Ronda, Spain

Main street in Bastrop, Texas, United States, a small town

A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. Usually, a "town" is thought of as larger than a village but smaller than a "city". The words "city" and "village" came into English from Latin via French. "Town" and "borough" (also "burrow", "burgh", "bury", etc.) are of native Germanic origin, from Old English burg, a fortified settlement, and tūn, an enclosed piece of land.^[1] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 530 pixel Image in higher resolution (981 × 650 pixel, file size: 215 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ronda (Espana / Spanien / Spain) - El Puente Nuevo & La Ciudad Fotograf / Photographer: Manfred Werner (User:Tsui or Tsui at de. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 530 pixel Image in higher resolution (981 × 650 pixel, file size: 215 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ronda (Espana / Spanien / Spain) - El Puente Nuevo & La Ciudad Fotograf / Photographer: Manfred Werner (User:Tsui or Tsui at de. ... Ronda sits at the edge of a canyon Ronda city view Ronda is a city in the Spanish province of Málaga. ... Image File history File links Main Street, Bastrop, Texas, June, 2005. ... Image File history File links Main Street, Bastrop, Texas, June, 2005. ... Main Street in Los Altos, California. ... Historic buildings with quaint shops and restaurants line Main Street in Bastrop. ... Look up city, City in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Look up Borough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Origin and use around the world

In Old English and Old Scots, "Town" (or "toun", "ton", etc.) originally meant a fortified municipality, whereas a borough was not fortified. But that distinction did not last long, and "Edina Burgh" or "Edinburgh" - modernly called a "city" - was a fortified "town" from its founding. Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... Scots may refer to: people from Scotland (i. ...

In American English, a town is usually a municipal corporation that is smaller than a city but larger than a village. In some cases, "town" is an alternate name for "city" or "village" (especially a larger village). Sometimes, the word "town" is short for "township." For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ...

In general, towns can be differentiated from townships, villages, or hamlets on the basis of their economic character, in that most of a town's population will tend to derive their living from manufacturing industry, commerce, and public service rather than primary industry such as agriculture or related activities. The term township is used to denote a lower level territorial subdivision. ... Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ... A hamlet is (usually — see below) a small settlement, too small or unimportant to be considered a village. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The primary sector of industry generally involves the conversion of natural resources into primary products. ...

A place's population size is not a reliable determinant of urban character. In many areas of the world, as in India at least until recent times, a large village might contain several times as many people as a small town.

The modern phenomenon of extensive suburban growth, satellite urban development, and migration of city-dwellers to villages have further complicated the definition of towns, creating communities urban in their economic and cultural characteristics but lacking other characteristics of urban localities. Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ...

Some forms of non-rural settlement, such as temporary mining locations, may be clearly non-rural, but have at best a questionable claim to be called a town. Chuquicamata, the second largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile. ...

The distinction between a town and a city similarly depends on the approach adopted: a city may strictly be an administrative entity which has been granted that designation by law, but in informal usage, the term is also used to denote an urban locality of a particular size or importance: whereas a medieval city may have possessed as few as 10,000 inhabitants, today some consider an urban place of fewer than 100,000 as a town, even though there are many officially designated cities that are very, very much smaller than that. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

Australia

In Australia, the status of a town is formally applied in only a few states. Most states do define cities, and towns are commonly understood to be those centres of population not formally declared to be cities and usually with a population in excess of about 250 people.

The creation and delimitation of Local Government Areas is the responsibility of the state and territory Governments. In all states and the Northern Territory each incorporated area has an official status. The various LGA status types currently in use are: Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. ...

• New South Wales: Cities (C) and Areas (A)
• Victoria: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Boroughs (B) and Shires (S)
• Queensland: Cities (C), Shires (S), Towns (T) and Island Councils (IC)
• South Australia: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Municipalities/Municipal Councils (M), District Councils (DC), Regional Councils (RegC) and Aboriginal Councils (AC)
• Tasmania: Cities (C) and Municipalities (M)
• Western Australia: Cities (C), Towns (T) and Shires (S)
• Northern Territory: Cities (C), Towns (T), Community Government Councils (CGC) and Shires (S).

“NSW” redirects here. ... “VIC” redirects here. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie retiring as of 13. ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  1,558,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ... Slogan or Nickname: The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Motto(s): Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $16,114... Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State or the Golden State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 15  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $100,900 (4th)  - Product per capita  $50,355/person... Slogan or Nickname: The Territory, The NT, The Top End Motto(s): none Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Constitutional monarchy Administrator Ted Egan Chief Minister Clare Martin (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 2  - Senate seats 2 Gross Territorial Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $10,418 (8th)  - Product...

References

• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) 2005

Austria

In Austria designations are similar to those in southern Germany with a trichotomy in Gemeinde, Markt(gemeinde) and Stadt. A trichotomy is a splitting into three parts, and, apart from its normal literal meaning, can refer to: trichotomy (mathematics), in the mathematical field of order theory trichotomy (philosophy), for the idea that man has a threefold nature In taxonomy, a trichotomy is speciation of three groups from a common...

Chile

In Chile towns are defined by the National Statistics Institute (INE) as an urban entity with a population from 2001 to 5000 or an area with a population from 1001 to 2000 and an established economic activity.

France

The town of Salins les Bains, France

From an administrative standpoint, the smallest level of local authorities are all called “communes”. However, some laws do treat these authorities differently based on the population and specific rules apply to the three main cities Paris, Lyon and Marseille. For historical reasons, six communes in the Meuse département still exist as independent entities despite having no inhabitant at all. Image File history File links Salins_les_Bains_2. ... Image File history File links Salins_les_Bains_2. ... It has been suggested that List of visitor attractions in Paris be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the French city. ... City flag Coat of arms Motto: By her great deeds, the city of Massilia shines Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Department Bouches-du-Rhône (13) Subdivisions 16 arrondissements (in 8 secteurs) Intercommunality Urban Community of Marseille Provence M... Meuse is a département in northeast France, named after the Meuse River. ...

For statistical purposes, the national statistical institute (INSEE) operates a distinction between urban areas with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and bigger communes, the latter being called “villes”. Smaller settlements are usually called “villages”. In any case, the French language does not commonly make a difference between towns and cities. INSEE is the French abbreviation for the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (French: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques). ...

Germany

Germans do not, in general, differentiate between city and town. The German word for both is "Stadt" as it is in many other languages that do not make any difference between the Anglo-Saxon concepts. A town with more than 100,000 inhabitants is called a Großstadt, which is the most adequate equivalence for city. In Germany also the historical importance (many settlements became a Stadt by being awarded a Stadtrecht in medieval times), the centrality and the population density of an urban place might be taken as characteristics of a "city". The word for a village, as a smaller settlement, is Dorf. Town privileges was an important feature of European towns during most of the 2nd millenium. ...

In southern German states the word Markt or Marktflecken designates a town-like residential community between village and city.

The current local government organisation is subject to Landesrecht (state law of a Bundesland) and the related denomination of a specific settlement may differ from its common designation (e. g. Samtgemeinde - a Lower Saxony legal term for a group of villages (Dorf, pl. Dörfer) with common local government). Designations in different Bundesländern are as diverse as for example in Australian States and Territories and differ from Bundesland to Bundesland. Bundesland (plural Bundesländer)is the German language name for the federal states of Austria. ... With an area of 47,618 km and nearly eight million inhabitants, Lower Saxony (German Niedersachsen) lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the countrys sixteen Bundesl nder (federal states). ... Bundesland (plural Bundesländer)is the German language name for the federal states of Austria. ...

Hungary

In Hungary, a village can gain the status of "város" (town), if it meets a set of diverse conditions for quality of life and development of certain public services and utilities (e.g. having a local secondary school or installing full-area sewage collection pipe network). Every year the Minister of Internal Affairs selects candidates from a committee-screened list of applicants, whom the President of Republic usually affirms by issuing a bill of town's rank to them. Since being a town carries extra fiscal support from the government, many relatively small villages try to win the status of "városi rang" nowadays.

Before the fall of communism in 1990, Hungarian villages under 10,000 residents were not allowed to become towns. Recently some settlements as small as 2,500 souls have received the rank of town (e.g. Zalakaros or Gönc) and meeting the conditions of development are often disregarded to quickly elevate larger villages into towns. As of early 2007, there are 289 towns in Hungary, encompassing some 65% of the entire population. The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ...

Towns of more than 50,000 people are able to gain the status of "megyei jog" (town with the rights of a county), which allows them to maintain own courts and a higher degree of autonomy. As of early 2007, there are only 23 such towns in Hungary.^{[citation needed]} A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... Look up autonomy, autonomous in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

India

In India, under most state laws, no village or settlement can be classified as a town unless its population crosses 20,000 inhabitants. On the basis of population and other issues, the state government notifies a larger community (over 10,000) as a notified area, and its administration is under the locally elected notified area committee. A settlement over 20,000 population would be classified, with a charter from the state government as a town, with a town area committee. Some laws distinguish only towns and villages from each other, but by usage, settlement with larger populations, such as those having a municipal committee or municipal corporation would be called cities. The recent Census of India classified all settlements above 5000 population (subject to some other rules) as urban areas for the sake of census. [1] In urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development. ... A notified area committee is the elected administrative body of a notified area, an Indian community with a population between 10,000 and 20,000. ...

Netherlands

In the Netherlands no distinction is made between "city" and "town", both translate as "stad".

Before 1848 there was a legal distinction between stad and non-stad parts of the country, but nowadays the word has no legal significance any more. About 220 places got "stadsrechten" (city rights) and are still called so for historical and traditional reasons, but the word is used for large urban areas, which never got such rights, as well. The contrastive word for a village as a smaller settlement is dorp.

Poland

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Category:Coats of arms of cities and villages of Poland

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Category:Flags of cities of Poland

Similarly to Germany, in Poland there is no difference between city and town. Polish word for city is miasto and the only difference between a very big village (in Polish wieś) and a small city is the administrative status of the latter one. Many Polish villages are older than some relatively young cities. For example wieś Mstow is nearly 100 years older than the closely located town of Częstochowa. Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... CzÄ™stochowa ( , German: ) is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 248,894 inhabitants (2004). ...

Russia

Main article: Types of inhabited localities in Russia

Types of inhabited localities in Russia, Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states have certain peculiarities with respect to the English language traditions. ...

Sweden

Sweden cancelled the official legal term Town (in Swedish: Stad) in the year 1971. Only the word Municipality (in Swedish: Kommun. In US English approximately County) was used, making no legal difference between Stockholm and a countryside municipality. Before that there were a number of terms like "stad"/Town, "köping"/large village etc. The definition of Town (stad) was that it was given such a title. Since the 1980s some municipalities (13 out of 290), who were "stad" before 1971, again call themselves town (stad). This has no legal or administrative significance whatsoever, and the municipalities have to use the word "kommun" in laws. In other cases the seat of the municipality is called "town". There is no difference between city and town, both translates to stad in Swedish. The word "stad" is still in use in Sweden, refering to places who were "stad" before 1971. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... United States of America, showing states, divided into counties. ... For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ...

United Kingdom

England and Wales

A traditional English town centre at Rugby

In England and Wales, a town traditionally was a settlement which had a charter to hold a market or fair and therefore became a "market town". Market towns were distinguished from villages in that they were the economic hub of a surrounding area, and were usually larger and had more facilities. The town centre of Rugby. ... The town centre of Rugby. ... Rugby is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... Look up Market in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Roundabouts (or carousels) are traditional attractions, often seen at fairs. ... The market town is a medieval phenomenon. ...

Bishop's Stortford

In modern usage the term town is used either for old market towns, or for settlements which have a Town Council, or for settlements which elsewhere would be classed a city, but which do not have the legal right (by Letters Patent) to call themselves such. Any parish council can decide to describe itself as a Town Council, but this will usually only apply to the smallest "towns" (because larger towns will be larger than a single civil parish). Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2160 × 1440 pixel, file size: 559 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Windhill, Bishops Stortford I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2160 × 1440 pixel, file size: 559 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Windhill, Bishops Stortford I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Windhill Corn Exchange Bishops Stortford is a market town in east Hertfordshire, England, just touching the border with Essex. ... In the United Kingdom, town councils are civil parish councils, where the civil parish is a town. ... Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting an office, a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as... A civil parish (usually just parish) in England is a subnational entity forming the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ...

Not all settlements which are commonly described as towns have a "Town Council" or "Borough Council". In fact, because of many successive changes to the structure of local government, there are now few large towns which are represented by a body closely related to their historic borough council. These days, a smaller town will usually will be part of a local authority which covers several towns. And where a larger town is the seat of a local authority, the authority will usually cover a much wider area than the town itself (either a large rural hinterland, or several other, smaller towns).

Alternatively there are also "new towns" which were created during the 20th century, such as Basildon, Redditch and Telford. Milton Keynes was designed to be a "new city" but legally it is still a town despite its size. A new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... Basildon (IPA, ) is a New Town located in south Essex, England at . It was designated as a New Town after World War II in 1948 to accommodate the London population overspill. ... Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England. ... , This article is about the town of Telford, Shropshire. ... , Milton Keynes is a large town in northern Buckinghamshire, in South East England, about 45 miles (75 km) north-west of London, and roughly halfway between London and Birmingham. ...

Curiously some settlements which describe themselves as towns (e.g. Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire) are smaller than some large villages (e.g. Kidlington, Oxfordshire). Map sources for Shipston-on-Stour at grid reference SP2540 Shipston-on-Stour is a town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of the southern part of Warwickshire, England. ... A detailed map Stratford-upon-Avon Kenilworth Castle Warwickshire (pronounced // or //) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in central England. ... Kidlington is a large village and civil parish in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ...

Main article: City status in the United Kingdom

The status of a city is reserved for places that have Letters Patent entitling them to the name, historically associated with the possession of a cathedral. Some large municipalities (such as Northampton) are legally boroughs but not cities, whereas some cities are quite small — such as Ely or St David's for instance. Historically, city status in England and Wales was associated with the presence of a cathedral, such as York Minster. ... Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting an office, a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as... Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region. ... A borough is a political division originally used in England. ... Statistics Population: 15,102 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TL535799 Administration District: East Cambridgeshire Shire county: Cambridgeshire Region: East of England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Cambridgeshire Historic county: Cambridgeshire Services Police force: Ambulance service: East of England Post office and telephone Post town: ELY... St Davids (Welsh: Tyddewi) is the smallest city in the United Kingdom, with a population of under 2,000 people. ...

It appears that a city may become a town, though perhaps only through administrative error: Rochester (Kent) has been a city for centuries but, when in 1998 when the Medway district was created, a bureaucratic blunder meant that Rochester lost its official City status and it is now technically a town. Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... Medway is the name given to a conurbation in the north of Kent, England. ...

It is often thought that towns with bishops' seats rank automatically as cities: however, Chelmsford remains a town despite being the seat of the diocese of Chelmsford. St. Asaph, which is the seat of the diocese of St Asaph, is another such town. In reality, the pre-qualification of having a cathedral of the established Church of England, and the formerly established Church in Wales or Church of Ireland, ceased to apply from 1888. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Arms of Chelmsford Borough Council This article is about the town of Chelmsford in Essex. ... The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese based in Chelmsford, covering Essex and north-east London. ... St. ... The Diocese of St Asaph in the North East corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in the East, to the Conwy Valley in the West. ... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Flag of the Church in Wales The Church in Wales (Welsh: Yr Eglwys Yng Nghymru) is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six dioceses in Wales. ... The Church of Ireland (Irish: ) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ...

The word town can also be used as a general term for urban areas, including cities. In this usage, a city is a type of town — a large one, with a certain status. For example, Greater London is a city, but is sometimes referred to affectionately as "London town". (The "City of London" is the historical nucleus, informally known as the "Square Mile", and is a London borough in its own right, the City of Westminster is also a city and London borough). Also, going from the suburbs to central London is to "go into town". Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... Motto: Domine dirige nos Latin: Lord, guide us Shown within Greater London Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region Greater London Status sui generis, City and Ceremonial County Admin HQ Guildhall Government  - Leadership see text  - Mayor John Stuttard  - MP Mark Field  - London Assembly John Biggs Area  - City  1. ... The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. ... The City of Westminster is a London borough with city status, situated to the west of the City of London and north of the River Thames. ...

• See Also
  • List of towns in England
  • List of towns in Wales

This is a link page for towns and cities in England. ... This is a link page for towns in Wales. ...

Republic of Ireland

The expression “Town” in Ireland has a similar history as in England and Wales and is surrounded by a simililar penumbra of ambiguity. However it is used officially in several different contexts as follows

The Local Government act 2001 provides that from January 1, 2002 (section 10 subsection (3) Within the county in which they are situated and of which they form part, there continue to be such other local government areas as are set out in Schedule 6 which— (a) in the case of the areas set out in Chapter 1 of Part 1 of that Schedule, shall be known as boroughs, and (b) (b) in the case of the areas set out in Chapter 2 of Part 1 and Part 2 of that Schedule, shall be known as towns, and in this Act a reference to a town shall include a reference to a borough."' is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

These provisions effect the replacement of the boroughs, Towns and urban districts which existed before then. Similar reforms in the nomeclature of local authorities ( but not their functions) are effected by section 11

part 17 of the act includes provision (section 185(2)) Qualified electors of a town having a population of at least 7,500 as ascertained at the last preceding census or such other figure as the Minister may from time to time prescribe by regulations, and not having a town council, may make a proposal in accordance with paragraph (b) for the establishment of such a council and contains provisions enabling the establishment of new town councils and provisions enabling the dissolution of existing or new town councils in certain circumstances

The reference to town having a population of at least 7,500 as ascertained at the last preceding census hands much of the power relating to defining what is in fact a town over to the Central Statistics Office and their criteria are published as part of each census

Planning and Development act 2000 Another reference to the Census and its role in determuining what is or is not a town for some administrative purpose is in the Planning and Development act 2000 (part II chapter I which provides for Local area plans)

A local area plan shall be made in respect of an area which— (i) is designated as a town in the most recent census of population, other than a town designated as a suburb or environs in that census, (ii) has a population in excess of 2,000, and (iii) is situated within the functional area of a planning authority which is a county council.

Central Statistics Office Criteria These are set out in full at http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census_2006_Appendices.pdf

In short they speak of “ towns with legally defined boundaries” ( ie those established by the Local Government Act 2001) and the remaining 664 as “census towns", defined by themselves since 1971 as a cluster of 50 or more occupied dwellings in which within a distrance of 800 metres there is a neucleus of 30occupied houses on both sides of the road or twenty occupued houses on one side of the road there is also a 200 metre criterion for determining whether a house is part of a census town.

United States

The tiny farming community of Wyatt, Indiana.

In the United States of America, the meaning of the term town varies from state to state. In some states, a town is an incorporated municipality, that is, one with a charter received from the state, similar to a city (see incorporated town). In others, a town is unincorporated. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1430 KB) Wyatt, Indiana from the northeast. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1430 KB) Wyatt, Indiana from the northeast. ... Wyatt from the air. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the... A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... An incorporated town in the United States is a town which is an incorporated municipality, that is, one with a charter received from the state, similar to a city. ...

The types of municipalities in U.S. states include cities, towns, boroughs, villages, and townships (in the sense of Pennsylvania townships and New Jersey townships; for the meaning in other states, see civil township), although most states do not have all five types. Many states do not use the term "town" for incorporated municipalities. In some states, for example Wisconsin, "town" is used in the same way that civil township is used in elsewhere. In other states, such as Michigan, the term "town" has no official meaning and is simply used informally to refer to a populated place, whether incorporated or not. In Pennsylvania, a township is a unit of local government (see civil township) subordinate to a county, and distinct from cities and boroughs. ... Modern forms of municipal government Walsh Act/Commission 1923 Municipal Manager Faulkner Act forms of municipal government Mayor-Council Council-Manager Small Municipality Mayor-Council-Administrator A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. ... A civil township is a widely-used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42° 30′ N to 47° 05′ N  - Longitude 86° 46′ W to 92° 53′ W Population  Ranked... A civil township is a widely-used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ...

In the six New England states, a town is a municipality and a more important unit than the county. In Connecticut, Rhode Island and 7 out of 14 counties in Massachusetts, in fact, counties only exist as map divisions and have no legal functions; in the other three states, counties are primarily judicial districts, with other functions primarily in New Hampshire and Vermont. In all six, towns perform functions that in most states would be county functions. The defining feature of a New England town, as opposed to a city, is that a town meeting and a board of selectmen serve as the main form of government for a town, while cities are run by a mayor and a city council. For example, Brookline, Massachusetts is a town, even though it is fairly urban, because of its form of government. This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... The system of local government in use in New England is very different from that found throughout the rest of the United States. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... “RI” redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,350 sq mi (24,217 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ... A town meeting is a meeting where an entire geographic area is invited to participate in a gathering, often for a political or administrative purpose. ... The Board of Selectmen is commonly the executive arm of town government in New England. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Norfolk County Settled 1638 Incorporated 1705 Government  - Type Representative town meeting Area  - Town  6. ...

In New York, a town is similarly a division of the county, but with less importance than in New England. Of some importance is the fact that, in New York, a town provides a closer level of governance than its enclosing county, providing almost all municipal services to unincorporated areas, called hamlets and selected services to incorporated areas, called villages. In New York, a town typically contains a number of such hamlets and villages. However, due to the independent nature of Incorporated Villages, they may exist in two towns or even two counties. Everyone in New York State who does not live in an Indian reservation or a city lives in a town and possibly in one of the town's hamlets or villages. (Some other states have similar entities called townships.) In New York, "town" is essentially short for "township." Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area. ... Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area. ... Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area. ...

In Pennsylvania, there is only one municipality which is incorporated as a "town": Bloomsburg. Most of the rest of the state is incorporated as townships (there are also boroughs and cities), which function in much the same way as the towns of New York or New England, although they may have different forms of government. Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Wilkes Barre along the Susquehanna River. ...

In Virginia, a town is an incorporated municipality similar to a city (though with a smaller required minimum population), but while cities are by Virginia law independent of counties, towns are contained within a county. This article is about the U.S. state. ...

In Nevada, a town has a form of government, but is not considered to be incorporated. It generally provides a limited range of services, such as land use planning and recreation, while leaving most services to the county. Many communities have found this "semi-incorporated" status attractive; the state has only 20 incorporated cities, and towns as large as Paradise (186,020 in 2000 Census), home of the Las Vegas Strip. Most county seats are also towns, not cities. Official language(s) English Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Area  Ranked 7th  - Total 110,567 sq mi (286,367 km²)  - Width 322 miles (519 km)  - Length 490 miles (788 km)  - % water 0. ... Land use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy which encompasses various disciplines which seek to order and regulate the use of land in an efficient way. ... Looking west toward Paradise Road and the Las Vegas Strip in the CDP of Paradise, Nevada Paradise is a census-designated place located in Clark County, Nevada. ... The south end of The Strip; approximately one third of the entire Strip is represented here. ...

In California, the words "town" and "city" are synonymous by law (see Cal. Govt. Code Secs. 34500-34504). There are two types of city in California - charter and general law. Cities organised as charter cities derive their authority from a charter that they draft and file with the state, and which, among other things, states the municipality's name as "City of (Name)" or "Town of (Name)." Government Code Sections 34500-34504 applies to cities organised as general law cities, which differ from charter cities in that they do not have charters but instead operate with the powers conferred them by the pertinent sections of the Government Code. Like charter cities, general law cities may incorporate as "City of (Name)" or "Town of (Name)." Some cities change their minds as to how they want to be called. The sign in front of the municipal offices in Colma, California, for example, reads "City of Colma", but the words engraved on the building above the front entrance when the city hall was build read "Town of Colma." There are also signs at the municipal corporation limit, some of which welcome visitors to the "City of Colma" while older, adjacent signs welcome people to the "Town of Colma." Meanwhile, the village does not exist in California, either in colloquial speech or as a municipal corporation. Instead, the word "town" is commonly used to indicate any unincoporated community that might otherwise be known as an unincoporated village. Additionally, some people may still use the word "town" as shorthand for "township", which is not an incorporated municipality but an administrative division of a county. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Colma is a small town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula next to Daly City and South San Francisco. ...

According to the 2006 United States Census Hempstead, New York (eastern most Township in Long Island, New York) is the largest town in the United States. The town of Hempstead has a population of over 760,000 people, making it larger than San Fransisco, Boston, or Seattle. Hempstead is the name of some places in the State of New York, in the United States of America: Hempstead (village), New York Hempstead (town), New York This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about Long Island in New York State. ...

References

See also

Look up Town in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• List of towns
• Company town
• Town Hall
• Township
• Town square
• Town privileges
• Town charter
• Townland
• Town limits
• Site

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... This is a list of towns too modest to be in the list of cities, yet worth giving an overview on. ... A company town is a town or city in which most or all real estate, buildings (both residential and commercial), utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company. ... City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. ... The term township is used to denote a lower level territorial subdivision. ... A town square is an open area commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. ... Town privileges was an important feature of European towns during most of the 2nd millenium. ... In the United Kingdom and Canada a Royal Charter is a charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, which creates or gives special status to an incorporated body. ... A townland is a small geographical unit of land used in Ireland and Scotland, and believed to be of Gaelic or Goidelic origin. ... Large signs like these are often posted on arterial roads at the city limits of wealthy American cities. ... Website Site(Geography) ...

External links

• Open-Site Regional — Contains information about towns in numerous countries.