Tiny dot counties in Virginia?

[MaC]

Could someone describe this?  It looks as if there're tiny dot-within a county counties.  Is this just a bad map, or could someone explain this as it seems rather irregular.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Cities in Virginia are counties. Probably created by some Republican who likes showing off those seas of red on county maps.

[muon2]

The tiny dots are VA cities, not counties.

In VA cities are independent of any county. There are 40 independent cities in VA. When a city is chartered it maintains its own jurisdiction and records independent of any county it may have been a part of. This includes election records, so the cities have the same status in an election map as the VA counties.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Cities in Virginia are counties. Probably created by some Republican who likes showing off those seas of red on county maps.

actually no. it's been that way forever.

I kind of like that system, I think it'd be better in Minnesota if Mankato was joined with North Mankato to become an independent city and left Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. A bunch of other cities could benefit as well.

[Alcon]

Cities in Virginia are counties. Probably created by some Republican who likes showing off those seas of red on county maps.

actually no. it's been that way forever.

I kind of like that system, I think it'd be better in Minnesota if Mankato was joined with North Mankato to become an independent city and left Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. A bunch of other cities could benefit as well.

Why, out of curiosity?

[they don't love you like i love you]

Because there's really no reason to have Mankato and North Mankato seperate (well at least the lower part of North Mankato, the suburban part can go to hell). Even people from (lower) North Mankato call themselves Katoans (there is no such thing as a "Mankatoan" btw), they never say they're from North Mankato except when asked what part of Mankato they are from. It would GREATLY benefit things if both cities were under the same city services, police department and had the same property taxes and bar regulations. But we have to be seperate because the river is the county border.

Meanwhile Mankato still makes up 2/3 of Blue Earth county even without North Mankato, and we're nothing like the rest of the county, who don't like us dominating the county administration. It'd be better off for everyone to have a united Mankato and Mankato no longer in the county.

[minionofmidas]

Cities in Virginia are counties. Probably created by some Republican who likes showing off those seas of red on county maps.

actually no. it's been that way forever.

No ... or maybe the Census didn't start recognizing it until later ... I could go dig when it started but I'm too lazy.

[muon2]

From the Consitution of Virginia:

ARTICLE VII Local Government

Section 1. Definitions.

As used in this article (1) "county" means any existing county or any such unit hereafter created, (2) "city" means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on the first day of July, nineteen hundred seventy-one, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law, (3) "town" means any existing town or an incorporated community within one or more counties which became a town before noon, July one, nineteen hundred seventy-one, as provided by law or which has within defined boundaries a population of 1,000 or more and which has become a town as provided by law, ...

Cities are distinguished from towns in that cities elect the same set of officers as counties and may keep their records. The dates of incorporation of Virginia cities varies quite a bit. The 2000 census lists VA cities at the same geographic level as counties.

[MaC]

thanks for the help!

[7,052,770]

Mississippi, with a ridiculous 82 counties, full of waste and corruption, would do MUCH better to have indepedent cities and about 25-30 counties.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Cities in Virginia are counties. Probably created by some Republican who likes showing off those seas of red on county maps.

actually no. it's been that way forever.

I kind of like that system, I think it'd be better in Minnesota if Mankato was joined with North Mankato to become an independent city and left Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. A bunch of other cities could benefit as well.

I was joking.

[minionofmidas]

Mississippi, with a ridiculous 82 counties, full of waste and corruption, would do MUCH better to have indepedent cities and about 25-30 counties.

Ah, but if you were like Virginia, you'd have 25-30 independent cities and about as many counties as you have now. Virginia's counties are mostly quite small, and some of the indy cities ridiculously so.
Virginia does have a much higher population than MS o/c, but it's also much more concentrated in a couple of areas.

[Republican Michigander]

Mississippi, with a ridiculous 82 counties, full of waste and corruption, would do MUCH better to have indepedent cities and about 25-30 counties.

ROFL. Good luck getting that passed.

I agree with you, but I doubt that will happen. Those municipal bureaucrats and elected officials will need to find new jobs. We have 83 counties here with thousands of munucipalies and school districts within the area. We could use more consolidations to reduce the waste/corruption.

I can't speak for Mississippi. We have County Governments, Cities, Charter  Townships, Non Charter townships, Villiages within a township, "Fire/Police/Park/Recreational" authorities (appointed) with governmental budgetary power, etc.

[jimrtex]

actually no. it's been that way forever.

No ... or maybe the Census didn't start recognizing it until later ... I could go dig when it started but I'm too lazy.

Petersburg was recognized in the 1890 census, and then 17 others in 1900.

Baltimore City has been reported separately from Baltimore County since 1860, but it may have been legally separate before then.

In other places the city and county governments have been unified, such as Denver and San Francisco, and somewhat in New York City.  The boroughs are subdivisions of the city, while their coterminous counties are subdivisisions of the state.  These are more like independent cities like Cheasapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News where the IC has annexed the complete surrounding county, so that the county government no longer exists.

[minionofmidas]

In SF, IIRC the part of the county that was not also part of the city was split off to form a new county (San Mateo) in 1858 or summat like that.

[WalterMitty]

i was born in the independent city of radford!

[MHS2002]

i was born in the independent city of radford!

Radford? I hear rumors about the university there that are not too flattering.

[WalterMitty]

i was born in the independent city of radford!

Radford? I hear rumors about the university there that are not too flattering.

i dont know much about the university.  i was just born there!

i was raised in pulaski county.

[MHS2002]

i was born in the independent city of radford!

Radford? I hear rumors about the university there that are not too flattering.

i dont know much about the university.  i was just born there!

i was raised in pulaski county.

Oh...can't say I know much about Pulaski County. I have just passed through it while on the interstate.

Anyway, I was always told that Radford is the STD center of Virginia. I've never been to the place though.

[WalterMitty]

i was born in the independent city of radford!

Radford? I hear rumors about the university there that are not too flattering.

i dont know much about the university.  i was just born there!

i was raised in pulaski county.

Oh...can't say I know much about Pulaski County. I have just passed through it while on the interstate.

Anyway, I was always told that Radford is the STD center of Virginia. I've never been to the place though.

honestly, that is the first ive heard of that.

that very well could be true.  other than the university, radford is infested with white trashers.