Administrative divisions of New York (state) facts for kids
New York State has many different types of local governments that help provide services to its residents. These are called administrative divisions. They include boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. Each of these is like a small government, created by the New York State Legislature, which is the state's law-making body. They all have their own leaders and provide services like keeping roads safe or managing local parks.
The way a place is called a borough, city, town, or village isn't just about how many people live there or how big it is. It depends on the type of government the people living there choose. Each type of local government has special powers given to it by the New York State Constitution. Sometimes, a village might become a city, or a village might decide to stop being a village. These changes always need the state legislature to approve them.
New York also has other groups that provide services, like school districts and fire districts. These groups have their own ways of being managed. Almost all land in New York is part of a city or a town, which is then part of a county. The only exceptions are the city of Geneva, New York City, and ten Indian reservations.
As of 2009, New York had 62 counties. This includes the five boroughs of New York City, which are also counties. These counties are divided into 933 towns and 61 cities. In total, New York has over 3,400 active local governments.
Contents
Understanding Local Government Powers in New York
Local governments in New York have special powers called "home rule." This means they can make their own rules and provide services to their residents. They do this while following the rules of both the United States Constitution and the New York State Constitution.
The state constitution explains the rights and duties of these local governments. It says that counties, cities, towns, and villages should have elected leaders. These leaders can create local laws to help their communities and make sure services are provided.
Counties in New York State
A county is the main way New York State is divided. There are 62 counties in New York. Five of these counties are actually the five boroughs of New York City. These five boroughs don't have their own separate county governments because New York City handles those services.
Counties were first created to help the state government do its job. But now, counties are like their own local governments. They have the power and money to offer many services. These services often include:
- Law enforcement and public safety (like the sheriff's office)
- Social and health services (like Medicaid)
- Education (like special needs programs and community colleges)
Every county outside of New York City has a special place called a "county seat." This is where the county government offices are located.
Most counties in New York have a legislative body that makes decisions. This body might be called a County Legislature, Board of Legislators, or Board of Representatives. The five counties in New York City are governed by the 51-member City Council.
Some counties have an elected leader called a County Executive. This person is separate from the legislative body and helps manage the county's daily operations.
Cities in New York State
A city in New York is a very independent area. Most cities are located within one county. The only exceptions are New York City and Geneva. Cities provide almost all services to their residents. They also have the most power to make their own rules and collect taxes.
The main difference between a city and a village is how they are set up. Cities follow their own special rules called "charters." These charters can be very different from one city to another. Most villages, however, follow a standard statewide law called the Village Law. Also, villages are part of a town, but cities are usually not. The city of Sherrill is a special case; it acts like a village within the town of Vernon for some things.
There are 62 cities in New York State. As of 2000, more than half of New York's residents lived in a city. About 42% lived in New York City, and about 12% lived in one of the other 61 cities. The cities of New York and Albany were given their city charters way back in 1686 by the English colonial governor. All other cities were created by the state legislature.
Cities can choose different forms of government. The most common form is the "mayor-council" system.
- Strong Mayor-Council: The mayor is the main leader and manager of the city. A city council makes laws. The mayor can say "no" to council decisions, prepares the city's budget, and hires or fires department heads.
- Weak Mayor-Council: The mayor is mostly a ceremonial leader. The city council makes laws and manages the city. The mayor usually cannot say "no" to council decisions.
- Council-Manager: A professional manager, hired by the city council, runs the city's daily operations. The mayor (if there is one) is mostly ceremonial. The manager hires and fires department heads and prepares the budget.
- Commission: Elected commissioners manage different city departments and also act as the law-making body. There might not be a mayor in this system.
New York City is a unique case. In the 1890s, many smaller cities, villages, and towns merged to form the "City of Greater New York." This process was mostly finished by 1898. Today, New York City covers the entire area of five counties: New York (Manhattan), Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Bronx, and Richmond (Staten Island). Even though these are counties, they don't have their own county governments. Instead, each borough has a Borough Board and a Borough President, but the city's main leader is the Mayor.
The biggest city in New York is New York City, with over 8.5 million people and covering more than 300 square miles of land. The smallest city by population is Sherrill, New York, with just 3,071 people in 2010. The smallest city by area is Mechanicville, New York, covering less than one square mile.
It's important to know that some places with "city" in their name are not actually cities. For example, Johnson City and Garden City are not cities.
City Wards and Districts
Some cities, like Albany, are divided into "wards." Each ward elects one person to represent them in the city's government. These divisions are usually redrawn every ten years. In other cities, like Buffalo, these divisions are called "districts."
New York City used to have wards, but they were replaced by other types of districts. The New York City Council members are now elected from special districts that can even cross borough lines. New York City also has its own unique divisions, which we'll learn about later.
Towns in New York State
In New York, a town is a local government unit that is a major division of each county. Towns are similar to "townships" in other states. In New York, almost everyone who doesn't live in a city or on an Indian reservation lives in a town.
Towns provide many important local government services. Some towns offer almost all services to their residents, while others might mostly focus on things like road maintenance. There are 933 towns in New York. As of 2000, about 45% of New York's residents lived in a town. Unlike cities and villages, every town in New York is completely inside one single county.
New York towns are officially called "towns of the first class" or "towns of the second class." While they used to have different powers, since 1964, all towns have the same legal powers. However, they still have some organizational differences.
The town board is the law-making part of the town government. It includes an elected town supervisor and a certain number of elected council persons. The supervisor leads the board and votes on all matters. Some towns also have a town manager or chief executive officer who handles the daily management. Towns also have a separate judicial branch called the Town Court or Justice Court.
A town can contain one or more villages. Many towns do not have any villages. Some towns are exactly the same as their single village and share the same name, like Green Island in Albany County. When this happens, officials might work for both the village and town governments at the same time. Villages remain part of the towns they are in. This means village residents pay taxes to both the town and the village, and they vote in both town and village elections.
Towns can also have several "hamlets" and communities. A hamlet is a community within a town that is not officially a village. The United States Postal Service (USPS) often uses the hamlet's name for its post office. Businesses and local fire departments might also use the hamlet's name.
Towns in New York can also be divided into wards, similar to cities. However, only about 15 of the state's 932 towns use this system. In these towns, citizens vote for council members who represent a specific ward, rather than voting for council members who represent the whole town.
Towns vary a lot in size and population. The largest town by land area is Webb in Herkimer County, covering 451 square miles. The smallest town is Green Island, covering only 0.7 square miles. The town of Hempstead in Nassau County is very large, with about 760,000 people (2010 census). This makes it more populated than any city in the state except New York City. The least populated town is Red House, with only 38 permanent residents (2010 census).
Just like with cities, some places with "town" in their name are not actually towns. For example, Cooperstown is a village, and Jamestown is a city. Levittown is an unincorporated hamlet.
Census-Designated Places (CDPs)
A "census-designated place" (CDP) is a special area defined by the United States Census Bureau. It's a place where many people live closely together, but it's not part of an official city or village. CDPs are identified by a local name. They can even cross town and county borders. The Census Bureau works with state and local officials to define these areas for each census.
Hamlets in New York
A hamlet is a community within a town that is not officially a village. It's an "unincorporated community." Hamlets don't have their own government. They rely on the town (or towns) they are in for all their services and government. Because they don't have governments, hamlets don't have clear official boundaries.
The Suffolk County government publishes maps that show hamlet boundaries. However, towns within Suffolk County might have different maps that don't always agree on the number of hamlets or their exact borders. Still, all land not inside a village is managed by the town.
Most hamlets in New York have less clear boundaries. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) puts up green signs with white letters to mark hamlet names along roads. Local governments also put up signs at the entrances to hamlets. Many towns have special plans or rules for their hamlets.
Some hamlets used to be villages that decided to stop being incorporated. Examples include Old Forge and Rosendale. Even though hamlets aren't cities or towns, their names are often used in mailing addresses. The United States Postal Service (USPS) uses the ZIP Code to figure out the correct location for mail delivery.
Villages in New York State
A village in New York is an officially incorporated area. About 85% of villages are located within a single town. Villages have clear legal boundaries. A village is a local government that provides services to its residents. These services might include garbage collection, street maintenance, street lighting, and building rules. Some villages even have their own police departments.
Villages have less independence than cities. While cities are not under a town's control, villages are legally still part of the town (or towns) they are in. This means village residents pay taxes to both the town and the village. They also vote in both town and village elections. Any services not provided by the village are provided by the town. As of the 2000 census, about 9.9% of New York's population lived in one of its 556 villages.
The village's law-making body is the board of trustees. It usually includes a mayor and four trustees. The board approves the mayor's choices, manages village money and property, and approves the budget. The mayor is usually the village's chief executive. The mayor can vote on all matters before the board and must vote to break a tie. The mayor usually doesn't have veto power unless a local law gives it to them. The mayor's duties include making sure laws are followed and supervising employees. Some villages have a full-time village manager who does these administrative jobs instead of the mayor.
Most villages follow a standard statewide law called the Village Law. However, twelve villages still operate under special "charters" that were given to them by the state legislature before 1874. These villages must still follow parts of the Village Law that don't conflict with their charters.
To become an incorporated village, an area must have at least 1,500 people and not already be part of a city or village. Also, the proposed village can't be larger than 5 square miles unless its borders match another district (like a school or fire district) or the entire town. The process starts with a petition from residents or property owners. If everything is legal, only the qualified voters living in the proposed village get to vote on whether to incorporate. Some villages have fewer than 500 residents today because they incorporated when the population requirement was lower, or their population has decreased since then.
A village can also be dissolved, which means all government control goes back to the town level. This process can be started by the village board or by a petition from residents. The village board must create a "dissolution plan" that explains how the village's debts, employees, and property will be handled. This plan is then voted on by only the village voters.
About 15% of villages cross 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 even in three towns and two counties!
Five towns are exactly the same as their single village and have a special "coterminous town-village" government.
It's important to know that some places with "village" in their name are not actually villages. For example, Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Queens Village are all neighborhoods in New York City.
New York City's Unique Divisions
New York City has its own special way of dividing up its areas.
Boroughs of New York City
A borough is one of the five main administrative divisions of New York City. Boroughs don't exist anywhere else in New York State. Each of the five boroughs of New York City is also a county of New York State. This happened in 1898 when New York City merged with the surrounding counties, cities, and towns to form the city as we know it today.
The five boroughs are:
- The Bronx (which is also Bronx County)
- Brooklyn (which is also Kings County)
- Manhattan (which is also New York County)
- Queens (which is also Queens County)
- Staten Island (which is also Richmond County)
1. Manhattan
2. Brooklyn
3. Queens
4. The Bronx
5. Staten Island
The boroughs were originally meant to keep some local control within the big merged city. Each borough elects a borough president. While borough presidents used to have a lot of power, their role is now mostly ceremonial and advisory. Boroughs act like counties for some things, but they don't have their own county governments. For example, the five New York City district attorneys are still elected by county.
Community Districts in New York City
New York City has 59 community districts. Each district has an advisory group called a community board. Each board has 50 unpaid members who are appointed by the borough president. Half of these members are suggested by the City Council members who represent that area.
The community boards have very limited power. They give advice on things like land use, zoning, the budget, and other community concerns. The boards can suggest actions to the city government, but they cannot force the city to do anything. Each board is identified by its borough name and a number, like Manhattan Community Board 3.
See also
In Spanish: División administrativa del Estado de Nueva York para niños
Images for kids
-
.
Map showing municipalities in New York, as well as cities not included within a town. New York City is shown as divided into boroughs.
-
The wards of New York City as they were in 1683.
