kosovohp
Posts : 708 Join date : 2010-08-26
| Subject: County-equivalent Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:46 pm | |
| Louisiana has no counties. Their parishes are, for all legal purposes, the equivalents of the counties found in 48 of the 49 other states. In Virginia, all municipalities incorporated as cities are legally independent of any county that would otherwise contain them. However, Virginia also has traditional counties as found in virtually all other states. As all parts of Virginia are located in either a county or an independent city, Virginia's independent cities are considered county-equivalents. Three other cities within the United States are legally independent of any county: Baltimore (Maryland); Carson City (Nevada); and St. Louis (Missouri). These are also county-equivalents. Alaska is unique in several respects. The unit of government directly below the state level is called a borough instead of a county. Although the city of Anchorage is legally called the Municipality of Anchorage, it is considered a consolidated city and borough under state law. All of Alaska's boroughs except the so-called Unorganized Borough (see below) are considered county-equivalents. Washington, D.C.[1], like the capitals of many other countries (see below), has a special status. It is not part of any state; instead, it comprises the entirety of the District of Columbia, which, in accordance with Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. When founded, the District was in fact divided into two counties and two independent cities. Alexandria County (which now forms Arlington County and a portion of the independent city of Alexandria) was given back to Virginia in 1846, while the three remaining entities (the City of Washington, Georgetown City and Washington County) were merged into a consolidated government by an act of Congress in 1871 and Georgetown was formally abolished as a city entity by another act in 1895. Congress has established a home-rule government for the city, although city laws can be overridden by Congress which has occurred even in recent years. Other than the lack of representation in Congress for its citizens, the city operates much like other independent cities in the United States, although technically, it does not meet the legal definition of one. In all respects, however, the US media does treat Washington D.C. as an independent city. phone psychicÜbersetzung Deutsch Französisch | |
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