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#REDIRECT [[List of states and territories of the United States]] {{R from merge}}
{{work in progress}}
The various states are then typically subdivided into [[county (United States)|counties]]. [[Louisiana]] uses the term [[List of parishes in Louisiana|parish]] and [[Alaska]] uses the term [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|borough]] for what the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] terms [[county equivalent]]s in those states.
Counties and county equivalents may be further subdivided into [[township (United States)|townships]]. [[New England town|Town]]s in [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Wisconsin]] and [[New England]] are treated as equivalents to townships by the Census Bureau. Townships or towns are used as subdivisions of a county in 20 states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.<ref name=census>[https://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/gc021x2.pdf 2002 Census of Governments, Individual State Descriptions] ([[PDF]])</ref>
Population centers may be organized into [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] [[city|cities]], [[town]]s, [[Village (United States)|village]]s, and other types of [[municipalities]]. Municipalities are typically subordinate to a county government, with some exceptions. Certain cities, for example, have consolidated with their county government as [[consolidated city-county|consolidated city-counties]]. In [[Virginia]], cities are completely [[Independent city (United States)|independent]] from the county in which they would otherwise be a part. In some states, particularly in [[New England]], [[New England town|towns]] form the primary unit of local government below the state level, in some cases eliminating the need for county government entirely.
Each of the five permanently inhabited [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] is also subdivided into smaller entities. Puerto Rico has [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|78 municipalities]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] has 4 municipalities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html|title=US Census Bureau Geography 2010 FIPS Code Files for Counties and County Equivalent Entities|website=www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|language=en-US|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> [[Guam]] has [[List of populated places in Guam#List of villages|villages]], the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]] has [[Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands|districts]], and [[American Samoa]] has [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|districts and unorganized atolls]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitguam.com/about-guam/villages/|title=Chamorro Villages in Guam {{!}} Chamorro Culture|website=www.visitguam.com|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>[https://legvi.org Legislature of the Virgin Islands] Legvi.org. Retrieved July 7, 2018.</ref>
Each [[Indian Reservation]] is subdivided in various ways. For example, the [[Navajo Nation]] is subdivided into agencies and [[Chapter house (Navajo Nation)|Chapter houses]], while the [[Blackfeet Indian Reservation|Blackfeet Nation]] is subdivided into [[Blackfeet Indian Reservation|Communities]]. The Federal government also maintains exclusive jurisdiction over [[military bases|military installations]] and American [[embassy|embassies]] and [[consulate]]s located in foreign countries. Other special purpose divisions exist separately from those for general governance, examples of which include [[conservation district]]s and [[Congressional district]]s.
==States and their subdivisions==
===Counties===
{{main|County (United States)}}
The states are divided into smaller administrative regions, called [[county (United States)|counties]] in all but two states. In Alaska, the [[county (United States)#County equivalents|county equivalents]] are called [[borough (United States)|borough]]s (parts of the state which are not included in any borough are considered part of the [[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]], which itself is divided into [[census area]]s), and in Louisiana, the county equivalents are called [[parish (subnational entity)|parish]]es. Counties have varying degrees of political and legal significance. In some states, mainly in [[New England]], they are primarily used as judicial districts. In other states, counties have broad powers in housing, education, transportation and recreation.
Counties may contain a number of [[city|cities]], towns, villages, or [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]], or sometimes just a part of a city. Some cities are consolidated with, and coterminous with, their counties, including [[Philadelphia]], [[Honolulu]], [[San Francisco]], [[Nashville]], and [[Denver]]—that is to say, these counties consist in their entirety of a single municipality the government of which also operates as the county government. Some counties, such as [[Arlington County, Virginia]], do not have any additional subdivisions. Some states contain [[independent city (United States)|independent cities]] that are not part of any county. Each of the five boroughs of [[New York City]] is coterminous with a county.
===Townships and municipalities===
{{Main|Local government in the United States#Municipal governments}}
There are approximately [[List of cities in the United States|30,000 incorporated cities]] in the United States, with varying degrees of self-rule.
In many states, most or all of the land area of counties is divided into [[Township (United States)|townships]]. In New York, Wisconsin and New England, county subdivisions are called [[Incorporated town#United States|towns]]. The U.S. Census divides counties in states not having such subdivisions into other [[minor civil division]]s, sometimes using electoral districts. The terms "township" and "town" are closely related (in many historical documents the terms are used interchangeably). However, the powers granted to townships or towns vary considerably from state to state. Many states grant townships some governmental powers (making them [[civil township]]s, either independently or as a part of the county government. In others, [[survey township]]s are non-governmental. In New England, towns are a principal form of local municipal government, providing many of the functions of counties in other states. In [[California]], by contrast, the pertinent statutes of the Government Code clarify that "town" is simply another word for "city", especially a general law city as distinct from a [[charter city]]. Also, in some states, large areas have no general-purpose local government below the county level.
Some townships or other incorporated areas like [[Village (United States)|villages]], [[Borough (United States)|boroughs]], [[Plantation (Maine)|plantations]], and [[Hamlet (place)#United States|hamlets]] have governments and political power; others are simply geographic designations. Townships in many states are generally the product of the [[Public Land Survey System]].
==Political divisions administered by the federal government==
The United States also holds several other territories, districts, and possessions. As these jurisdictions are not part of one of the various states, sovereignty of them rests solely with Congress, and they are governed by Congress in accord with its [[plenary power]] under [[Article Four of the United States Constitution#Clause 2: Property Clause|Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2]] of the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]]. This governing power includes [[extraterritorial jurisdiction]] in overseas [[military bases|military installations]], American [[embassy|embassies]] and [[consulate]]s located in foreign countries, and [[research center]]s and [[Antarctic field camps|field camps]] in [[Antarctica]]. Additionally, it exercises [[concurrent jurisdiction]] to varying degrees with the states in many domestic [[federal enclave]]s.
===American Indian reservations===
{{main|Indian reservation}}
American [[Indian reservation]]s are areas of [[land (economics)|land]] managed by an [[Native Americans of the United States|American Indian]] [[tribe]] under the [[United States Department of the Interior]]'s [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]]. There are about 310 [[List of Indian reservations in the United States|Indian reservations in the United States]]. Tribes possess limited [[tribal sovereignty]] over the land in their reservation. As a result, laws on tribal lands may vary from the surrounding area.<ref>Wade Davies and Richmond L. Clow, American Indian Sovereignty and Law: An Annotated Bibliography (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009).</ref> The tribal council, not the county or state government, generally has jurisdiction over reservations. Different reservations have different systems of government, which may or may not replicate the forms of government found outside the reservation. Most Indian reservations were established by the federal government; a limited number, mainly in the East, owe their origin to state recognition.<ref>Veronica E. Velarde Tiller, ed., Tiller's Guide to Indian Country: Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations (Albuquerque: BowArrow Pub., 1996/2005)</ref>
Residents of a reservation may vote as residents of a state and are required to pay federal taxes. The special status of reservations has created both opportunities (such as gambling in states that normally disallow it) and challenges (such as the unwillingness of some companies to do business in an area where they are not certain what laws will apply to them).
==Federal oversight of United States territory==
===United States Department of the Interior===
On March 3, 1849, the last day of the 30th Congress, a bill was passed to create the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]] to take charge of the internal affairs of ''United States territory''. The Interior Department has a wide range of responsibilities (which include the regulation of territorial governments, the basic responsibilities for public lands, and other various duties).
In contrast to similarly named Departments in other countries, the United States Department of the Interior is not responsible for local government or for civil administration except in the cases of Indian reservations, through the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA), and island dependencies, through the [[Office of Insular Affairs]] (OIA).
==Other defined areas==
In addition to general-purpose government entities legislating at the state, county, and city level, special-purpose areas may exist as well. [[Conservation district]]s are one such type of special purpose area, created for the purpose of conserving land, natural scenery, flora, and fauna. [[Congressional district]]s are another example, formed for the purpose of electing members to the [[United States Congress]].
There are also numerous "[[Special district (United States)|special district governments]]" in existence throughout the various states. According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], such governments are: {{quote|independent, special-purpose governmental units (other than [[school district]] governments) that exist as separate entities with substantial administrative and fiscal independence from general-purpose local governments. Special district governments provide specific services that are not being supplied by existing general-purpose governments. Most perform a single function, but, in some instances, their enabling legislation allows them to provide several, usually related, types of services. The services provided by these districts range from such basic social needs as hospitals and fire protection to the less conspicuous tasks of mosquito abatement and upkeep of cemeteries. The Census Bureau classification of special district governments covers a wide variety of entities, most of which are officially called districts or authorities.<ref>{{cite report| last=U.S. Census Bureau| title=2002 Census of Governments, Vol 1, Number 1, Government Organization, GC02(1)-1| publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office| date=2002| location=Washington, D.C.| pages=vii–viii| url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/gc021x1.pdf| access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>}}
Additionally, U.S. courts have ruled that there are smaller areas which are to be considered as fulfilling government functions, and should therefore be bound by the same restrictions placed on "traditional" local government bodies. These include [[homeowners association]]s (determined in ''[[Shelley v. Kraemer]]'', ''Loren v. Sasser'', ''Committee for a Better Twin Rivers v. Twin Rivers Homeowners' Association''), and company-owned towns (both for employees and for consumers, decided in the [[United States Supreme Court|USSC]] case ''[[Marsh v. Alabama]]'' in 1946). Many homeowners' and neighborhood associations are considered [[non-profit organization]]s, but have the ability to raise [[taxes]] or fees, fine members for infractions against association-rules, and initiate lawsuits. The question of [[civil rights]] in such communities has not yet been conclusively determined, and varies from state to state.
==External links==
* [https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geographic-areas-reference-manual.html U.S. Census Bureau Geographic Areas Reference Manual]
* {{cite web |last1=Fahim |first1=Mayraj |title=US voters are not convinced that big is better in local government |url=http://citymayors.com/government/mergers_locgov.html |publisher=City Mayors Foundation |date=25 April 2005}}
* [https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/ Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Project]
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