The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the An institution that does not have a direct counterpart in most other U. S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in that they were originally set up so that all territory would be completely covered by them. A civil township is a widely used unit of Local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. However, New England towns are of greater importance in local government and civic identity than civil townships are in most of the states where the latter exist. New England towns are legally incorporated and have all the powers that a city in other states would normally have. A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to cities, counties, Towns A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status In addition, virtually all incorporated municipalities in New England are based on the town model; statutory forms based on the concept of a compact populated place, which is typically prevalent elsewhere in the U. S. , are uncommon. Because virtually all residents live within the boundaries of an incorporated municipality, county government in New England is typically weak or nonexistent. The towns are of much greater importance than the counties are.

Contents 1 Characteristics of the New England town system 2 Historical development 3 Other types of municipalities in New England 3.1 Cities 3.2 Plantations 3.3 Boroughs and villages 4 Unorganized territory 4.1 Gores and similar entities 4.2 Unorganized townships 4.3 Disincorporated towns 5 Census treatment of the New England town system 6 List of New England towns 7 Statistics and superlatives 7.1 Massachusetts 7.2 Rhode Island 7.3 Connecticut 7.4 New Hampshire 7.5 Vermont 7.6 Maine 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading

Characteristics of the New England town system

• Towns are laid out so that all land within the boundaries of a state is allocated to a town or other incorporated municipality. Except in some very sparsely populated areas of the three northern New England states (primarily in the interior of Maine), the concept of unincorporated territory, even in rural areas, is unknown. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean With the exception of those very sparsely populated areas, all land in New England is within the boundaries of a town or other incorporated municipality.

• Towns are municipal corporations, with their powers defined by a corporate charter, state statutes and the state constitution. Historically, the laws regarding their authority have been broadly construed, giving them significant autonomy in managing their own affairs. New England towns possess all the powers that a city in other states would typically have. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status Traditionally, a town's legislative body is the town meeting, with a board of selectmen possessing executive authority. A town meeting is a meeting where the population of an entire geographic area is invited to participate in a gathering often for a political administrative or legislative purpose The Board of Selectmen is commonly the executive arm of Town Governments in the New England region of the United States.

• While towns are typically centered around a built-up populated place with the same name as the town (a "town center"), they usually cover a larger area. Towns often encompass additional built-up places and/or a mixture of extraneous urban and rural territory. There is no unincorporated territory between the towns; leaving a town means entering another town or other municipality. In most parts of New England, towns are irregular in shape and size and are not laid out on any type of grid (the leading exception is that much of the interior of Maine was originally laid out as surveyed townships).

• Since virtually all residents live within the boundaries of an incorporated municipality, residents receive most local services at the municipal level, and county government tends to be very weak. Differences between each state do exist in the level of services provided at the municipal and county level, but generally most functions normally handled by county-level government in the rest of the United States are handled by town-level government in New England. In some areas of New England, county government has been completely abolished (Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts). Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. In other areas, some counties provide judicial and other limited administrative services.

• Residents usually identify with their town for purposes of civic identity, thinking of the town in its entirety as a single, coherent community. There are some cases where residents identify more strongly with villages or sections of a town than with the town itself, but this is the exception, not the rule.

• More than 90% of the municipalities in the six New England states are towns. Other forms of municipalities that exist—most notably, cities—are generally based on the town concept as well (most cities in New England are merely former towns that grew to have too many inhabitants for a town meeting to be an effective legislative body). Municipality forms based on the concept of a compact populated place, such as a village or borough, are uncommon. In the US state of Vermont, villages are named communities located within the boundaries of an incorporated town. In the US state of Connecticut, a borough is an incorporated area that typically provides services to a section (usually urban in nature of a town. In areas of New England where such forms do exist, they remain part of the parent town and do not have all of the corporate powers and authority of an independent municipality.

Historical development

Towns date back to the time of the earliest European colonial settlement of New England, and pre-date the development of counties in the region. Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, as areas were settled, they would be organized into towns. Town boundaries were not usually laid out on any kind of regular grid, but were drawn up to reflect local settlement and transportation patterns or natural features. In early colonial times, recognition of towns was very informal, sometimes connected to local church divisions. By 1700, colonial governments had become more involved in the official establishment of new towns. Towns were typically governed by a town meeting form of government, as many still are today. A town meeting is a meeting where the population of an entire geographic area is invited to participate in a gathering often for a political administrative or legislative purpose Towns originally were the only form of incorporated municipality in New England. The city form of government was not introduced until later.

The entire areas of Connecticut and Rhode Island had been divided into towns by the late 18th century, and Massachusetts was almost completely covered early in the 19th century. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. By 1850, the only New England state that still had large unincorporated areas left was Maine, and by the end of the 19th century most areas in Maine that could realistically be settled had been organized into towns. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Early town organization in Vermont and much of New Hampshire proceeded in a somewhat different manner from that of the other New England states. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. In these areas, towns were often “chartered” long before any settlers moved into a particular area. This was very common in the mid to late 18th century (towns in southeastern New Hampshire such as Exeter whose existence predates that period were not part of this process, however). Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Once there were enough residents in a town to formally organize a town government, no further action was necessary to incorporate. This practice can lead to inconsistencies in the dates of incorporation for towns in this region. Dates given in reference sources sometime reflect the date the town was chartered – which may have been long before it was even settled – not the date its town government actually became active. In other parts of New England, it was not unheard of for “future towns” to be laid out along these lines, but such areas would not be formally incorporated as towns until they were sufficiently settled to organize a town government.

Many early towns covered very large amounts of land, and once areas had become settled, new towns were sometimes formed by breaking areas away from the original existing towns. This was an especially common practice during the 18th century and early 19th century. More heavily populated areas were often subdivided on multiple occasions. As a result, towns and cities in such areas are often smaller in terms of land area than an average town in a rural area. Formation of new towns in this manner slowed in the later part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, however, and is very rarely seen today; in fact, boundary changes of any type are fairly rare.

Other types of municipalities in New England

Although towns are the basic building block of the New England municipality system, several other types of municipalities also exist. Every New England state has cities. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status In addition, Maine also has a unique type of entity called a plantation. In the US state of Maine, a plantation is a type of Minor civil division falling between Township (or Unorganized territory) and Beneath the town level, Connecticut has incorporated boroughs, and Vermont has incorporated villages. In principle the word Borough designates a self-governing township A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City.

Cities

In addition to towns, every New England state also has incorporated cities. Generally speaking, a city is just a town by another name. Cities differ from towns only in their form of government, and even that distinction has become somewhat blurred in recent decades. Most cities are simply former towns that changed to a city form of government because they grew too large to be administered by a town meeting. Cities are typically governed by a mayor (and/or city manager) and city council or other similar arrangement. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a City, in a council-manager form of city government A city council is a form of Local government, usually covering a City or other Urban area, such as a Town. Cities and towns are regarded as equivalents under both state law and the attitudes of local residents. In common speech, people often generically refer to communities of either type as “towns”, drawing no distinction between the two.

The presence of incorporated boroughs in Connecticut and incorporated villages in Vermont has influenced the evolution of cities in those states. In Connecticut in particular, the historical development of cities was quite different from in the other New England states, and at least technically, the relationship between towns and cities is even today different from elsewhere in New England. Just as boroughs in Connecticut overlay towns, so do cities; for example, while Hartford is commonly thought of as a city, there is technically both a coextensive “City of Hartford” and “Town of Hartford”, the latter essentially existing only on paper. In practice, though, most cities in Connecticut today do not function any differently from their counterparts elsewhere in New England. See the section below on boroughs and villages for more background on this topic.

There are far fewer cities in New England than there are towns, although cities are more common in heavily built-up areas, and most of the largest municipalities in the region are titled as cities. Across New England as a whole, only about 5% of all incorporated municipalities are cities. Cities are more common in the three southern New England states than they are in the three northern New England states. In early colonial times, all incorporated municipalities in New England were towns; there were no cities. New Haven, for instance, was chartered as a town as early as 1638, but the city of New Haven was not chartered until 1784. The oldest cities in New England date to the last few decades of the 18th century, and in many areas cities were not very widespread until well into the 19th century. New Hampshire did not have any cities until the 1840s, and for many years prior to the 1860s Vermont had just one city. Even Massachusetts, historically New England's most populous state, did not have any cities until 1822, when Boston was granted a city form of government by the state legislature.

There has never been a bright-line population divider between towns and cities (i. e. , no rule that communities that achieve a certain level of population automatically become cities), and there are many examples of towns that have larger populations than nearby cities. The practical threshold to become a city seems to be higher in the three southern New England states than in the three northern New England states. In Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, every city has at least 10,000 people, and there are only a few that have fewer than 20,000. In Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, there are a number of cities with fewer than 10,000 people, even a couple with fewer than 5,000.

Over time, some of the distinctions between a town and a city have become blurred. Since the early 20th century, towns have been allowed to modify the town meeting form of government in various ways (e. g. , representative town meeting, adding a town manager). In recent decades, some towns have adopted what effectively amount to city forms of government, although they still refer to themselves as towns. As a practical matter, one municipality that calls itself a town and another that calls itself a city may have exactly the same governmental structure. With these changes in town government, a reluctance to adopt the title of city seems to have developed, and few towns have officially done so since the early 20th century. (In Massachusetts, some towns which have adopted Mayor-Council forms of government in home rule charters have continued to call themselves "towns," although they are legally considered to be cities by the Secretary of State's office and are sometimes referred to in legislation and other legal documents as "the city known as the Town of . . . ") To an extent, whether or not a community is labeled a city is related more to how large it was relative to the general population a century ago than to how large its population is today.

Plantations

Main article: Plantation (Maine)

In addition to towns and cities, Maine has a third type of town-like municipality not found in any other New England state, the plantation. In the US state of Maine, a plantation is a type of Minor civil division falling between Township (or Unorganized territory) and A plantation is essentially a town-like community that does not have enough population to be a true, full-blown town. Plantations are organized at the county level, and are typically found in sparsely populated areas. There is no bright-line population divider between a town and a plantation, but no plantation currently has any more than about 300 residents. Plantations are considered to be “organized” but not “incorporated”. Not all counties have them; in some southern counties, all territory is sufficiently populated to be covered by a town or a city.

In colonial times, Massachusetts also used the term “plantation” for a community in a pre-town stage of development (Maine originally got the term from Massachusetts, as Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became a state via the Missouri Compromise). The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving The term plantation had not been much used in Massachusetts since the 18th century. Massachusetts also once had “districts”, which served much the same purpose. They were considered to be incorporated, but lacked the full privileges of a town. Maine and Rhode Island are also known to have made limited use of the district concept. Districts have not been at all common since the first half of the 19th century, and there have not been any districts anywhere in New England in over a century. Maine is the only New England state that currently has a significant amount of territory that is not sufficiently populated to support town governments, thus the only New England state that still has a need for the plantation type of municipality.

For a historical example in New Hampshire, see Plantation number four. Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States.

Boroughs and villages

Perhaps because the towns themselves are such strong entities, most areas of New England never developed municipal forms based on the compact populated place concept, along the lines of a “town” in the south, a “village” in the midwest/New York State, or a “borough” in Pennsylvania/New Jersey. In the United States a Village is a term sometimes informal for a type of Administrative division at the local government level New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous In principle the word Borough designates a self-governing township The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. This is in stark contrast to most states with civil townships, which typically have extensive networks of villages or boroughs that carve out or overlay the townships.

Two of the New England states do have general-purpose municipalities of this type, however, to at least a limited extent. Connecticut has incorporated boroughs, and Vermont has incorporated villages. In the US state of Connecticut, a borough is an incorporated area that typically provides services to a section (usually urban in nature of a town. In the US state of Vermont, villages are named communities located within the boundaries of an incorporated town. Such areas remain a part of their parent town, but assume some responsibilities for municipal services within their boundaries. In both states, they are typically regarded as less important than towns, and both seem to be in decline as institutions. In recent decades, many boroughs and villages have disincorporated, reverting to full town control.

The term “village” is sometimes used in New England to describe a distinct, built-up place within a town or city. This may be a “town center” which bears the same name as the town or city (almost every town has such a place), or a name related to that of the town, or a completely unrelated name. The town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, for example, includes “villages” called Barnstable, West Barnstable, and Hyannis. Barnstable is a city referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U Barnstable is the name of one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable Massachusetts. West Barnstable is a village or section in the northwest part of the mid-Cape Cod town of Barnstable Massachusetts. Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in the town of Barnstable Massachusetts, on Cape Cod Except for the incorporated villages in Vermont, these “villages” are not incorporated municipalities and should not be understood as such. Towns do sometimes grant a certain measure of recognition to such areas, using highway signs that identify them as "villages", for example. These informal "villages" also sometimes correspond to underlying special-purpose districts such as fire or water districts, which are separately incorporated quasi-municipal entities that provide specific services within a part of a town (in Maine and New Hampshire, the term "village corporation" is used for a type of special-purpose district). Many villages also are recognized as places by the United States Postal Service (some villages have their own post offices, with their names used in mailing addresses) or the United States Census Bureau (which recognizes some villages as census-designated places and tabulates census data for them). A post office is a facility authorized by a Postal system for the posting receipt sorting handling transmission or delivery of Mail. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census A census-designated place ( CDP) is a type of place (a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes For an example of the latter, see West Kennebunk, Maine, which is a constituent part of the town of Kennebunk, Maine. West Kennebunk is a Census-designated place (CDP in the town of Kennebunk in York County, Maine, United States. "Kennebunk" redirects here For other uses see Kennebunk (disambiguation. But they have no existence as general-purpose municipalities separate from the town (if they even have any legal existence at all), and are usually regarded by local residents as a part of the town in which they are located, less important than the whole.

It is possible for a Connecticut borough or Vermont village to become a city. In Connecticut, cities overlay towns just as boroughs do, and, just like a borough, a city can cover only a portion of a town rather than being coextensive with the town. This is rare today—only one or two examples remain—but it was more common historically. Cities actually developed earlier in Connecticut than in the other New England states, and were originally based on the borough concept. At one time, all cities were non-coextensive; the practice of making cities coextensive with their towns was a later adaptation intended to mimic the city concept that had emerged in the other New England states. Over time, many non-coextensive cities have expanded to become coextensive with their parent town. As with boroughs, many have also disincorporated and reverted to full town control. These two trends have combined to make non-coextensive cities very rare in recent times.

In Vermont, if a village becomes a city, it does not continue to overlay its parent town, but breaks away and becomes a completely separate municipality. Most cities in Vermont today are actually former villages rather than former towns, and are much smaller than a typical town in terms of land area. The above process has created several instances where there are adjacent towns and cities with the same name. In all cases, the city was originally the “town center” of the town, but later incorporated as a city and became a separate municipality. ^[1]

Unorganized territory

All three of the northern New England states (Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) contain some areas that are unincorporated and unorganized, not part of any town, city or plantation. In Law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any Municipality. Maine has significantly more such area than the other two states. While it should be noted that these areas do exist, their importance should not be overstated. They are certainly the exception rather than the rule in the New England system, and the number of New England residents who live in them is extremely small in comparison to those who live in towns and cities, even in Maine. Most such areas are located in very sparsely populated regions. Much of the barely-inhabited interior of Maine is unorganized, for example.

The majority of the unincorporated areas in New Hampshire are in Coos County, and the majority of the unincorporated areas in Vermont are in Essex County. Coos County (ˈkoʊ-ɒs with two syllables is a County in the U Essex County is the County located in the northeastern part of the U Two additional counties in New Hampshire and three additional counties in Vermont contain smaller amounts of unincorporated territory. In Maine, eight of the state’s sixteen counties contain significant amounts of unorganized territory (essentially, those counties in the northern and interior parts of the state). Four other counties contain smaller amounts.

Most of these areas have no local government at all; indeed, some have no permanent population whatsoever. Some areas have a very rudimentary organization that does not rise to the level of an organized general-purpose municipal government (e. g. , a town clerk’s office exists for the purpose of conducting elections for state or federal offices). Unorganized areas generally fall into one of the three categories below.

Gores and similar entities

During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, as town boundaries were being drawn up, small areas would sometimes be left over, not included in any town. Typically smaller than a normal-sized town, these areas were known by a variety of names, including gores, grants, locations, purchases, surpluses and strips. Sometimes these areas were not included in any town due to survey errors (which is actually the technical meaning of the term “gore”). Sometimes they represent small areas that were left over when a particular region was carved into towns, not large enough to be a town on their own. Some appear to have simply been granted outside the usual town structure, sometimes in areas where it was probably not contemplated that towns would ever develop. Over time, those located in more populated areas were generally annexed to neighboring towns, or incorporated as towns in their own right. No such areas exist today in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, but some remain in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

• New Hampshire: Coos County contains a total of seventeen grants, purchases and locations. Collectively, these cover a significant amount of land area, but had only 61 residents as of the 2000 Census (44 of whom lived in a single entity, Wentworth's Location). Wentworth's Location is a township in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The only remaining unincorporated gore-like entity outside of Coos County is Hale’s Location, in neighboring Carroll County, a two and half square mile tract which has reported population in only three censuses since 1900. Hale's Location is a township in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Carroll County is a County located in the US state of New Hampshire. (Note that Hart's Location, also in Carroll County, has incorporated as a town, although it continues to carry the word “location" in its name. Hart's Location is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Wentworth's Location was similarly incorporated as a town at one time. )

• Vermont: Essex County contains three gores and grants. They collectively cover about 25 square miles, and reported 10 residents in the 2000 Census. The only remaining unincorporated gore-like entity outside of Essex County is Buel's Gore, in Chittenden County, a five square mile tract which reported 12 residents in 2000. Buel's Gore is a gore in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Chittenden County is a County located in the US state of Vermont. Up until the 1960s or 1970s, Franklin County contained a gore as well, which was ultimately eliminated by dividing it between two neighboring towns. Franklin County is a County located in the US state of Vermont.

• Maine: the interior of the state contains a number of entities of this type. There are a few remaining in more populated areas of the state as well. Examples include Hibberts Gore, in Lincoln County, and Batchelders Grant, in southern Oxford County. Hibberts Gore (also called Hibberts) is a gore in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. Lincoln County is a County located in the US state of Maine. As of 2000 the population was 33616 South Oxford is an Unorganized territory located in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Oxford County is a County located in the US state of Maine with a population of 54755 as of the 2000 U

Unorganized townships

All three of the northern New England states contain some town-sized unorganized entities, referred to as "unorganized townships" (sometimes, just "townships") or "unorganized towns". Most of these are areas that were drawn up on maps in the 18th and 19th centuries as what might be termed “future towns”, but never saw enough settlement to actually commence operation of a formal town government.

• New Hampshire: Coos County contains six unorganized townships which do not appear to have ever been actively incorporated. Their collective population in the 2000 Census was 114, most of whom lived in one of two townships (Dixville and Millsfield). Dixville (also known as Little Switzerland) is a township in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. Millsfield is a township in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. There are no other unorganized townships in the state which have never been incorporated.

• Vermont: Essex County contains three unorganized townships which do not appear to have ever been actively incorporated. Their collective population in the 2000 Census was 41. There are no other unorganized townships in the state which have never been incorporated.

• Maine: the interior of Maine contains hundreds of unorganized townships, most have which have never been incorporated or organized. Much of the interior of Maine is divided into surveyed townships which are identified only by letters and numbers that indicate their position on a grid. These were probably never seriously intended to ever become towns.

Disincorporated towns

All three of the northern New England states also include at least one unorganized township which was once a town, but has disincorporated and reverted to unorganized territory, generally due to population loss. Maine also has some unorganized townships that were once organized as plantations.

• New Hampshire: the town of Livermore, located in a mountainous area of Grafton County, disincorporated in 1951. Livermore is an unincorporated Civil township in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. Grafton County is a County located in the US state of New Hampshire. Livermore actually reported no population in its final census as an incorporated town (1950), and has reported no more than three residents in any census since then. Most of its territory is now part of White Mountain National Forest. The White Mountain National Forest ( WMNF) is a forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. Since it was once incorporated as a town, Wentworth’s Location could also arguably be put into this category as well. Wentworth’s Location disincorporated in 1966; its population in the 1970 Census was 37.

• Vermont: the towns of Glastenbury and Somerset, located in the Green Mountains on opposite sides of the Bennington-Windham County line, disincorporated in 1937. Glastenbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. Somerset is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The Green Mountains are a Mountain range in the US state of Vermont. In the 1940 Census, Glastenbury reported five residents, Somerset four. In only one census since then has the population of either reached double digits.

• Maine: dozens of towns and plantations have surrendered their municipal organization over the years and reverted to unorganized territory. An especially large number of municipal dissolutions took place between 1935 and 1945, but some have also occurred before and after that time period. Recent town disincorporations include Centerville (2004), Madrid (2000) and Greenfield (1993). Centerville is a former town in Washington County, Maine, in the United States. Madrid is a former town, now a part of the Unorganized territory of East Central Franklin, in Franklin County, Maine, United The most recent plantations to surrender their organization were Prentiss Plantation and E Plantation, both in 1990. Prentiss is an Unorganized territory (township in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. E is an unincorporated township located in Aroostook County, Maine, United States.

Maine has significantly more unorganized territory than Vermont or New Hampshire. Fewer than 100 Vermont residents and fewer than 250 New Hampshire residents live in unorganized areas. In Maine, by contrast, about 10,000 residents live in unorganized areas. As a result, Maine has developed more of an infrastructure for administration of unincorporated and unorganized areas than the other New England states. The existence of this fallback probably explains why Maine has had significantly more towns disincorporated over the years than any other New England state. There have been numerous instances of towns in Maine disincorporating despite populations that numbered in the hundreds. While these were certainly not large communities, they were large enough to realistically operate a town government if they wanted to, but apparently simply elected not to. In Vermont and New Hampshire, disincorporation has generally not been brought up for discussion unless a town’s population has approached single digits.

Census treatment of the New England town system

Because they are conceptually similar to civil townships from a geographic standpoint, the United States Census Bureau treats New England towns as “Minor Civil Divisions” (MCDs), the same category into which civil townships fall. A civil township is a widely used unit of Local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census Minor civil division (MCD is a term used by the United States Census Bureau to designate the primary Governmental and/or Administrative divisions of a The Census Bureau also treats plantations in Maine as MCDs. Cities, by contrast, are treated as "incorporated places", the same category into which most incorporated municipalities in other states fall.

The above Census classifications should not be understood to imply that New England towns are not incorporated, that towns and cities in New England represent two fundamentally different concepts, or that New England towns are necessarily identical to MCDs in other states (such as civil townships) in terms of governmental function or civic-identity importance. The above classifications are based on the Census Bureau's perceptions of population-distribution patterns, and which entities in other states are most comparable. New England towns are not considered to be "incorporated places" by the Census Bureau because they do not represent a single compact, populated place in the same manner that most incorporated municipalities in other states do. The issue is not that they are not "incorporated", but that, in Census terms, they are not "places". That New England towns serve essentially the same function as incorporated places in other states, but are not treated as incorporated places by the Census Bureau, can be a source of confusion. This is compounded by the fact that New England cities are treated as incorporated places, even though there is little practical difference between a city and a town. Some New England cities have the same population-distribution patterns as the Census Bureau expects of towns, not constituting a unique compact populated place, but because they are cities are treated as incorporated places by the Census Bureau regardless.

To fill in some of the “place” data, the Census Bureau sometimes recognizes Census Designated Places (CDPs) within towns. A census-designated place ( CDP) is a type of place (a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes These often correspond to town centers or other villages, although not all such areas are recognized as CDPs (in many towns, there are no recognized CDPs; essentially, from a Census standpoint, there is no such "place"). In cases where a town is entirely or almost entirely built up, the Census sometimes recognizes a CDP which is coextensive with the entire town. Data users from outside New England should be aware that New Englanders usually think in terms of entire towns (i. e. , MCD data), and as a result CDP data is usually of marginal local interest.

In New Hampshire and Vermont, the Census Bureau treats each individual non-town area (township, gore, grant, etc. ) as an MCD. In Maine, apparently due to the extent of unorganized territory, the Census Bureau typically lumps contiguous townships, gores and the like together into “unorganized territories”, which are then recognized as MCDs. In a few cases where a township or gore does not border any other unorganized territory, it is treated as its own MCD. Incorporated boroughs in Connecticut and incorporated villages in Vermont are treated as incorporated places.

Because virtually all land in New England is covered by incorporated municipalities, it is extremely difficult for cities to annex new territory. As a result, most large cities in the region are much smaller in terms of land area than those in other parts of the U. S. where annexation is more common. For example, both New Haven and Hartford contain only about 18 square miles, and Boston only has 48 square land miles, so these cities have extremely high population densities, along with very low per capita incomes. If these cities were in the South or Southwest, they would rank among the largest and richest cities in the country, as they would likely include the very wealthy and densely populated suburbs that surround them.

List of New England towns

For a list of all New England towns and other town-level municipalities, see List of New England towns. See also New England town See that article for further explanation That page also includes links to historical census population statistics for New England towns.

Statistics and superlatives

Note: all population statistics are from the 2000 United States Census.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts contains 351 incorporated cities and towns. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Collectively, these 351 municipalities cover the entire state; there is no unincorporated territory.

Of the 351 municipalities, the number that are cities and the number that are towns is a matter of some ambiguity. Depending on which source is consulted, anywhere from 39 to 50 are cities. The ambiguity is the result of questions around the legal status of municipalities which have since the 1970s, through home-rule petition, adopted forms of government that resemble city government and do not include the elements traditionally associated with town government (e. g. , a board of selectmen, a town meeting). Of the eleven communities that have done so, all but one generally use the title "town" and are usually referred to by residents as "towns", but the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office considers all eleven to be legally cities. Other sources within state government often refer to all eleven municipalities (including, sometimes, the one in the group that officially calls itself a "city", Easthampton), as towns, however. The Census Bureau listed all as towns through the 1990 Census. For the 2000 Census, some were inexplicably listed as towns and some as cities, a situation which continues in current Census materials. Massachusetts seems to be the only New England state where this type of issue has arisen, even though other New England states also have municipalities which have adopted what amount to city forms of government but continue to call themselves "towns". In the other states, it does not appear that any need to officially label such municipalities as "cities" has been identified.

For purposes of determining the "largest town", "smallest city", etc. , below, only the 40 municipalities that title themselves as cities are recognized as cities. This includes the 39 cities that adopted city forms of government through pre-home rule means, plus Easthampton. The other 311 municipalities in the state are treated as towns. The same classification is used for identifying Massachusetts cities on the List of New England towns page and its attendant pages with historical census population statistics. See also New England town See that article for further explanation

Further information: Massachusetts government#Form of government: city vs. town^[2][3][4]

• The largest municipality in Massachusetts, by population, is the city of Boston (pop. The form of Massachusetts government is provided by the Constitution of the Commonwealth. 589,141).
• The largest which is a town and not a city is Framingham (pop. Framingham is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. 66,910).
• The smallest which is a city and not a town is North Adams (pop. North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. 14,681).
• The smallest overall is the town of Gosnold (pop. Gosnold is a town that encompasses the Elizabeth Islands in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. 86).
• The largest municipality by land area is the town of Plymouth (96 square miles).
• The smallest town by area is the town of Nahant (1. Nahant (nəˈhɑːnt is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. 24 square miles).

Rhode Island

Rhode Island contains 39 incorporated towns and cities. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States Eight are cities and 31 are towns. Collectively, these 39 municipalities cover the entire state; there is no unincorporated territory.

• The largest municipality in Rhode Island, by population, is the city of Providence (pop. 173,618).
• The largest which is a town and not a city is Coventry (pop. Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. 33,668).
• The smallest which is a city and not a town is Central Falls (pop. Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. 18,928).
• The smallest overall is the town of New Shoreham (pop. New Shoreham is a town located on Block Island in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. 1,010).
• The largest municipality by land area is Coventry (59 square miles). Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States.
• The smallest is Central Falls (1. Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. 21 square miles).

Connecticut

Connecticut contains 169 incorporated towns. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Put into terms that are equivalent to the other New England states, 19 are cities and 150 are towns. (As discussed in the Cities section of Other types of municipalities in New England above, the relationship between towns and cities in Connecticut is different from the other New England states, at least on paper; thus, technically, all 169 of the above municipalities are really towns, with 19 overlaid by a coextensive city of the same name). Collectively, these 169 municipalities cover the entire state; there is no unincorporated territory.

Connecticut is one of two New England states to have any type of incorporated general-purpose municipality below the town level, namely incorporated boroughs (Vermont has incorporated villages). There are nine remaining in the state. They were once more numerous. Many of those that remain are very small. Connecticut also has at least one remaining city that is within, but not coextensive with, its parent town (Groton). Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. A second non-coextensive city, Winsted, still exists on paper, but its government has been consolidated with that of the town of Winchester for many years, arguably making it more of a special-purpose district than a true municipality. Winsted is a Census-designated place and an incorporated city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Winchester is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Winsted is no longer recognized by the Census Bureau as an incorporated place, although data is tabluated for a Census Defined Place whose area appears to be coexstenive with that of the city.

• The largest municipality in Connecticut, by population, is the city of Bridgeport (pop. 139,529).
• The largest which is a town and not a city is Greenwich (pop. Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. 61,101). (Initial census figures had West Hartford higher, but a subsequent revision involving an assignment error between West Hartford and the neighboring city of Hartford dropped West Hartford slightly behind Greenwich). "West Hartford" redirects here For the unincorporated community in Vermont, see West Hartford, Vermont.
• The smallest which is a city and not a town, only including cities which are coextensive with their towns, is Derby (pop. Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. 12,391), density 2,507/sq mi. The city-within-a-town of Groton is however smaller (pop. Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. 9,288), and to the extent that Winsted is recognized as a non-coextensive city, it is even smaller than Groton is (pop. Winsted is a Census-designated place and an incorporated city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. 7,321).
• The smallest town is Union (pop. Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. 693).
• The largest municipality by land area is the town of New Milford (61 square miles). New Milford (incorporated 1712 is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic
• The smallest town-level municipality is Derby (4. Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. 98 square miles).

New Hampshire

New Hampshire contains 234 incorporated towns and cities. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Thirteen are cities and 221 are towns. Collectively, these 234 municipalities cover the vast majority of, but not all of, the state's territory. There are some unincorporated areas in the sparsely populated northern region of the state. Most of the unincorporated areas are in Coos County, the state's northernmost county. Coos County (ˈkoʊ-ɒs with two syllables is a County in the U Carroll and Grafton counties also contain smaller amounts of unincorporated territory. Carroll County is a County located in the US state of New Hampshire. Grafton County is a County located in the US state of New Hampshire. This territory includes seven unincorporated townships and an assortment of gores, grants, purchases and locations. The remaining seven counties in the state are entirely incorporated (Grafton County was also fully incorporated at one time, but lost that status when one of its towns disincorporated). Fewer than 250 of the state's residents live in unincorporated areas.

• The largest municipality in New Hampshire, by population, is the city of Manchester (pop. Manchester is the largest city in the US state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, 107,006).
• The largest which is a town and not a city is Derry (pop. Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. 34,021).
• The smallest which is a city and not a town is Franklin (pop. Franklin is a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. 8,405).
• The smallest incorporated municipality overall is the town of Hart's Location (pop. Hart's Location is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. 37), which, despite its name, is an incorporated town.
• The largest municipality by land area is the town of Pittsburg (282 square miles). Pittsburg is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States.
• The smallest is the town of New Castle (0. New Castle is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. 83 square miles).

Vermont

Vermont contains 246 incorporated towns and cities. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Nine are cities and 237 are towns. Collectively, these 246 municipalities cover the vast majority of, but not all of, the state's territory. There are some unincorporated areas in the sparsely populated mountainous regions of the state. Most of the unincorporated areas are in Essex County, in the northeastern part of the state. Essex County is the County located in the northeastern part of the U Bennington, Windham and Chittenden counties also contain smaller amounts of unincorporated territory. Bennington County is a County in the US state of Vermont. As of 2000 the population was 36994 Windham County is a County located in the US state of Vermont. Chittenden County is a County located in the US state of Vermont. This territory includes five unincorporated townships and a handful of gores and grants. The remaining ten counties in the state are entirely incorporated (Bennington and Windham counties were also fully incorporated at one time, but lost that status when a town disincorporated). Fewer than 100 of the state's residents live in unincorporated areas.

Vermont is one of two New England states to have any type of incorporated general-purpose municipality below the town level, namely incorporated villages (Connecticut has incorporated boroughs). There are about 40 in the state. There were once nearly double that number. ^[5][6] Most of those that remain are very small.

• The largest municipality in Vermont, by population, is the city of Burlington (pop. Burlington is the largest city in the US state of Vermont and is the shire town ( County seat) of 38,889).
• The largest which is a town and not a city is Essex (pop. Essex is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. 18,626).
• The smallest which is a city and not a town is Vergennes (pop. Vergennes is a city located in the northwest quadrant of Addison County, Vermont, in the United States. 2,741).
• The smallest incorporated town is Granby (pop. Granby is a town in Essex County, 86).
• The largest municipality by land area is the town of Chittenden (73 square miles). Chittenden is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States.
• The smallest town-level municipality is the city of Winooski (1. Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, in the United States. 43 square miles).

Maine

Maine contains 488 organized municipalities of which 22 are incorporated as cities, 432 are incorporated as towns, and the remaining 34 are organized as plantations. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Collectively, these 488 organized municipalities cover much of, but certainly not all of, the state's territory. Of Maine's sixteen counties, only four are entirely incorporated. Four other counties are almost entirely incorporated, but include small amounts of unincorporated/unorganized territory (three of these four counties were entirely incorporated or organized at one time, but lost that status when a town disincorporated or a plantation surrendered its organization). The remaining eight counties contain significant amounts of unincorporated/unorganized territory. Most of these areas are in very sparsely populated regions, however. Only about 1. 3% of the state's population lives in areas not part of a town, city or plantation.

(Since the 2000 Census, two towns, Madrid and Centerville, have disincorporated. Thus, at the time of the 2000 Census, Maine had 22 cities, 434 towns, and 34 plantations, for a total of 490 organized municipalities. )

• The largest municipality in Maine, by population, is the city of Portland (pop. Portland is the largest city in the US state of Maine and the County seat of Cumberland County. 64,249).
• The largest which is a town and not a city is Brunswick (pop. Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. 21,172).
• The smallest which is a city and not a town is Eastport (pop. Eastport is a small city—-consisting entirely of islands—-in Washington County, Maine, United States. 1,640).
• The smallest town is Frye Island, a resort town which reported no year-round population in the 2000 Census. Frye Island is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. One plantation, Glenwood Plantation, Maine, also reported a permanent population of zero. Glenwood Plantation is a plantation located in Aroostook County, Maine, United States.
• The smallest town aside from Frye Island is Beddington (pop. Beddington is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. 29) (At the time of the 2000 Census, the smallest town aside from Frye Island was Centerville (pop. Centerville is a former town in Washington County, Maine, in the United States. 26), but Centerville has since disincorporated)
• The largest municipality by land area is the town of Allagash (128 square miles). Allagash is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States.
• The smallest is the island plantation of Monhegan (0. Monhegan is a plantation on an island of the same name in Lincoln County, Maine, United States, about off the coast 86 square miles).

See also

• New England City and Town Area - U. A New England City and Town Area or NECTA is a geographic and statistical entity defined by the U S. Census statistical area and terminology for metropolitan areas using New England towns as building blocks, rather than counties
• Unincorporated community (New Jersey) - a concept for named localities within towns that are not separately incorporated, similar to a "village" in New England

References

Further reading

• J. A. Fairlee, Local government in counties, towns, and villages, (The Century Co. , New York, 1906), Chap. 8 (online version)
• R. E. Murphy, "Town Structure and Urban Concepts in New England," The Professional Geographer 16, 1 (1964).
• J. S. Garland, New England town law : a digest of statutes and decisions concerning towns and town officers, (Boston, Mass. , 1906), pp. 1-83. (online version)
• A. Green, New England's gift to the nation—the township. : An oration, (Angell, Burlingame & Co. , Providence, 1875) (online version)
• J. Parker, The origin, organization, and influence of the towns of New England : a paper read before the Massachusetts Historical Society, December 14, 1865, (Cambridge, 1867) (online version)

• S. Whiting, The Connecticut town-officer, Part I: The powers and duties of towns, as set forth in the statutes of Connecticut, which are recited, (Danbury, 1814), pp. 7-97 (online version)

• Census Bureau Geographic Area Reference Manual, Chapter 8 This document indicates that the US Census distinguishes between New England towns and Midwestern townships while including them in the same statistical category.

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