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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Is there any generally accepted definition … or is it a free for all?I think I can see to which end of the scale it is tending! (Carefully handling the preposition). Thank you all for the information. There are some surprises there, particularly in the Washington State situation, but I guess historical reasons prevail as they do over here. In general I think the decisions seem to be based on much the same guidelines as here – where at one time you needed a cathedral to be a city, but that changed some time back. In case anyone is interested this link includes the factors involved in making a new city in the UK. http://www.lcd.gov.uk/constitution/city/cityhome.htm
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
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Interestingly enough, Northampton, which has 200,000 people, was refused city status recently. No cathedral. So it remains a borough, the largest, I believe, in Britain. Well, since people from Northampton typically look down on those of us living in Wellingborough as being the country hick cousin types, do I care?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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In the Commonwealth of Virginia, there are a bunch of cities, all of which have one hting in common -- they have received a charter from the State, the consitutiton of which gives the legislature the authority to charter or incorporate a city.
There cities are entirely independent of and not a part of counties. Alexandria, in northern Virginia, is an independent city, while Arlington, the area to the north of it and just as urbanized, is organized as a county.
Right in the middle of Fairfax County is the City of Fairfax, which was incorporated back towards the middle of the last century, somewhere around 1972 or perhaps a bit earlier.
Here in Colorado cities are often superimposed upon counties. In fact Aurora, the city in which I reside, has parts in three different counties, Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas. Denver, though, is legally entitled the City and County of Denver.
In the US, in the final analysis, a city is what the individual state says it is.
I was interested in the NY definition about the fire department being part of what a city has to have.
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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back towards the middle of the last century, somewhere around 1972 or perhaps a bit earlier. emphasis added
ok, this one tripped me out.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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No one has yet mentioned the important linguistic connection between "city" and "citizen" but I am fairly certain that such a connection exists. Does it mean that townies are not citizens? In a sense, I suppose it does.
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old hand
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old hand
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Does it mean that townies are not citizens?
In Newfoundland, townies are residents of the city of St. John's. Go figure. And anyone else is from around the bay.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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In college towns (whether or not they are cities) townies are year round residents as opposed to college students.
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Pooh-Bah
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OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
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Spurred on by Father Steve:
These two definitions come from the Online Etymology Dictionary:
citizen - c.1314, from Anglo-Fr. citezein (spelling alt. by infl. of denizen), from O.Fr. citeain, from cite (see city), replacing O.E. burhsittend and ceasterware. Sense of "inhabitant of a country" is 1380s.
I wonder what brought about the sense of "inhabitant of a country"? That is not explained here. It is also interesting that the 'z' came into English from the French, not from the American!
For what it's worth, here is the entry for 'city':
city - c.1225, from O.Fr. cite, in medieval usage a cathedral town, but orig. meaning any settlement, regardless of size (distinction from town is 14c., though in Eng. it always seems to have ranked above borough), from earlier citet, from L. civitatem (nom. civitas) orig. "citizenship, community of citizens," from civis "townsman," from PIE base *kei- "to lie, homestead." The L. word for "city" was urbs, but a resident was civis. Civitas seems to have replaced urbs as Rome (the ultimate urbs) lost its prestige. City hall first recorded 1675; city slicker first recorded 1924 (see slick); both Amer.Eng. Inner city first attested 1968.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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OK, so where does -polis meaning city come from? is it greek? (neopolis=naples=new city) supposedly started by greeks after the trojian war--) but hoi poli--the common people would hint that poli /polis are related --and perhaps related to population?
i'll go look it up after i have read all the other posts..
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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1/2 right, of troy. Polis is the Greek for city. Apart from its use in place names, we also have to thank this root for politics etc. Hoi polloi is Greek for the (hoi) many (polloi). Polloi is the masculine plural of the adjective from which we get our prefix poly meaning many (polygamy, polyandry etc.)As far as I know there's no connection between polis and the poly adjective.
Populus on the other hand comes from the Latin for people (in the political sense). Hence SPQR Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Roman Senate and People).
Bingley
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