County

Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count. Counts are called "earls" in post-Celtic Great Britain and Ireland - the term is from Old Norse jarl and was introduced by the Vikings - but there is no correlation between "county" and "earldom." Rather, the term "county," from French comté, was simply used by the Normans after 1066 to replace the native English term scir ("sheer") or "shire," in Modern English. A shire was an administrative division of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom (Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, etc.), usually named after its administrative centre (e.g., Gloucester > Gloucestershire, Worcester > Worcestershire, etc.).

United States

Main article: County (United States)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states of the United States for the tier of state government authority immediately below the statewide tier and above the township tier, in those states that sub-divided counties into townships. Louisiana uses the term parishes and Alaska uses boroughs. The U.S. Census Bureau lists 3,141 counties or county-equivalent administrative units. The power of the county government varies widely from state to state as does the relationship between counties and incorporated municipal governments, but counties (parishes, boroughs) are always administrative divisions of the state and the power they exercise is state government power. Unlike cities, which are municipal corporations with a degree of sovereignty granted by the state, counties have no powers of their own but merely exercise powers of state government that have assigned to their jurisdiction, either by the state constitution or the state legislature.

Related Topics:
States - United States - Louisiana - Parishes - Alaska - Boroughs - U.S. Census Bureau - Municipal government

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In New England, counties function primarily as judicial districts, as most local government is exercised by towns. In Connecticut and Rhode Island, they have even lost all governmental function and are solely geographic designations. Outside New England, counties typically maintain law enforcement agencies, public utilities, library systems, collect vital statistics and prepare, and/or process to the state, certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees). In some states, the county sheriff is the principal law enforcement officer in the county, usually limited to areas outside the jurisdiction of cities and towns. In parts of the U.S., counties are "policed" by sheriffs, and cities are policed by police. In other areas, county law enforcement is called "County Police" with county sheriffs providing court services.

Related Topics:
New England - Judicial - Towns - Connecticut - Rhode Island - Law enforcement - Public utilities - Library - Vital statistics - Sheriff

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Virginia, all municipalities incorporated as cities are organized as separate political units that are not part of any county (i.e., independent cities). In Maryland, the city of Baltimore is independent of any county, and Baltimore County is a separate entity outside the city. There are also a small number of independent cities (not part of any county) in other states. However, independent cities are the exception rather than the rule, as are metropolitan municipalities. In addition, the portion of Yellowstone National Park that lies within Montana is not part of any county.

Related Topics:
Virginia - Independent cities - Maryland - Baltimore - Baltimore County

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Metropolitan municipalities are consolidated city and county governments, which simultaneously operate as administrative divisions of and subordinate to state power and as municipal corporations that exercise whatever degree of sovereignty the state government or constitution confers upon them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Examples are Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, Indianapolis, Indiana, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Denver County, Colorado, and the City and County of San Francisco. The City of Greater New York is a unique metropolitan municipality in the world, being coextensive with five counties, each with their own administrative organs but all of them subject to one, integrated citywide government.

Related Topics:
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee - Indianapolis, Indiana - Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania - Denver County, Colorado - San Francisco - The City of Greater New York

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Each county contains a county seat, which is where county offices are located (this is usually, but not always, an incorporated municipality). In some states, counties are subdivided into townships, which typically provide some or all of the local government services provided by cities and towns. The State of Michigan additionally has "charter townships," which are self-governing townships that have many of the rights of a city but few of the responsibilities, e.g., a charter township can have its own police force but it can also opt merely to use the county sheriff's deputies; and whereas ordinary townships cannot refuse to release land that a neighbouring city wishes to annex, charter townships, by virtue of having a charter from the state, have right of refusal.

Related Topics:
County seat - Townships

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In most states, the county controls all unincorporated land within its boundaries. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level resource allocation decisions can incorporate as a city or village. In turn, depending on the state, the city or village government can then choose to provide all its own services, or provide only some and allow the county to provide the rest. Usually, the key difference between "city" and "village" is that a city must provide all of its own services and equivalent county authorities have no jurisdiction without the city's permision; while villages (which remain subject to township governments in those states that have them), being usually rural or semi-rural jurisdictions, are typically required to provide only those services that they can, with the rest being provided by the county.

Related Topics:
Unincorporated - City - Village

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lists of counties by state can be found through U.S. counties; for more comparative information on U.S. counties, see county statistics of the United States.

Related Topics:
U.S. counties - County statistics of the United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~