# Can a city be in more than one state? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509 "2023-03-22T18:40:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/1 "2023-03-22T18:40:17Z")
Can a single city be comprised of land in more than one state? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/2 "2023-03-22T18:46:43Z")
Kansas City exists in both Kansas and Missouri. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/3 "2023-03-22T18:47:46Z")
Dido Texarkana TX/AR. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/4 "2023-03-22T18:47:47Z")
A city as a municipal government is a creation of a state government. It can only have one state. A city as a location where people live can cross state lines. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/5 "2023-03-22T18:47:54Z")
Absolutely not-Those are two different cities nowhere nowhere each other. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/6 "2023-03-22T18:48:27Z")
Those are twin cities with the same name. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/7 "2023-03-22T18:51:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Absolutely not-Those are two different cities nowhere nowhere each other. They literally share a border - check out State Line Road - Kansas City, KS on one side and Kansas City, MO on the other side of the street. But, they are two different municipalities, so yes, they are two cities, not one. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/8 "2023-03-22T18:53:24Z")
Kansas City Kansas and Kansas City Missouri are definitely separate cities - but they aren’t far apart. They are [adjacent](https://www.quora.com/How-far-is-it-from-Kansas-City-KS-to-Kansas-City-MO) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/9 "2023-03-22T18:53:46Z")
I sit corrected. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/10 "2023-03-22T18:54:37Z")
Those are 2 separate cities, with separate city governments. They just happen to be adjacent & share a name. Same thing with Texarkana. Since municipalities are generally creations of the state government, and are subject to state laws (and state taxes), it seems that it would be difficult to create a city with a single city government, which spans 2 different states. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/11 "2023-03-22T18:55:53Z")
As Pleonast mentioned in the US cities are creations of their state governments so you cannot have a city occupying parts of two or more states. However, in Canada there is at least one city that is located in two provinces that has a single municipal administration. Lloydminster is located in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/12 "2023-03-22T19:12:52Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Kansas City Kansas and Kansas City Missouri are definitely separate cities - but they aren’t far apart. They are [adjacent](https://www.quora.com/How-far-is-it-from-Kansas-City-KS-to-Kansas-City-MO) There is also a North Kansas City, which despite the name is enclaved by Kansas City (MO). There are ‘settler communities’ that pre-existed statehood and have been divided by state lines forming one metropolitan area but they are now independent municipalities because as @muldoonthief notes they gain sovereign authority via their respective states. Many cities do exist in multiple counties or parishes because one does not derive authority from the other. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/13 "2023-03-22T19:15:34Z")
Texarkana is the only one that is close seeing how they share many municipal services and people in Texarkana, AR do not pay state income tax as if they lived in Texas. However there are two separate mayors, city councils, school districts, etc. so they are actually two different cities. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/14 "2023-03-22T19:21:44Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Those are 2 separate cities, with separate city governments. They just happen to be adjacent & share a name. I did not know that. Ignorance fought, Sir. Texarkana TX and Texarkana AR have separate city councils. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/15 "2023-03-22T19:32:33Z")
Metropolitan areas can spread across state lines. Sometimes the borderline is apparent by nothing more than a sign. Even so the laws and governance also stop at the border. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/16 "2023-03-22T20:05:26Z")
While I was in IT we dealt with this issue writ large. Many major US conurbations span state lines. The Feds wanted these places to have a single joint emergency management infrastructure. The fact counties and municipalities _must_ be wholly within one state totally stymies this goal in the US’s normal bottom-up organizational scheme. So the feds spent a _lot_ of money trying to invent umbrella organizations to span city, county, and state lines. Some of which were successful. Some of which were not. Such fun. Or at least such confusion and bureaucratic infighting and inertia. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/17 "2023-03-22T20:30:36Z")
St. Louis would be a good example of an American conurbation that crosses state lines. The border between the Lou and its eastern suburbs is [hard to miss](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River), but some of the St. Louis metro area’s municipal services extend into Illinois. The bus and light-rail systems come immediately to mind. Of course, these may be public-private partnerships or fully private, for all I know, but nevertheless, in a meta sense it’s one city in two states. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/18 "2023-03-22T20:30:55Z")
I’ll argue in favor of [Calexico-Mexicali](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calexico%E2%80%93Mexicali). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/19 "2023-03-22T20:31:45Z")
I’ll raise you [Detroit-Windsor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit%E2%80%93Windsor). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/20 "2023-03-22T20:32:48Z")
A town can even be divided by an international border, though, as mentioned, this typically leads to two municipal administrations due to distinct legal systems. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=2)