on state statutes and may not match a municipality's self-reported designation. The types of municipalities in Texas are defined in the Local Government Code, which was codified in 1987. The designations of city, town and village were superseded by Type A, B, and C general-law cities in the code.
In Texas, there are two forms of municipal government: general-law and home-rule. A general-law municipality has no charter and is limited to the specific powers granted by the general laws of the state. Home-rule municipalities have a charter and derive the "full power of local self-government" from the Constitution of Texas. A general-law municipality containing more than 5,000 inhabitants may order an election on adopting a home-rule charter. If the population of the municipality later falls below 5,000, it may maintain its home-rule charter. |
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| Utah | As of 2020, there are 253 municipalities in the U.S. state of Utah. A municipality is called a town if the population is under 1,000 people, and a city if the population is over 1,000 people. Incorporation means that a municipal charter has been adopted by the affected population following a referendum. In the Constitution of Utah, cities and towns are granted "the authority to exercise all powers relating to municipal affairs, and to adopt and enforce within its limits, local police, sanitary and similar regulations not in conflict with the general law" They also have the power to raise and collect taxes, to provide and maintain local public services, acquire by eminent domain any property needed to make local improvements, and to raise money by bonds. | ||
| Vermont | The U.S. state of Vermont is divided into 247 municipalities, including 237 towns and 10 cities. Vermont also has 9 unincorporated areas, split between 5 unincorporated towns and 4 gores. As of 2024, Vermont has 30 incorporated villages, which are municipal governments operating within a town and providing additional services.
Cities in Vermont are municipalities with the city form of government. Vermont has ten cities with a combined area of 80.2 sq mi (208 km2), or 0.8% of the state's total area.[citation needed] According to the 2020 census, 119,299 people, or 18.54% of the state's population, resided in Vermont's cities (excluding Essex Junction, which incorporated in 2022). Six of Vermont's 14 counties have at least one city within their borders. Five cities serve as the county seats for their respective counties and are indicated below with an asterisk (*). Towns in Vermont are municipalities that typically incorporate the town meeting format into their government In some cases, a town and city have the same name, such as Barre City which is almost entirely surrounded by the separate municipality of Barre Town. |
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| Virginia | The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties, along with 38 independent cities that are considered county-equivalents for census purposes, totaling 133 second-level subdivisions. In Virginia, cities are co-equal levels of government to counties, but towns are part of counties. For some counties, for statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines any independent cities with the county that it was once part of (before the legislation creating independent cities took place in 1871).
Many county seats are politically not a part of the counties they serve; under Virginia law, all municipalities incorporated as cities are independent cities and are not part of any county. Some of the cities in the Hampton Roads area, including Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, and Suffolk were formed from an entire county. These cities are no longer county seats, since the counties ceased to exist once the cities were completely formed but are functionally equivalent to counties. Also in Virginia, a county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County and is completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. There are 38 independent cities, which are considered county-equivalents for census purposes. Many towns are as large as cities but are not incorporated as cities and are situated within a parent county or counties. Seven independent cities had 2020 populations of less than 10,000 with the smallest, Norton having a population of only 3,687. In 2020, the largest towns were Leesburg (with 48,250 people) and Blacksburg (44,826). Six other towns also had populations of over 10,000 people. For a complete list of these towns, see List of towns in Virginia. For major unincorporated population centers, see List of unincorporated communities in Virginia. Virginia's independent cities were classified by the Virginia General Assembly in 1871 as cities of the first class and cities of the second class. The Virginia Constitution of 1902 defined first class cities as those having a population of 10,000 or more based upon the last census enumeration while second class cities were those that had a population of less than 10,000. Cities that previously been granted a city charter, but did not have the requisite population, had their status grandfathered in. Second class did not have a court of record and were required to share the cost of that court with their adjacent county and also shared the cost for three constitutional officers of that court—generally, the clerk, commonwealth attorney and sheriff—and those shared officers stood for election in both the city and the county. At least two constitutional officers—treasurer and commissioner of the revenue—were required to be elected solely by the residents of the city. The distinction between first and second class cities was ended with the Virginia Constitution of 1971. However, cities that were classified as second class cities at the time of the adoption of the 1971 Virginia Constitution were authorized to continue sharing their court system and three constitutional officers with the adjacent county. As of 2003, 14 of Virginia's independent cities retain these features. There are several counties and cities that have the same name but are separate politically. These currently include Fairfax, Franklin, Richmond, and Roanoke. In the past they also included Norfolk and Alexandria, whose counties changed their names, ostensibly to end some of the confusion; as well as Bedford, where a city was surrounded by a county of the same name from 1968 until 2013, when the city reverted to town status. A city and county that share a name may be completely unrelated in geography. For example, Richmond County is nowhere near the City of Richmond, and Franklin County is even farther from the City of Franklin. |
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| Washington | Article XI of the Washington State Constitution addresses the organization of counties. New counties must have a population of at least 2,000 and no county can be reduced to a population below 4,000 due to partitioning to create a new county. To alter the area of a county, the state constitution requires a petition of the "majority of the voters" in that area. A number of county partition proposals in the 1990s interpreted this as a majority of people who voted, until a 1998 ruling by the Washington Supreme Court clarified that they would need a majority of registered voters. No changes to counties have been made since the formation of Pend Oreille County in 1911, except when the small area of Cliffdell was moved from Kittitas to Yakima County in 1970.
There are 281 municipalities in the U.S. state of Washington. State law determines the various powers its municipalities have. Legally, a city in Washington can be described primarily by its class. There are five classes of cities in Washington:
First class cities are cities with a population over 10,000 at the time of reorganization and operating under a home rule charter. They are permitted to perform any function specifically granted them by Title 35 RCW (Revised Code of Washington). Among them are Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Vancouver, and Yakima. Second class cities are cities with a population over 1,500 at the time of reorganization and operating without a home rule charter. Like first class cities, they are permitted to perform any function specifically granted them by Title 35 RCW. Among them are Port Orchard, Wapato, and Colville. Towns are municipalities with a population of under 1,500 at the time of reorganization. Towns are not authorized to operate under a charter. Like the previously listed cities, they are permitted to perform any function specifically granted them by Title 35 RCW. Among them are Steilacoom, Friday Harbor, Eatonville, and Waterville. In 1994, the legislature made 1,500 the minimum population required to incorporate. Unclassified cities are cities that are not operating under any other class. Only one city—Waitsburg, in Walla Walla County—is unclassified. It operates under the 1881 territorial charter under which it was organized, eight years before Washington was admitted to the Union in 1889. Code cities were created by the state legislature in order to grant the greatest degree of local control to municipalities possible under the state constitution and general law. This classification has been adopted at the majority of municipalities in Washington, including Renton, Bellevue, Omak, Olympia, Longview, Pullman, and University Place. Code cities (shorthand for optional municipal code cities, as encoded by Title 35A RCW) are authorized to perform any function not specifically denied them in the state constitution or by state law. They may perform any function granted to any other city classification under Title 35 RCW.
A city in Washington can be described secondarily by its form of government. Cities and towns are specifically authorized three forms of government:
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| Wisconsin | Each county has a county seat, often a populous or centrally located community, where the county's governmental offices are located. Some of the services provided by the county include: law enforcement, circuit courts, social services, vital records and deed registration, road maintenance, and snow removal. County officials include sheriffs, district attorneys, clerks, treasurers, coroners, surveyors, registers of deeds, and clerks of circuit court; these officers are elected for four-year terms. In most counties, elected coroners have been replaced by appointed medical examiners. State law permits counties to appoint a registered land surveyor in place of electing a surveyor.
Counties in Wisconsin are governed by county boards, headed by a chairperson. Counties with a population of 500,000 or more must also have a county executive. Smaller counties may have either a county executive or a county administrator. As of 2011, 13 counties had elected county executives: Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Portage, Racine, Sawyer, Waukesha, and Winnebago. 23 had an appointed county administrator, 34 had an appointed administrative coordinator, and 2 had neither an executive nor an administrator. Waukesha County had both an executive and an administrator. |
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| Wyoming | Wyoming has 23 counties and 99 municipalities consisting of cities and towns. Wyoming's municipalities cover only 0.3% of the state's land mass but are home to 68.3% of its population.
Wyoming's largest municipality by population is the capital city Cheyenne with 65,132 residents, and the largest municipality by land area is Casper, which spans 26.9 sq mi (70 km2), while the smallest municipality in both categories is Lost Springs with 6 residents and an area of 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2). A Wyoming statute indicates towns are municipalities with populations of less than 4,000. Municipalities of 4,000 or more residents are considered "first-class cities". |
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| American Samoa | The districts are subdivided into 15 counties, which are composed of 76 villages.
For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau counts the three districts and two unorganized atolls as five county equivalents, while treating the actual counties as minor civil divisions. |
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| District of Columbia | Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, are distinguished by their history, culture, architecture, demographics, and geography. The names of 131 neighborhoods are unofficially defined by the D.C. Office of Planning. Neighborhoods can be defined by the boundaries of wards, historic districts, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, civic associations, and business improvement districts (BIDs); these boundaries will overlap. The eight wards each elect a member to the Council of the District of Columbia and are redistricted every ten years.
As the nation's capital Washington, D.C.'s local neighborhood history and culture is often presented as distinct from that of the national government. |
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| Guam | The United States territory of Guam is divided into nineteen municipalities, called villages. Each village is governed by an elected mayor. Village populations range in size from under 1,000 to over 40,000. In the 2020 census, the total population of Guam was 153,836. Each municipality, known as an "election district" by the United States Census Bureau, is counted as a county equivalent by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes. | ||
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| Puerto Rico | The municipalities of Puerto Rico (Spanish: municipios de Puerto Rico) are the second-level administrative divisions in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. There are 78 such administrative divisions covering all 78 incorporated towns and cities. Each municipality is led by a mayor and divided into barrios, third-level administrative divisions, though the latter are not vested with any political authority. Every municipality is governed as stated by the Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991, which establishes that every municipality must have an elected strong mayor with a municipal legislature as the form of government. Each legislature must be unicameral, with the number of members related to adequate representation of the total population of the municipality. In contrast to other jurisdictions, both the mayors and the municipal legislators are elected on the same date and for the same term of four years in office.
From a political and ekistic perspective, several differences and similarities exist between municipalities of differing population sizes. For instance, municipalities with 50,000 inhabitants or more are considered incorporated cities, while those with fewer than 50,000 are considered incorporated towns. Size affects the autonomy exercised by the jurisdiction: cities provide and manage their own services, while towns typically depend on nearby cities for certain services. Demographically, municipalities in Puerto Rico are equivalent to counties in the United States, and Puerto Rican municipalities are registered as county subdivisions in the United States census. Statistically, the municipality with the largest number of inhabitants is San Juan, with 342,259, while Culebra is the smallest, with around 1,792. Arecibo is the largest in terms of geography, with around 125 mi2, and Cataño the smallest, with around 4.8 mi2. All municipalities have a barrio called pueblo proper, officially called barrio-pueblo (literally "district-town"), which typically is the site of the historic Spanish colonial settlement, administrative center and urban core of the municipality. However, municipalities with large populations may have an urban core that consist of several barrios. |
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- ^ "2018 Code of Alabama :: Title 11 - COUNTIES AND MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS. :: Title 2 - PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS ONLY. :: Chapter 40 - GENERAL PROVISIONS. :: Article 1 - In General. :: Section 11-40-12 - Classification of municipalities". Justia Law. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ "Guidebook for Municipal Officials of Mayor/Council Cities" (PDF). North Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Municipal League. May 2007. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ "MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CLASSES OF ARKANSAS MUNICIPALITIES" (PDF). Arkansas Municipal League. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "Learn About Cities". League of California Cities. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ California Government Code Sections 34502 and 56722.
- ^ California Government Code Sections 34450 and 34500.