The Worst City To Call Home In Every U.S State

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by JManc

My point of reference is New York but if it has a mayor/ city council and is incorporated as such, it's a city no matter the size. Towns are not municipalities and again, in New York, act as little counties. If towns were considered cities in NYS, the second largest 'city' would be Hempstead which has about 750k people. There are four other towns bigger than Buffalo, the actual second largest city.

Here in Texas, I think it's either a city or unincorporated. Regardless of size...

Does Texas have townships? New York towns are fairly equivalent to unincorporated townships in many other states.

[Steely Dan]

Incorporation laws vary wildly by state. So it wouldn't be very wise to simply say "anything incorporated as a city is a city".

IL's municipal incorporation laws are super liberal and allow absolutely tiny little fly speck places to incorporate as "cities" if they want to.

The smallest IL "city" is Nason, IL, a tiny little rural community way down in Jefferson county with a population of just 236.

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Incorporation laws vary wildly by state. So it wouldn't be very wise to simply say "anything incorporated as a city is a city".

IL's municipal incorporation laws are super liberal and allow absolutely tiny little fly speck places to incorporate as "cities" if they want to.

The smallest IL "city" is Nason, IL, a tiny little rural community way down in Jefferson county with a population of just 236.

Indian Creek near Miami has a population of 84 (and yet has its own Police force...etc). Jared and Ivanka among them, and Tom Brady just bought a place there

[Steely Dan]

^ Indian Creek, FL is Incorporated as a "village" not a "city".

IL has many incorporated villages in the sub-100 person range.

Doesn't make a ton of sense, but that's IL's very liberal incorporation laws at work.

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ Indian Creek, FL is Incorporated as a "village" not a "city".

IL has many incorporated villages in the sub-100 person range.

Doesn't make a ton of sense, but that's IL's very liberal incorporation laws at work.

Legally there's no difference. They are all municipalities under Florida law in Miami-Dade County. Village is just a name it calls itself. Its just a much of an independent entity as Miami or Miami Beach are

[Steely Dan]

^ well, the tangent was "anything incoporated as a city is a city".

Indian Creek is incorporated as a village, so there is zero danger of anyone mistaking it for a "city".

Nason, IL, on the other hand, is incorporated as a city (grandfathered), and yet with only 236 people in the middle of southern IL's cornfields, I don't think you'll find many people who would consider it a "city" in the conventionally understood sense. It is text book "small town".

[JManc]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Does Texas have townships? New York towns are fairly equivalent to unincorporated townships in many other states.

No, just cities. You either live in a city or unincorporated areas where water, sewer, road maintenance, police and other basic services are handled at the county level.

I think New York towns are 'weaker' in powers than New England townships.

[edale]

Ohio's threshold for cities is 5,000 people. Incorporated municipalities of under 5,000 are classified as Villages. They are both incorporated, and can have their own services. There are also townships, which are not incorporated, and do not have their own police, fire, and other services. They get those provided by the county. Townships were meant for rural areas, but there are some very urbanized/suburbanized ones. The largest townships around Cincinnati are in the 60,000 range. They should be incorporated as cities, but alas.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

I'm actually surprised they didn't pick Cairo. At least East St. Louis is a very short train ride away from downtown STL.

They nailed Nevada. Pahrump is hell.

A lot of the choices are very questionable though. Knoxville, Manchester, Wilmington, Knoxville? No...

cairo is materially far worse, at least there is a semblance of an economic engine nearby east st louis. east st. louis is also comparatively chill compared to parts of the missouri side.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

cairo is materially far worse,

And also well on its way to not existing at all.

From a high of 15,203 in 1920 dwindling down to 1,733 in 2020, a roughly 90% decrease over the last century.

There's an old joke in many cities that used to go: "will the last person to leave city X please turn off the light?"

A little too real to be funny in Cairo, IL

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by edale

There are also townships, which are not incorporated, and do not have their own police, fire, and other services. They get those provided by the county. Townships were meant for rural areas, but there are some very urbanized/suburbanized ones. The largest townships around Cincinnati are in the 60,000 range. They should be incorporated as cities, but alas.

Townships in PA are incorporated and have their own police/fire/services.

Similarly in PA, the suburban townships are quite large.

I think like 12 of the largest 25 municipalities by population in Pennsylvania are townships.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Townships in PA are incorporated and have their own police/fire/services.

Similarly in PA, the suburban townships are quite large.

I think like 12 of the largest 25 municipalities by population in Pennsylvania are townships.

Just about every municipality that has incorporated in Michigan since the 1940s is a "charter township". It's a stupid category that Michigan created to facilitate suburban growth. Charter townships effectively have the same power as cities, but the government doesn't have taxation powers. Taxes can only be levied if approved by the majority of voters. About 1/3 of Metro Detroit's population resides in a charter township.