The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the five boroughs of New York City, have the same boundaries as their respective counties.) They are municipal corporations, chartered (created) by the New York State Legislature, as under the New York State Constitution the only body that can create governmental units is the state. All of them have their own governments, sometimes with no paid employees, that provide local services.[1] Centers of population that are not incorporated and have no government or local services are designated hamlets. Whether a municipality is defined as a borough, city, town, or village is determined not by population or land area, but rather on the form of government selected by the residents and approved by the New York State Legislature.[2][3][4] Each type of local government is granted specific home rule powers by the New York State Constitution.[5] There are still occasional changes as a village becomes a city, or a village dissolves (stops existing), each of which requires legislative action. New York also has various corporate entities that provide local services and have their own administrative structures (governments), such as school and fire districts.[5] These are not found in all counties.
Almost every piece of land in the state is part of a city or town, which is part of one county. The exceptions are the city of Geneva; New York City; and ten Indian reservations.[6]
As of 2009[update], New York has 62 counties[7][8] (including New York City's five boroughs), which are subdivided into 933 towns[4] and 61 cities (including Geneva in both Ontario and Seneca counties, but excluding New York City and Sherrill).[3] In total, the state has more than 3,400 active local governments and more than 4,200 taxing jurisdictions.[9][10]
Counties and incorporated municipal governments (also known as "general purpose units of local government"; i.e., cities, towns and villages) in the State of New York have been granted broad home rule powers enabling them to provide services to their residents and to regulate the quality of life within their jurisdictions. They do so while adhering to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New York. Articles VIII (titled "Local Finances") and IX (titled "Local Government", but commonly referred to as the "Home Rule" article) of the state constitution establish the rights and responsibilities of the municipal governments.[5]
The New York State Constitution provides for democratically elected legislative bodies for counties, cities, towns and villages. These legislative bodies are granted the power to enact local laws as needed in order to provide services to their citizens and fulfill their various obligations.[5]
The county is the primary administrative division of New York. There are sixty-two counties in the state. Five of the counties are boroughs of the City of New York and do not have functioning county governments.[8] While originally created as subdivisions of the state meant to carry out state functions, counties are now considered municipal corporations with the power and fiscal capacity to provide an array of local government services.[7] Such services generally include law enforcement and public safety, social and health services (such as Medicaid), and education (special needs and community colleges).[11]
Every county outside of New York City has a county seat,[12] which is the location of county government.[13]
Sixteen counties are governed through an assembly with the power of a board of supervisors, composed of the supervisors of its constituent towns and cities. In most of these counties, each supervisor's vote is weighted in accordance with the town's population in order to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court mandate of "one person, one vote". Other counties have legislative districts of equal population, which may cross municipal borders; these counties may also have an elected County Executive. Most counties in New York do not use the term "Board of Supervisors." 34 counties have a County Legislature, six counties have a Board of Legislators, and one county has a Board of Representatives. The five counties, or boroughs, of New York City are governed by a 51-member City Council.[citation needed]
In non-charter counties, the legislative body exercises executive power as well. Although the legislature can delegate certain functions and duties to a county administrator, who acts on behalf of the legislature, the legislature must maintain ultimate control over the actions of the administrator. Many, but not all, charter counties have an elected executive who is independent of the legislature; the exact form of government is defined in the County Charter.[citation needed]
In New York, each city is a highly autonomous incorporated area[3] that, with the exceptions of New York City[8] and Geneva,[15] is contained within one county. Cities in New York are classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as incorporated places.[16] They provide almost all services to their residents and have the highest degree of home rule and taxing jurisdiction over their residents.[citation needed] The main difference between a city and a village is that cities are organized and governed according to their charters, which can differ widely among cities,[17] while most villages are subject to a uniform statewide Village Law (twelve villages still operate under charters issued by the state legislature prior to a revision of the State Constitution in 1874 that forbade chartering villages).[18] Also, villages are part of a town (or towns; some villages cross town borders), with residents who pay taxes to and receive services from the town.[17] Cities are neither part of nor subordinate to towns[17] except for the city of Sherrill, which for some purposes is treated as if it were a village of the town of Vernon.[19] Some cities are completely surrounded by a town, typically of the same name.
There are sixty-two cities in the state.[3]As of 2000[update], 54.1% of state residents were living in a city; 42.2% were living in New York City; 11.9% were living in one of the other 61 cities.[20] In 1686, the English colonial governor granted the cities of New York and Albany city charters, which were recognized by the first State Constitution in 1777. All other cities have been established by act of the state legislature and have been granted a charter. Cities have been granted the power to revise their charters or adopt new ones. There are no minimum population or area requirements in order to become a city. While there is no defined process for how and when a village becomes a city, the Legislature requires clear evidence, usually in the form of a locally drafted charter, that the community in question seeks to incorporate as a city.[3]
The forms of government cities can have are council–manager, strong mayor–council, weak mayor–council or commission. Forty-six cities, the majority, use the mayor–council form.[21]
Strong mayor–council – An elective mayor serves as the chief executive and administrative head of the city. A city council serves as a legislature. The mayor has veto power over council decisions, prepares a budget, and appoints and removes agency heads. This form sometimes includes a professional administrator appointed by the mayor.[21]
Weak mayor–council – The mayor is a ceremonial figure. The city council serves as both a legislature and executive committee. There is generally no mayoral veto.[21]
Council–manager – The mayor, if such a position exists, is ceremonial only. A professional administrator, appointed by the city council, serves as the administrative head. While empowered to appoint and remove agency heads and responsible for preparing a budget, the administrator does not have veto power. The city council serves as the legislature.[21]
Commission – Elected commissioners administer individual city departments and together act as a legislature. This form sometimes includes an administrator. There is no mayor, although commissioners sometimes assume mayoral ceremonial duties.[21]
The City of New York is a special case. The state legislature reorganized government in the area in the 1890s in an effort to consolidate. Other cities, villages, and towns were annexed[8] to become the "City of Greater New York",[22] (an unofficial term, the new city retained the name of New York), a process basically completed in 1898.[8] At the time of consolidation, Queens County was split. Its western towns joined the city, leaving three towns that were never part of the consolidation plan as part of Queens County but not part of the new Borough of Queens. (A small portion of the Town of Hempstead was itself annexed, also.) The next year (1899), the three eastern towns of Queens County separated to become Nassau County.[22] The city today consists of the entire area of five counties (named New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, and Richmond).[23] While these counties have no county government, boroughs—with boundaries coterminous with the county boundaries—each have a Borough Board made up of the Borough President, the borough's district council members, and the chairpersons of the borough's community boards. A mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer.[8]
The most populous and largest city in the state is New York City, with a population of over 8.5 million inhabitants and comprising just over 300sqmi (777.00km2) of land (468.87sqmi (1,214.368km2) total area, which includes water). The least populous city is Sherrill, New York, with just 3,071 inhabitants in 2010. The smallest city by area is Mechanicville, New York, which covers 0.91sqmi (2.4km2) (of which 0.08sqmi (0.2km2) is water).[24]
Several cities, such as Albany, are divided into wards for the purposes of municipal representation. Each ward elects one member to the city's legislative body, and the wards are redistricted roughly every ten years.[26] These divisions can go by other names by city; in Buffalo they are known as districts.[27] These divisions can either be numbered or named. New York City was divided into wards at various times in its history between 1683 and 1938, although they were gradually replaced by Assembly and Senate districts starting in the mid-19th century; the New York City Council is currently elected from special districts, which are allowed to cross borough lines.[28]
Map showing municipalities in New York, as well as cities not included within a town. New York City is shown as divided into boroughs.
In New York, a town is a municipal corporation,[29] and is the major division of each county (excluding the five boroughs that comprise New York City), very similar to townships in other states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Towns in New York are classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as minor civil divisions.[30] Like New Jersey and southern New England, all of New York is incorporated; all residents who do not live in a city or on an Indian reservation live in a town.
Towns provide or arrange for the primary functions of local government. While some provide most municipal services for all town residents and selected services for residents of villages, some provide little more than road maintenance.[31] There were 933 towns in New York.[4]As of 2000[update], 45.8% of state residents were living in a town; 35.9% were living in a town but outside a village.[20] Whereas cities and villages can cross county boundaries, each town in New York is completely contained within a single county.
New York towns are classified by statute as being a town of the first class or a town of the second class. Additionally, a town of the first class can further be classified as a suburban town upon meeting certain criteria. Originally, towns of different classes possessed different powers. Since 1964, all towns, regardless of classification, have had the same legal powers as were once available only to suburban towns. Even so, towns of different classifications continue to have organizational differences and certain conditions that must be met before a town's classification changes.[32]
The town board serves as the legislative branch.[33] The board is composed of one elected town supervisor (or chief executive officer in suburban towns) and a specific number of elected council persons; towns of the second class generally have two but may have four council persons, whereas towns of the first class generally have four but can have two or six.[32] The supervisor presides over the board, voting on all matters but not possessing veto or tie-breaking power. Certain towns operate under a town manager form of government, creating an executive branch in the town government, as permitted by legislation enacted in 1976. As such, some supervisors have additional authority or executive powers, whereas some towns have town managers or chief executive officers who serve as the executive branch.[34] All town justices were originally part of a town's board. Today, justices belong to a separate judicial branch[34] known as Town Court or Justice Court, part of New York's Justice Court system.[citation needed]
A town may contain one or more villages.[35] Many towns have no villages. Five towns are coterminous with their single village and share the same name: Green Island in Albany County; East Rochester in Monroe County; and Scarsdale, Harrison, and Mount Kisco in Westchester County. A sixth, the town of Palm Tree in Orange County was incorporated in 2019 and is coterminous with the village of Kiryas Joel, having acquired land from the town of Monroe. When such an entity is formed, officials from either unit of government may serve in both village and town governments simultaneously.[18] A referendum is held to decide whether residents prefer a village-style or town-style government, which will then function primarily as a village or town but will perform some of the functions of the other form.[36] Villages remain part of the towns in which they are located; village residents pay both town and village taxes, and vote in both town and village elections.
Towns can contain several hamlets and communities. If the United States Postal Service (USPS) has a post office in a hamlet it often will use the name of that hamlet, as will the local fire department or elementary school. Businesses may also use the name of a hamlet as part of their name. The United States Census Bureau will, with consideration from the town, designate a census-designated place (CDP) that may use the name of one or more hamlets, though boundaries may differ from what is used by the ZIP code, local fire department, etc.
Towns in New York may be further subdivided into wards, although as of 2017[update], only fifteen of the state's 932 towns used this system.[37] In towns operating under the ward system, citizens vote for councilmen who represent a specific area (ward) of the town, as opposed to the at-large councilmen elected in the majority of the state's towns.
Towns vary in size and population. The largest town by area is Brookhaven (Suffolk County), which covers 531.5sqmi (1,377km2), but more than half of that is water. The town of Webb (Herkimer County) has the greatest land area, at 451sqmi (1,170km2). The smallest town, Green Island (Albany County), covers 0.7sqmi (1.8km2). The town of Hempstead (Nassau County) has about 760,000 people (2010 census), making it more populous than any city in the state except New York City. Red House (Cattaraugus County), the least populous, has 38 permanent residents (2010 census).[24]
A census-designated place (CDP) is defined by the United States Census Bureau as "a statistical entity defined for each decennial census according to Census Bureau guidelines, comprising a densely settled concentration of population"[38] that is not part of a city or a village[39] "but is locally identified by a name."[38] CDPs may cross town and county borders.[40] CDPs are defined collaboratively by state and local officials and the Census Bureau.[38] They are defined for each census, and it is commonplace to change boundaries and define new CDPs for each census.[41]
The Census Bureau formerly referred to CDPs as "unincorporated places" from 1950 through the 1970 decennial censuses.[42][43] The term CDP was first used for the 1980 census, and minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the 2000 census.[42]
Though the term "hamlet" is not defined under New York law, many people in the state use the term hamlet to refer to a community within a town that is not incorporated as a village but is identified by a name, i.e. an unincorporated community. A hamlet often has a name corresponding to the name of a local school district, post office, or fire district.[44] Because a hamlet has no government of its own, it depends upon the town or towns that contain it for municipal services and government.[2] Because they do not have governments, hamlets have no clear boundaries.
Suffolk County publishes maps that give hamlet boundaries,[44] but towns within the county also publish maps that conflict both in the number of hamlets and their boundaries.[45] Nevertheless, all land not within a village is administered by the town.
Most of the rest of New York's hamlets, however, have less well-defined boundaries, and most towns have areas that are not considered to be a part of any hamlet. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) puts hamlet names on rectangular green signs with white lettering at roadside locations of its choosing.[46] The NYSDOT and local governments also provide community identification signs on some scenic byways to be placed at the roadside boundaries of hamlets, as decided by the sign provider.[47] Many towns have special zoning or planning districts and planning strategies for their hamlets,[48][49] and many places welcome signs at the gateways to the hamlets.[50]
Notwithstanding hamlets are not cities or towns, many of them are called out in formal addresses for those residents residing within the limits. Based on the ZIP Code, the United States Postal Service (USPS) identifies the correct location for mail delivery.
The New York State Gazetteer, published by the New York State Department of Health in 1995, includes a list of hamlets in the state.[52] The criteria used for inclusion in the Gazetteer are not stated.
The Adirondack Park Agency also uses the term "hamlet", though as a land-use classification for private land under its Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan (APLUDP). The APLUDP extends the boundaries for its classification of hamlets "well beyond established settlements" to allow for growth.[53]
The village of Pomona (red) in Rockland County is partly within two different towns.
In New York, a village is an incorporated area.[5] About 85% of villages fall within a single town.[18] Villages in the State of New York are classified by the Census Bureau as incorporated places.[16] Like all municipal corporations, villages have clearly defined legal boundaries. A village is a municipality that provides services to the residents, services that may or may not include garbage collection, management of cemeteries, street and highway maintenance, street lighting, and building codes.[citation needed] Some villages provide their own police and other municipal services. Villages have less autonomy than cities. While cities are not subject to a town's jurisdiction, villages legally remain part of the town or towns in which they are located. Village residents pay both town and village taxes, and vote in town and village elections.[54] Those services not provided by the village are provided by the town or towns containing the village.[citation needed]As of the2000[update] census, 9.9% of the state's population was living in one of the 556 villages in New York.[20]
The legislature of a village is the board of trustees,[citation needed] composed of a mayor and (usually) four trustees.[citation needed] The board is responsible for approving mayoral appointments, managing village finances and property, and approving a budget.[55] The mayor, who is generally the chief executive of the village, may vote in all business before the board and must vote to break a tie.[55] The mayor generally does not possess veto power, unless this is provided for by local law.[citation needed] Administrative duties of the mayor include enforcing laws and supervising employees.[55] A village may also have a full-time village manager who performs these administrative duties instead of the mayor. In 2007, sixty-seven villages had such a manager.[56] Some villages have their own village justice, while others utilize the justice of the town or towns in which they are located.[57]
While most villages are subject to a uniform statewide Village Law, twelve villages operate under charters issued by the state legislature prior to 1874. Before a revision to the State Constitution in that year, villages were formed by the state legislature through granting of charters. Many villages reincorporated, dumping their charters in favor of the Village Law. The villages that retain their charters are Alexander, Carthage, Catskill, Cooperstown, Deposit, Fredonia, Ilion, Mohawk, Ossining, Owego, Port Chester, and Waterford. These villages must still comply with those aspects of Village Law that are not inconsistent with their charters.[18]
To be incorporated, the area of the proposed village must have at least 1,500 inhabitants[58][59] and not be part of an existing city or village. Additionally, the proposed village can be no more than 5 square miles (13km2) in area unless its boundaries are to be coterminous with a school, fire, improvement or other district, or the entire town.[58] The process of incorporation begins with a petition by either 20% of residents or owners of 50% of assessed real property. If deemed legally sufficient, incorporation is then voted upon by the qualified voters living in the proposed village only.[8] Some villages have fewer than 500 residents, having incorporated before the present population requirement or fallen below the old 500-resident threshold after incorporation.[60][original research?]
A village may also be dissolved, returning all government control to the town level. The process of dissolution can be initiated by the village board itself, or upon the submission of a proper petition to the board. The village board must produce a "dissolution plan" that settles specific matters, such as the village's debts, its employees and property, and the financial impact dissolution would have on village and non-village town residents. This plan is voted upon by village voters only.[51]
About 15% of villages cross other municipal boundaries. More than 70 villages are located in two or more towns. Seven villages are in two counties. The village of Saranac Lake is in three towns and two counties.[18]
Five towns are coterminous with their single village and have a coterminous town-village form of government.
A borough is one of the five major administrative divisions of the consolidated City of New York. Boroughs do not currently exist elsewhere in the state. Each of the five boroughs of the city is coextensive with a county of the state of New York.[8] Under New York State's General Municipal Law, a borough results when the towns, villages and cities in a county merge with the county itself.[citation needed] This occurred in 1898 when New York City merged with surrounding counties, cities and towns to form its present configuration. The five boroughs are:
The boroughs were originally intended to retain some local governance in the consolidated city. Each borough individually elects a borough president and used to elect two at-large city council members, in addition to those elected based on each borough's population. The borough presidents once wielded considerable power as members of the New York City Board of Estimate, but the position is now largely ceremonial and advisory. Boroughs function as counties for certain purposes, but have no county government.[7] The five New York City district attorneys, however, are still elected by county (for example, the district attorney for Brooklyn is called the Kings County District Attorney).
There are fifty-nine community districts in New York City, each represented by an appointed advisory group called a community board. Each board consists of fifty unpaid members appointed by the borough president. Half of the members are nominated by the City Council members who represent the area. The power of the community boards is very limited. They serve in an advisory capacity regarding land use and zoning, budget, and various concerns of the community. The boards can recommend action on the part of the city government, but they cannot mandate it. Each is identified by borough name and a number (e.g. Manhattan Community Board 3).
Special purpose units of government
In New York, special purpose units of government provide specialized services only to those who live in the district, and are empowered to tax residents of the district for the services provided in common. Special districts often cross the lines of towns, villages, and hamlets, and occasionally cities or counties.
School districts are the most common kind of special district in New York. They provide, arrange, or contract for all public education services, including special education and school transportation, the latter also for non-public schools.[citation needed]
School districts are rarely precisely coextensive with the cities, towns, villages, or hamlets that bear the same name, meaning that a person living in one hamlet or village might send their children to a school associated with a different hamlet or village. Residents pay school taxes to the same school district in which they live and any children living with them attend school.[61] All tax-paying residents are eligible for the STAR Program tax rebate, which in effect lessens the value of an individual's primary residence to lessen the tax burden on the residence.[citation needed]
All but five school districts are separate from municipal governments. The exceptions are the five cities whose populations exceed 125,000 (Buffalo, New York, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers), in which education is part of the municipal budget.[61]
Schools in the city of New York are controlled by the New York City Department of Education, and the city is divided by the department into 11 "school regions" (10 geographic regions and a "District 75" for students with disabilities)[62]
There are five types of school districts in the state,[61] each with slightly different laws.
Common school district
Common school districts, established in 1812, were the first type of school district in the state. In July 2004, there were only 11 such districts remaining. They are not authorized to provide secondary education. They must, therefore, contract with neighboring school districts to provide high school education for pupils in the district. Typically one trustee or a three-person board of trustees will govern the district.[61]
In 1853, the legislature established union free school districts, which are districts resulting from a "union" of two or more common school districts, "free" from the restrictions that previously barred them from operating high schools. In July 2004, there were 163 school districts of this type. Despite being able to operate high schools, thirty-one of these districts provided only elementary education. Those districts that are not components of central school districts provide secondary education either by contracting with other districts or being located in one of the three central high school districts. Each union free school district is governed by a three- to nine-member board of education.[63]
Central school district
Central school districts are the most prevalent type of school district in New York. In July 2004, there were 460 such districts. They began as a result of legislation in 1914. Central school districts may form from any number (including one) of common, union free, and/or central school districts. Central school districts are permitted to provide secondary education. Its board of education must consist of five, seven, or nine members and length of service must be three, four, or five years, each decided upon by the voters in the district.[64]
In those cities with populations exceeding 125,000 (New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, Rochester, and Syracuse), the city school districts are coterminous with the city limits, and education is part of the municipal budget. These districts cannot incur debts or levy taxes. The governmental structure in all of these except for New York is that of an elected or appointed board of education. New York's public education is headed by a chancellor and has a 13-member all-appointed Department of Education Panel for Education Policy.[64]
The city school districts for the 57 cities having fewer than 125,000 people are separate from the municipal government and are authorized to levy taxes and incur debt. Each of them is governed by an elected board of education with five, seven, or nine members. Districts for smaller cities often extend beyond the city borders and are referred to as "enlarged city school districts", seven of which have reorganized as "central city school districts".[64]
Supervisory school district (BOCES)
Owing to the extremely large number (730)[69] of school districts, many of which are quite small, most of them are organized into 37[70] supervisory districts. Each of these has a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Each BOCES provides services that are considered difficult for the component school districts to provide on their own, often including special classes for students with disabilities, trades, medical professions such as physical therapy or other specialized classes.
Fire district
Fire districts are public corporations that generally provide fire protection and other emergency response in towns outside villages.[71] A fire district can levy taxes and incur debt just like other general purpose municipal corporations,[71] although fire districts do not have home rule powers[72] and the taxes are generally collected by the town or towns that the district serves.[71] Fire districts depend on their towns for initial establishment, expansion of district territory, and dissolution, but are otherwise thereafter autonomous political entities[71] able to exercise only those specific powers granted to them by statute.[72] The district is governed by a board of elected commissioners.[citation needed]
Villages generally provide their own fire protection, but joint town-village fire districts are permitted. A Joint Fire District is a fire district that encompasses more than one town, wholly or in part, and may also include a village. This is some times done to reduce duplication of services in a small area or to help spread the tax burden when there is a large difference in tax base between neighboring towns. A joint fire district may also be formed when a fire department in a village that has fire protection districts in the surrounding towns separates itself from the village government to obtain greater self-governance. This was seen in 2003 when the fire department in the village of Baldwinsville formed a joint fire district consisting of the village of Baldwinsville and parts of the towns of Lysander and Van Buren in Onondaga County.[citation needed]
There were 868 fire districts in New York at the end of 2003.[71]
Fire protection district
A fire protection district is established by a town board in order to contract fire protection services with any city, village, fire district or incorporated fire company. Unlike fire districts, fire protection districts are not authorized to levy property taxes and do not have an independently elected board of commissioners. The levy to support fire protection districts is part of the town levy and the oversight of the district is via the town board.[73]
Public benefit corporation/authority
Public benefit corporations in New York operate like quasi-private corporations, generally with boards appointed by elected officials. They are a form of government bureaucracy in one sense but, unlike government agencies, public benefit corporations are exempt from some regulations. Of particular importance, they can take out their own debt, allowing them to bypass legal limits on state debt. This allows them to make potentially risky capital and infrastructure investments without putting so much of the credit of New York on the line. However, it also allows them to avoid many of the oversight and reporting regulations that apply to state government.
At the end of 2005, there were 866 public benefit corporations,[74] of which 266 were public authorities.[75]
Library district
Library districts are usually coextensive with the same school district but raise taxes separately and serve all the residents of the library district. They often form cooperative associations with other library districts for shared services, purchasing and cross-library lending.
Lake Protection and Rehabilitation district
Lake Protection and Rehabilitation districts are created to allow local government entities raise additional tax funding for projects in and around lakes. The NY State legislature defines these projects and duties as:
Initiating and coordinating research and surveys for the purpose of gathering data on the lake, related shorelands, and the drainage basin; Planning lake rehabilitation projects; Adopting by resolution rules for carrying out their duties and plans for lake rehabilitation projects; Contacting and attempting to secure the cooperation of officials of units of general purpose government in the area for the purpose of enacting ordinances deemed necessary by the board of supervisors as furthering the objectives of the district; Carrying out lake protection and rehabilitation projects and obtaining any necessary permits therefor; and Maintaining liaison with those officials of state government and local government involved in lake protection and rehabilitation.[76]
Other types of special purpose units
Other special districts may include emergency rescue squads (also known as Consolidated Health Districts), sanitation, police, water, sewer, park, and parking.
Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population of 1,004,456, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 55,344 (5.8%) from the 949,113 counted in 2010. Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,200 km2), consisting of six cities, 19 towns, and 23 villages. Established in 1683, Westchester was named after the city of Chester, England. The county seat is the city of White Plains, while the most populous municipality in the county is the city of Yonkers, with 211,569 residents per the 2020 census. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
A town is a type of a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, as well as Wisconsin to refer to the equivalent of the civil township in these states; Minnesota uses "town" officially but often uses it and "township" interchangeably. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary in each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both, the boundaries often coincide, especially in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, and may completely geographically subdivide a county. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies civil townships as minor civil divisions. Currently, there are 20 states with civil townships, including Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Most U.S. states and territories have at least two tiers of local government: counties and municipalities. Louisiana uses the term parish and Alaska uses the term borough for what the U.S. Census Bureau terms county equivalents in those states. Civil townships or towns are used as subdivisions of a county in 20 states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.
Massachusetts shares with the five other New England states a governmental structure known as the New England town. Only the southeastern third of the state has functioning county governments; in western, central, and northeastern Massachusetts, traditional county-level government was eliminated in the late 1990s. Generally speaking, there are four kinds of public school districts in Massachusetts: local schools, regional schools, vocational/technical schools, and charter schools.
The borough presidents are the chief executives of the five boroughs of New York City. For most of the city's history, the office exercised significant executive powers within each borough, and the five borough presidents also sat on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was abolished in 1990. After the Board of Estimate was disbanded, the borough presidents were stripped of a majority of their powers in the government of New York City.
Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owned corporations.
The town is the basic unit of local government and local division of state authority in the six New England states. Most other U.S. states lack a direct counterpart to the New England town. New England towns overlie the entire area of a state, similar to civil townships in other states where they exist, but they are fully functioning municipal corporations, possessing powers similar to cities and counties in other states. New Jersey's system of equally powerful townships, boroughs, towns, and cities is the system which is most similar to that of New England. New England towns are often governed by a town meeting, an assembly of eligible town residents. The great majority of municipal corporations in New England are based on the town model; there, statutory forms based on the concept of a compact populated place are uncommon, though elsewhere in the U.S. they are prevalent. County government in New England states is typically weak, and in some states nonexistent. Connecticut, for example, has no county governments, nor does Rhode Island. Both of those states retain counties only as geographic subdivisions with no governmental authority, while Massachusetts has abolished eight of fourteen county governments so far. Counties serve mostly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems and some other state services in the southern New England states while providing varying services in the more sparsely populated three northern New England states.
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council, village council, or board of aldermen.
Local government in Canada can be defined as all elected local authorities which are legally empowered to make decisions on behalf of its electors, excluding the federal government, provincial and territorial governments, and First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments. This can include municipalities, school boards, health authorities, and so on.
The administrative divisions of Wisconsin include counties, cities, villages and towns. In Wisconsin, all of these are units of general-purpose local government. There are also a number of special-purpose districts formed to handle regional concerns, such as school districts.
Connecticut shares with the five other New England states a governmental structure known as the New England town. From 1666 to 1960, Connecticut had a system of county governments, which each had limited powers given to it by the General Assembly. They were abolished by Public Act 152 in 1960. Connecticut also had a system of sheriffs' offices until October 2000, when those were also abolished.
The administrative divisions of Virginia are the areas into which the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, is divided for political and administrative purposes. Some are local governments; others are not. However, all local governments are political subdivisions of the state.
In the United States, the meaning of village varies by geographic area and legal jurisdiction. In formal usage, a "village" is a type of administrative division at the local government level. Since the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from legislating on local government, the states are free to have political subdivisions called "villages" or not to and to define the word in many ways. Typically, a village is a type of municipality, although it can also be a special district or an unincorporated area. It may or may not be recognized for governmental purposes.
Local government in New Jersey is composed of counties and municipalities. Local jurisdictions in New Jersey differ from those in some other states because every square foot of the state is part of exactly one municipality; each of the 564 municipalities is in exactly one county; and each of the 21 counties has more than one municipality. New Jersey has no independent cities, nor consolidated city-counties.
Local government in Pennsylvania is government below the state level in Pennsylvania. There are six types of local governments listed in the Pennsylvania Constitution: county, township, borough, town, city, and school district. All of Pennsylvania is included in one of the state's 67 counties, which are in total subdivided into 2,560 municipalities. There are currently no independent cities or unincorporated territories within Pennsylvania. There is only one incorporated town in Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg.
The government of California has an extensive system of local government that manages public functions throughout the state. Like most states, California is divided into counties, of which there are 58 covering the entire state. Most urbanized areas are incorporated as cities, though not all of California is within the boundaries of a city. School districts, which are independent of cities and counties, handle public education. Many other functions, especially in unincorporated areas, are handled by special districts, which include municipal utility districts, transit districts, health care districts, vector control districts, and geologic hazard abatement districts.
The administrative divisions of Ohio are counties, municipalities, townships, special districts, and school districts.
The U.S. state of Minnesota currently has 3,672 local government entities operating in its borders. These are either counties, towns, cities, school districts, or other special-purpose districts. In addition to the current levels of local government, villages and one borough historically also existed in the state, but they have all been abolished.
↑ "Detailed U.S. Census Bureau map of New York"(PDF). 2000. pp.4, Note the towns of Champlain (Clinton County), Chateaugay (Franklin County), and Bellmont (Franklin County). Retrieved June 13, 2009.
1 2 General Land Information (Map). Suffolk County Department of Information Technology. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
↑ Higley, Stephen (May 30, 2008). "The Gold Coast of Long Island". The Higley 1000. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009. Eldridge successfully lobbied the state legislature and the governor of New York to change the state law's minimum requirement to organize a village from 250 residents to 50. By including his family and his servants, Mr. Eldridge incorporated his estate and set a precedent that was emulated throughout the Gold Coast...the huge upsurge in the population in the twenties witnessed no less than twenty-one "golf club" village incorporations. Many of these "villages" were little more than three or four estate owners banding together to form a municipality.
↑ Johanson, Ellen. "District Information". Bellmore-Merrick CHSD. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2009. The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is located on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, serving 7th through 12th-grade students from Bellmore, North Bellmore, Merrick and North Merrick
↑ "About". Sewanhaka Central High School District. Archived from the original on August 24, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009. By the late 1950s, the post war baby boom had changed the single high school into a Central High School District with five buildings, serving students in grades 7 through 12.
↑ "Our District --District Data & Staff". Valley Stream Central High School District. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2009. The Valley Stream Central High School District is one of only three New York State Districts covering grades 7-12 exclusively.
↑ "BOCES of New York State". Boards of Cooperative Educational Services in New York State. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009. Welcome to the www.boces.org, the Web site representing all 37 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in New York State.
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