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Town is shorthand for Township. Why some states use the word township and others use town, I do not know. A few states, like New Jersey and Pennsylvania use both.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FallsAngel
1. Not in every state. Colorado has no townships. We have cities and towns, period.
I don't think so. "Town" in Colorado is not short for "township". A town in Colorado is more like a city.
I actually think FallsAngel is right. I looked up some of the Towns in Colorado and the first thing I noticed is how small they are in land area and population. These Colorado Towns are often less then a square mile in size while Towns/Townships in the Northeast and Midwest are often 40 or 50 square miles (and sometimes larger). So I think Colorado's towns are quite different from those in the Northern states. Also I think most of Colorado is unincorporated (?), which is different from the Northeast and much of the Midwest
Just guessing but towns in Colorado seem to be communities that wanted to incorporate but were not large enough to be a city? Perhaps they are similar to boroughs in Pennsylvania.
Very interesting how each state is slightly different from other states.
Town is shorthand for Township. Why some states use the word township and others use town, I do not know. A few states, like New Jersey and Pennsylvania use both.
There are 20 states with Townships/Towns that are important enough that the US Census Bureau counts them as "minor civil divisions". Interestingly these are all Northern states - Midwestern and Northeastern.
1. Maine - Town
2. New Hampshire - Town
3. Vermont - Town
4. Massachusetts - Town
5. Rhode Island - Town
6. Connecticut - Town
7. New York - Town
8. New Jersey - Township*
9. Pennsylvania - Township*
10. Ohio - Township
11. Michigan - Township?
12. Wisconsin - Town
13. Indiana - Township
14. Illinois - Township
15. Minnesota - Township
16. Missouri - Township
17. North Dakota - Township
18. South Dakota - Township
19. Nebraska - Township
20. Kansas - Township
* NJ and PA have a couple of communities each called Towns instead of Townships. They are basically the same thing.
There are townships and even towns (such as in Virginia) in Southern and Western states but they do not seem as important as in the Northern states. Instead, often the County level government is of increased importance.
Indiana has both townships and towns. Townships in Indiana mainly deal with unincorporated areas of each county. Each area is divided into townships, even the big cities. For example, Indianapolis is composed of 9 different townships. But Indiana also has towns. The city I live in, Fishers, a suburb of Indianapolis, was the largest town in Indiana with a population of around 85,000 until we became a city on Jan. 1 of this year. Before that we were a town and consisted of 2 different townships.
To become a city, first it had to be approved by the state government to go on the ballet. Then people in the town had to vote during the general election of 2013 whether to become a city or stay a town. Then last year we voted for our first mayor. Previously, we had a 5 person town council and they appointed a town manager from among themselves. Now that we are a city, we no longer have the town manager position but have a mayor elected by the people and the council expanded from the 5 person town council to a 9 person city council with 5 or 6 elected per district and the rest elected at-large.
Also in Indiana, schools are often by township instead of by town or city. Not always, but often.
I actually think FallsAngel is right. I looked up some of the Towns in Colorado and the first thing I noticed is how small they are in land area and population. These Colorado Towns are often less then a square mile in size while Towns/Townships in the Northeast and Midwest are often 40 or 50 square miles (and sometimes larger). So I think Colorado's towns are quite different from those in the Northern states. Also I think most of Colorado is unincorporated (?), which is different from the Northeast and much of the Midwest
Just guessing but towns in Colorado seem to be communities that wanted to incorporate but were not large enough to be a city? Perhaps they are similar to boroughs in Pennsylvania.
Very interesting how each state is slightly different from other states.
Yes, you're correct on both counts. I've never quite understood the town system in NY, though I lived in upstate NY for a short time. It seems to me the town system there is a division of the county, and then there are these villages inside the towns.
Yes, you're correct on both counts. I've never quite understood the town system in NY, though I lived in upstate NY for a short time. It seems to me the town system there is a division of the county, and then there are these villages inside the towns.
My understanding is that towns offer services throughout the entire town, unless a village incorporates. In that case the village (which can be entirely within a town, split between two or more, towns, and even cross county lines) can choose to provide some of its own services, including garbage collection, street maintenance, and zoning/building codes. Villages also have mayors, while towns only have supervisors.
Using Pennsylvania as an analogy (since I know you were from here originally) New York towns are more like Pennsylvania Townships than New England Towns. Villages are like boroughs, except instead of having sole jurisdiction between their borders, they share it with the towns.
Indiana has both townships and towns. Townships in Indiana mainly deal with unincorporated areas of each county. Each area is divided into townships, even the big cities. For example, Indianapolis is composed of 9 different townships. But Indiana also has towns. The city I live in, Fishers, a suburb of Indianapolis, was the largest town in Indiana with a population of around 85,000 until we became a city on Jan. 1 of this year. Before that we were a town and consisted of 2 different townships.
To become a city, first it had to be approved by the state government to go on the ballet. Then people in the town had to vote during the general election of 2013 whether to become a city or stay a town. Then last year we voted for our first mayor. Previously, we had a 5 person town council and they appointed a town manager from among themselves. Now that we are a city, we no longer have the town manager position but have a mayor elected by the people and the council expanded from the 5 person town council to a 9 person city council with 5 or 6 elected per district and the rest elected at-large.
Also in Indiana, schools are often by township instead of by town or city. Not always, but often.
i guess my original question was is there any city in the us (e.g. las vegas) that doesnt have an elected mayor but is governed by a group of appointed managers. it seems that since metro hubs are so important to their region they always have electable mayors that can be changed at the next cycle.
My understanding is that towns offer services throughout the entire town, unless a village incorporates. In that case the village (which can be entirely within a town, split between two or more, towns, and even cross county lines) can choose to provide some of its own services, including garbage collection, street maintenance, and zoning/building codes. Villages also have mayors, while towns only have supervisors.
Using Pennsylvania as an analogy (since I know you were from here originally) New York towns are more like Pennsylvania Townships than New England Towns. Villages are like boroughs, except instead of having sole jurisdiction between their borders, they share it with the towns.
But townships in PA don't have these little villages inside of them. My take on the township system in PA was that they may originally have been intended for more rural areas.
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