A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands) inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. A settlement is a general term used in Archeology, Landscape history and other subjects for a permanent or temporary community in which people live which avoids being Usually, a "town" is thought of as larger than a village but smaller than a "city", though there are exceptions to this rule. The words "city" and "village" came into English from Latin via French. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people "Town" and "borough" (also "burrow", "burgh", "bury", etc. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice ) are of native Germanic origin, from Old English burg, a fortified settlement, and tūn, an enclosed piece of land. The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. [1]
Origin of the word and use around the world
In Old English and Old Scots, "Town" (or "toun", "ton", etc. Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern ) 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.
In modern American English, a town is usually a municipal corporation that is smaller than a city but larger than a village. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States In some cases, "town" is an alternate name for "city" or "village" (especially a larger village). Sometimes, the word "town" is short for "township. " Some US states designate towns and townships as political subdivisions of Counties. 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. A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. A hamlet is (usually&mdashsee below a Rural community — that is a small settlement — which is too small to be considered a Village. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture
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. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country In the United Kingdom, there are historical cities that are far smaller than the larger towns. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This is a list of the largest cities and towns of England ordered by population.
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. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California.
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. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body
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.
Age of Towns scheme
Australian geographer Thomas Griffith Taylor proposed a classification of towns based on their age and pattern of land use. A geographer is a Scientist whose area of study is Geography, the study of Earth 's physical environment and Human habitat Land use' is also often used to refer to the distinct land use types in Zoning. He identified five types of town:[2]
- Infantile towns, with no clear zoning
- Juvenile towns, which have developed an area of shops
- Adolescent towns, where factories have started to appear
- Early mature towns, with a separate area of high-class housing
- Mature towns, with defined industrial, commercial and various types of residential area
Australia
In Australia, the status of a town is formally applied in only a few states. Zoning is a term used in Urban planning for a system of land-use Regulation in various parts of the world including North America the United Kingdom A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is an industrial Building where workers manufacture goods Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. House generally refers to a Shelter or Building that is a Dwelling or place for Habitation by Human beings. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Within a urban area there is a tendency for land uses to Aggregate. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. 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. Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled In all states and the Northern Territory each incorporated area has an official status. The various LGA status types currently in use are -
- New South Wales: Cities (C) and Areas (A)
- Victoria: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Boroughs (B) and Shires (S)
- Queensland: Cities (C), Shires (S), Regions, 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). Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions
References
Austria
In Austria designations are similar to those in southern Germany with a trichotomy in Gemeinde, Markt(gemeinde) and Stadt. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Generally a trichotomy is a splitting into three disjoint parts
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. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the
Denmark
In Denmark no distinction is made between "city", "town" and "village"; all three translate as "by".
For very small villages (hamlets) the word "landsby" is used (appr. A hamlet is (usually&mdashsee below a Rural community — that is a small settlement — which is too small to be considered a Village. "country town" or "rural town").
France
From an administrative standpoint, the smallest level of local authorities are all called “communes”. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. 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. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France. Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ For historical reasons, six communes in the Meuse département still exist as independent entities despite having no inhabitant at all. Meuse (møːz is a department 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”. INSEE ( French: I nstitut N ational de la S tatistique et des É tudes É conomiques; inse (not) in French is the Smaller settlements are usually called “villages”. In any case, the French language does not commonly make a difference between towns and cities.
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". 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during The word for a village, as a smaller settlement, is Dorf.
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 state law of a state and the related denomination of a specific settlement may differ from its common designation (e. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular g. Samtgemeinde - a Lower Saxony legal term for a group of villages (Dorf, pl. Lower Saxony ( German: Niedersachsen ch is pronounced before an s --> lies in north-western Germany and is second Dörfer) with common local government). Designations in different states are as diverse as for example in Australian States and Territories and differ from state to state.
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. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic 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. "Fall of Communism" redirects here For the fall of the Soviet Union itself see History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991. 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.
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. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. Autonomy ( Greek: Auto- Nomos - nomos meaning "law" one who gives oneself his/her own Law) is the right to Self-government As of early 2007, there are only 23 such towns in Hungary.
(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. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. "'
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 30 occupied 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.
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. In Urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development In Urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development 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]
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 the word no longer has any legal significance. About 220 places got "stadsrechten" (city rights) and are still so called for historical and traditional reasons, though the word is also used for large urban areas that never got such rights. The contrastive word for a village as a smaller settlement is dorp.
Poland
Similarly to Germany, in Poland there is no official distinction between a city and a town. Żnin is a small Town in Poland with a population of 14558 (June 2005 Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The word for both is miasto (as distinct from a village or wieś). Town status is conferred by administative decree – some settlements remain villages even though they have a larger population than many smaller towns. See List of cities and towns in Poland. This page contains a list of cities and towns in Poland, preceded by a table of major Polish cities
Russia
Unlike English, the Russian language does not distinguish the terms "city" and "town"—both are translated as "город" (gorod). The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Reutov (Реутов is a town in Moscow Oblast in Russia, located 12 Km east of Moscow. Traditionally, the term "city" is applied to large metropolitan areas and the term "town"—to smaller urban localities.
Sweden
Sweden cancelled the official legal term Town (in Swedish: Stad) in the year 1971. Only the word Municipality (in Swedish: Kommun. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or In US English approximately County) was used, making no legal difference between Stockholm and a countryside municipality. A county of the United States is a local level of government created as a subdivision of a state by the state government or by the federal or territorial government as a subdivision ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the 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, referring to places which were "stad" before 1971.
Ukraine
There is no difference in the Ukrainian language between the notions of "town" and "city". Both these words are translated into Ukrainian as "місто" (misto). The smallest population of a city of Ukraine can be about 10,000. Cities/towns should be distinguished from urban-type settlements ("селище міського типу", selyshche mis'koho typu; informally "містечко", mistechko), which, although urban in nature, do not have a city status. Urban-type settlement (посёлок городско́го ти́па posyolok gorodskogo tipa; селище міського типу selyshche mis'koho typu; As a rule, the population of an urban-type settlement is between 2,000 and 10,000.
United Kingdom
England and Wales
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". Rugby is a Market town in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Sao Paulo Stock Exchangejpg|thumb| Virtual market arena where buyer and seller are not present and trade via intemediates and electronical information A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated Carnival or Funfair entertainment Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets 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.
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 to call themselves such. A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or Parishes A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch 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). A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government.
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 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).
Additionally, there are "new towns" which were created during the 20th century, such as Basildon, Redditch and Telford. Bishop's Stortford is a Market town in east Hertfordshire, England, on the County boundary with Essex. A new town, planned community or planned city is a City, Town, or Community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically Basildon (ˈbæzɪldən is a New Town located in south Essex, England at. Redditch is a Town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England. Telford ( ˈtɛlfɚd is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, Milton Keynes was designed to be a "new city" but legally it is still a town despite its size. Milton Keynes ( ˌmɪltənˈkiːnz often abbreviated to MK, is a large town
Some settlements which describe themselves as towns (e. g. Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire) are smaller than some large villages (e. Shipston-on-Stour is a town and Civil parish within the Stratford-on-Avon district of the southern part of Warwickshire, England. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to g. Kidlington, Oxfordshire). Kidlington is a large Village and Civil parish in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire, England. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the
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. Letters patent are a type of Legal instrument in the form of an Open letter issued by a Monarch or Government, granting an office right 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. This article is about Northampton in England for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation Northampton ( is a large Market A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. St David's ( Welsh: Tyddewi) is the smallest city in the United Kingdom, with a population of under 2000 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 is now technically a town. Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the History The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated
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. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England Diocese based in Chelmsford, covering Essex and the five east London boroughs St. Asaph, which is the seat of the diocese of St Asaph, is another such town. St Asaph ( Welsh: Llanelwy) is a town in Denbighshire, North Wales, on the River Elwy. The diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese in north-east Wales named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop 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. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The Church in Wales (Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six Dioceses in Wales. The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland.
The word town can also be used as a general term for urban areas, including cities and in a few cases, districts within cities. In this usage, a city is a type of town — a large one, with a certain status. For example, Greater London is sometimes referred to colloquially as "London town". Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. (The "City of London" is the historical nucleus, informally known as the "Square Mile", and is administratively separate from the rest of Greater London, while the City of Westminster is also technically a city and is also a London borough). For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The City of Westminster ( is a borough of London with city status. The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Camden Town and Somers Town are districts of London, as New Town is a district of Edinburgh - actually the Georgian centre. Camden Town is the district of London, England around Camden High Street, in the London Borough of Camden. Somers Town or Somerstown may refer to Somers Town London, a district of London England Somerstown Portsmouth, a district The New Town, a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is often considered to be a masterpiece of city planning and is a UNESCO Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.
Going from the suburbs to central London is to "go into town".
See also
Scotland
A burgh (pronounced burruh) is the Scots' term for a town or a municipality. This is a link page for towns and cities in England. Traditionally in England Wales and Northern Ireland a town is any settlement which has received a charter of incorporation more This is a link page for Towns in Wales. In Wales as in England and Northern Ireland a town is any settlement which has received a charter of incorporation more commonly known A Burgh (ˈbʌʀə is an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland, usually a Town. A burgh (pronounced burruh) is the Scots' term for a town or a municipality Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern Burghs were highly autonomous units of local government in Scotland from at least the 12th century until their abolition in 1975 when a new regional structure of local government was introduced across the country. An autonomous area is an area of a Country that has a degree of Autonomy, or freedom from an external authority Local government in Scotland is organised through 32 unitary authorities consisting of Councillors elected every four years by registered voters in each of the Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The regions and districts of Scotland were established under the Local Government (Scotland Act 1973 as a two-tier system of Local government in Scotland. Usually based upon a town, they had a municipal corporation and certain rights, such as self-government and representation in the sovereign Parliament of Scotland adjourned in 1707. A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to cities, counties, Towns Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of Organization. This article is about the pre-1707 parliament The article on the devolved legislative body established in 1999 is at Scottish Parliament. Year 1707 ( MDCCVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
Historically, the most important burghs were royal burghs, followed by burghs of regality and burghs of barony. A royal burgh was a type of Scottish Burgh which had been founded by or subsequently granted a Royal charter. A burgh of regality is a type of Scottish town ( Burgh) They were distinct from Royal burghs as they were granted to "lords of regality" leading noblemen A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town ( Burgh) They were distinct from Royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief a landowner who held Some newer settlements were only designated as police burghs, a classification which also applies to most of the older burghs. A police burgh was a Scottish burgh which had adopted a “police system” for governing the town
It should be noted that the word 'burgh' is generally not used as a synonym for 'town' or 'city' in everyday speech, but is reserved mostly for government and administrative purposes. Legally speaking, burghs in Scotland were abolished in 1975, and the term has since fallen into disuse. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
see also List of towns and cities in Scotland by population
United States
In the United States of America, the meaning of the term town varies from state to state. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government 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). A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified An incorporated town is a Town that is a Municipal corporation. In others, a town is unincorporated.
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. A township in the US state of Pennsylvania is a unit of local government (see Civil township) subordinate to a county and distinct from cities and 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. 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. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States A civil township is a widely used unit of Local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. 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. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America.
New England
In the six New England states, a town is a municipality and a more important unit than the county. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. 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. 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. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. 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. 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. For example, Brookline, Massachusetts is a town, even though it is fairly urban, because of its form of government. Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton.
New York
In New York, a town is similarly a division of the county, but with less importance than in New England. Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U 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. Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U In New York, a town typically contains a number of such hamlets and villages. However, due to their independent nature, incorporated villages 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. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States (Some other states have similar entities called townships. ) In New York, "town" is essentially short for "township. "
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, there is only one municipality which is incorporated as a "town": Bloomsburg. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles (64 km southwest of Wilkes Barre along the 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.
Virginia
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. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state
Nevada
In Nevada, a town has a form of government, but is not considered to be incorporated. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. It generally provides a limited range of services, such as land use planning and recreation, while leaving most services to the county. 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 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. This is a list of cities, Towns Unincorporated areas and Census-designated places in Nevada, a state of the U Paradise is a Census-designated place (CDP in Clark County, Nevada, United States and a major suburb of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is an approximately 4 mile (6 Most county seats are also towns, not cities.
Arizona
In Arizona the terms "town" and "city" are largely interchangeable. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. A community may incorporate under either a town or a city organization with no regard to population or other restrictions according to Arizona law (see Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 9). Cities may function under slightly differing governmental systems, such as the option to organize a district system for city governments, but largely retain the same powers as towns. Arizona law also allows for the consolidation of neighboring towns and the unification of a city and a town, but makes no provision for the joining of two adjacent cities.
California
In California, the words "town" and "city" are synonymous by law (see Cal. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. 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. Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula " 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 unincorporated community that might otherwise be known as an unincorporated 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.
According to the 2006 United States Census Hempstead, New York (western most Town in Long Island, New York) is the largest town in the United States. The Town of Hempstead is one of the three towns (otherwise known as Civil townships) in Nassau County, New York, United States. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches The town of Hempstead has a population of over 760,000 people, making it larger than San Francisco, Boston, or Seattle.
References
See also
- Developed Environments
- Settlement types:
- List of towns
- Company town
- Town Hall
- Township
- Town square
- Town privileges
- Town charter
- Townland
- Town limits
- Developed environments:
- Location (geography)
External links
- Open-Site Regional — Contains information about towns in numerous countries. Developed environments ( Human settlements are environments in Geography. A hamlet is (usually&mdashsee below a Rural community — that is a small settlement — which is too small to be considered a Village. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status A megalopolis (or megapolis) is defined as an extensive Metropolitan area or a long chain of roughly continuous metropolitan areas The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared 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 all Real estate, Buildings (both residential and commercial) Utilities A city hall or town hall is the chief administrative building of a City or Town 's administration and usually houses the city or A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government Public square and city square redirect here For Public Square Cleveland see Public Square and for City Square in Leeds see Leeds City Square. 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during A city charter or town charter (generically municipal charter) is a legal Document establishing a Municipality such as a City or Believed to be of Gaelic origin a townland is a term for a small geographical unit of land used in Ireland; the term was at one time also used in Scotland ----The term city limits (or city boundary) refers to the defined boundary of a City. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential from which most of the Workforce commute out to earn their livelihood In Geography, location is a position or point in Physical space that something occupies on Earths' surface
Dictionary
town
-noun
- a settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government.
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