- City status in the United States of America
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In the United States of America, the labeling of a population center as a city is left to the individual state governments. Within each state's constitution are provisions for local governance; thus the distinction, or lack thereof, between entities such as towns, cities, etc. can vary from state to state. Below is a table of each states' definition of what constitutes a city.
State Population Governance Other Requirements Comments Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Colorado has five forms of governance for its 75 cities and 196 towns. Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois[1] > 25,000 Home rule Population centers meeting the population requirements are automatically classified as "home rule units"; those with smaller populations can vote by referendum to become "home rule units" Indiana Iowa[2] N/A Home rule Municipalities are granted home rule authority and power except that of taxation, which can only be conferred upon a municipality by the State Legislator Kansas Kentucky Louisiana[3] N/A Home rule Adoption of charter Municipalities are granted home rule authority and power except that of defining and providing for the punishment of a felony, or enacting ordinances governing private or civil relationships Maine Maryland Massachusetts[4] > 12,000 Michigan[5] N/A Home rule Adoption of charter Cities are differentiated from townships in their form of governance; townships are required to elect a supervisor, clerk, treasure, and at most four trustees whose powers and duties are provided by the State Legislature Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico[6] N/A Home rule Adoption of charter Municipalities are granted home rule authority and power except that of governing civil relationships and of taxation, which can only be conferred upon a municipality by the State Legislator or through a majority vote in the municipality New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio[7] > 5,000 Home rule Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas[8] > 5,000 Home rule Adoption of charter population centers with less than 5,000 inhabitants can also be called cities; however, these cities may only be chartered by the State Legislature as opposed to a majority vote of the populace Utah[9] N/A Home rule Adoption of charter Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia[10] > 2,000 Home rule Adoption of charter It is of interest to note that the State Legislature may classify population centers, upon basis of population, into at least two but no more than five classes but no mention of what these classes are is made Wisconsin Wyoming References
- ^ Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6
- ^ Iowa Constitution, Article III, Section 38A
- ^ Louisiana Constitution, Article VI, Sections 5, 9A
- ^ Massachusetts Constitution, Article II, Section 2
- ^ Michigan Constitution, Article VII, Sections 18, 21, 22
- ^ New Mexico Constitution, Article X, Section 6D
- ^ Ohio Constitution, Article XVIII, Sections 1, 3, 7
- ^ Texas Constitution, Article XI, Sections 4, 5
- ^ Utah Constitution, Article XI, Section 5
- ^ West Virginia Constitution, Article XI, Section 39A
Categories:- Cities in the United States
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