There are many articles on municipalities in the United States that use vocabulary terms with special meanings. This article defines those terms, the usage of which may vary from state to state. Many of the articles were created by the Rambot and maintenance is coordinated by Wikipedia:WikiProject Cities.

Note: The articles linked have not yet been coordinated with the text of this page. This page is under construction.

Contents 1 County 2 Consolidated city-county 3 City 3.1 Independent city 4 Town 5 Township 6 Borough 7 Village 8 Hamlet 9 Neighborhood 10 Census-designated place (CDP) 11 See also

[edit] County

• Main article: County (United States)

[edit] Consolidated city-county

• Main article: Consolidated city-county

[edit] City

• Main article: City

[edit] Independent city

• Main article: Independent city

[edit] Town

• Main article: Town (explains towns, hamlets, and villages)

• In many states, a "town" is an incorporated municipality. (Confirmed for: MA, NH, NJ, PA, RI, TN, UT, VA, NJ, possibly ME.)
• In some states, there are no incorporated towns. (Confirmed for MI.)
• In Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, "towns" have strong governmental powers and are incorporated municipalities, but are also considered to be minor civil divisions of a county like a civil township.
• In some states, like New York and Wisconsin, towns may contain other incorporated municipalities, such as villages, but not cities.
• In Wisconsin, civil townships are officially known as "towns".
• In California, "Town" is an alternate name for "City" for incorporated municipalities. Very few cities call themselves "towns".

The Wikipedia follows U.S. Census usage.

[edit] Township

• Main articles: Civil township and Township (United States)

[edit] Borough

• Main article: Borough

[edit] Village

• Main article: Village

[edit] Hamlet

• Main article: Hamlet (place)

[edit] Neighborhood

• Main article: Neighborhood

[edit] Census-designated place (CDP)

• Main article: Census-designated place (CDP)

[edit] See also

• Geographic references (Rambot source data)
• Political divisions of the United States (overview)
• Political subdivisions of New York State
• Local government#United States
• Municipality
• Municipal government
• Minor civil division (MCD)
• Unincorporated community