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An independent city is a city in the United States of America that does not belong to any county. It should not be confused with a consolidated city-county, in which both city and county government are merged under the laws of the State, but which may contain other cities (such as Philadelphia and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Honolulu and Honolulu County, Hawaii; New Orleans and Orleans Parish, Louisiana; Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky; and Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee). It should also not be confused with a city-stateA city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. City-states were common in the ancient period. A city state was sovereign, although many cities were joined in formal or informal leagues under a high king. Many historical empires or leagues were, a city that is fully independent and part of no other nation state (such as SingaporeThe Republic of Singapore ( Chinese , pinyin: Xinjiapo Gonghegu Malay Republik Singapura Tamil , Cingkappur Kudiyarasu , is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, at latitude 1°17'35"N longitude 103°51'20"E, situated on the southern tip of Malay Peninsul). Essentially the same concept exists in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, where it is referred to as a unitary authorityA unitary authority is a term used in a two-tier local government system to describe a unit of local government that operates as a single tier. New Zealand In New Zealand a unitary authority is a territorial authority (district or city) which also perform—the term "city" in the UK being reserved for towns of historic importance or significant size and requiring a formal grant of city statuscathedral, such as York Minster. City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The status does not apply automatically on the basis of any particular criteria, although it was traditionally given to from the monarchThe British monarch or Sovereign is the head of state of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and is the source of all executive, judicial and (as the Queen-in-Parliament legislative power. The monarch is also Supreme Governor of the Church of.Likewise, some countries have made their capitalThis article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see capital (disambiguation In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meanins independent of any state. The city of Washington, for example is not in any state; it comprises the entirety of the District of Columbia, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Congress, but is given a limited home rule. The only governments are the city and federal, without any intervening state, territory, or district bureaucracy. The same is true of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, and Brasília, Brazil. This is parallel to an independent city — a city under a state, with no county, parish, or borough in between, as is typical in other places.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, all municipalities incorporated as cities are by law (since 1871) independent cities. Other Virginia municipalities, even though they may be more populous than some existing independent cities, are incorporated as towns, which are always located within a county. Of the approximately 43 independent cities in the United States, 39 are in Virginia.
In other states of the US, independent cities are relatively rare. To leave a county is a very limited example of urban secession, a concept which usually applies when a city is leaving a state or province but staying within a nation.
List of independent cities in the United States (partial, add as known)
All municipalities incorporated as cities in Virginia are independent, even if they are the seat of a county:
- Alexandria, Virginia
- Bedford, Virginia
- Bristol, Virginia
- Buena Vista, Virginia
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Chesapeake, Virginia
- Colonial Heights, Virginia
- Covington, Virginia
- Danville, Virginia
- Emporia, Virginia
- Fairfax, Virginia
- Falls Church, Virginia
- Franklin, Virginia
- Fredericksburg, Virginia
- Galax, Virginia
- Hampton, Virginia
- Harrisonburg, Virginia
- Hopewell, Virginia
- Lexington, Virginia
- Lynchburg, Virginia
- Manassas, Virginia
- Manassas Park, Virginia
- Martinsville, Virginia
- Newport News, Virginia
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Norton, Virginia
- Petersburg, Virginia
- Poquoson, Virginia
- Portsmouth, Virginia
- Radford, Virginia
- Richmond, Virginia
- Roanoke, Virginia
- Salem, Virginia
- Staunton, Virginia
- Suffolk, Virginia
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Waynesboro, Virginia
- Williamsburg, Virginia
- Winchester, Virginia
Cities Independent cities
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