# 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:** 2
**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, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/21 "2023-03-22T20:33:07Z")
I’m also reminded of a … well, I’ll call it a “settlement” since “city” doesn’t really work here. Anyway, a few hundred people and their houses, businesses, etc. all in one place. On this side of the street is Missouri, on that side of the street is Oklahoma. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/22 "2023-03-22T20:34:20Z")
Delmar. Line Road (Mason-Dixon line) splits it. Kids go to elementary in MD, HS in DE. DE and MD residents have different school choices, taxes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/23 "2023-03-22T20:39:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Absolutely not-Those are two different cities nowhere nowhere each other. They are literally adjacent. You can stand on State Line Road with one foot in Kansas City, KS and the other in Kansas City, MO. Lloydminster is the only city I can think of where two adjacent states or provinces have agreed to recognize one city. In no other case I can find is that true; there are two KCs, two Texarkanas. In most cases the cities have different names, I guess. Fargo and Moorhead, for instance; St. Louis and ESL, Ottawa and Gatineau. ---
**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, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/24 "2023-03-22T20:41:08Z")
Already pointed out, and acknowledged. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/25 "2023-03-22T20:42:03Z")
Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol Virginia jointly operate their water system, library, and emergency medical services. The two cities have occasionally held joint City Council meetings, although each council would have to vote on issues separately. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/26 "2023-03-22T21:02:07Z")
Yep, my hometown. Some know it as the birthplace of country music, while others know it for the GEICO commercial. ---
**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, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/27 "2023-03-22T21:12:37Z")
Maybe New York City? It’s in the state of New York, but some of it’s residents are also in a [New York State of Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5LkGKJDc3Q). ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/28 "2023-03-22T21:27:23Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > I’ll argue in favor of [Calexico-Mexicali](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calexico%E2%80%93Mexicali). Beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/29 "2023-03-22T22:15:22Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Detroit-Windsor I’d actually argue against that, since 9/11 and its continued idiotic fallout. A conurbation is seamless, and crossing the border in 2023 isn’t at all like crossing the border in 1990. Closing the border due to COVID did nothing to improve the situation. We joke about Windsor being “south Detroit,” but that hasn’t been true in multiple decades. Heck, I even had to pay Purolator rates instead of normal postage just to get my Ontario Parks annual pass on this side of the border! ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/30 "2023-03-22T22:22:19Z")
There’s Stateline ([CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_California) & [NV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_Nevada)) which has (at least it did when I was a child) one of the most abrupt changes in skyline I’ve ever seen- sleepy resort town (CA) to high rise casino hotels (NV). ---
**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, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/31 "2023-03-22T22:28:18Z")
How about [a library that’s in two countries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haskell_Free_Library_and_Opera_House)? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/32 "2023-03-22T22:39:00Z")
India had a few. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana and was the capital of Andhra Pradesh until it was moved to the new city of Amaravati very recently. Chandigarh is capital of its own union territory and also Punjab. Like some other countries, some have government branches split between multiple cities or move the capital with the seasons. > [@peccavi](#): > > There’s Stateline ([CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_California) & [NV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_Nevada)) which has (at least it did when I was a child) one of the most abrupt changes in skyline I’ve ever seen- sleepy resort town (CA) to high rise casino hotels (NV). Doesn’t “exist” CA anymore, it’s all South Lake Tahoe. I’m not sure how long ago you visited but there is no way I would personally call the CA side sleepy. It’s a glut of traffic and boutiques and tourists. The NV side is sleepier outside of the 2 blocks of casinos. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/33 "2023-03-22T22:40:53Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > St. Louis would be a good example of an American conurbation that crosses state lines. Charlotte would be another one. The actual municipality of Charlotte proper is entirely within North Carolina, but it’s right next to the state line, so the suburbs south of the city are in South Carolina. ---
**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, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/34 "2023-03-22T22:46:53Z")
I don’t know if you want to call it a “city”, but if you go to [Baarle-Nassau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle-Nassau) the border runs through houses, sheds, shops, factories, loading docks, you name it. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/35 "2023-03-22T23:21:51Z")
AIUI, Baarle-Nassau/Baarle-Hertog is/are the inheritance of sundry mediaeval land acquisitions, mergers and transfers. But there is also an [active EU programme](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_grouping_of_territorial_cooperation) to promote and support cross-border co-operation through municipal agglomerations like **[Eurometropolis Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurometropolis_Lille%E2%80%93Kortrijk%E2%80%93Tournai)** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/36 "2023-03-22T23:48:30Z")
There are loads and loads of major conurbations that straddle state lines, and it’s no surprise. State lines often follow rivers, and major cities are usually on rivers. Put a major city on any border river, and it’s going to have suburbs on the other side. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/37 "2023-03-23T00:00:52Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > There’s Stateline ([CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_California) & [NV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_Nevada)) which has (at least it did when I was a child) one of the most abrupt changes in skyline I’ve ever seen- sleepy resort town (CA) to high rise casino hotels (NV). Wendover, Nevada and Wendover, Utah are pretty close to the same thing. No high rises on the Nevada side of the line, but there is definitely a stark difference between the two. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/38 "2023-03-23T01:52:58Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > A city as a municipal government is a creation of a state government. It can only have one state. There are interstate school districts, port districts, transit districts, etc. created by interstate compact, so I think two states _could_ create a single interstate municipality along the lines of Lloydminster if they (and Congress) wanted to. But the norm in the USA is to split, not lump. Municipal mergers are rare enough _without_ all the extra hassles of trying to combine two different states’ systems. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/39 "2023-03-23T02:13:01Z")
> [@KCB615](#): > > Wendover, Nevada and Wendover, Utah are pretty close to the same thing. No high rises on the Nevada side of the line, but there is definitely a stark difference between the two. I’ve been there. You can tell when you’ve reached Utah because there’s no more casinos. Of course, there’s a billion casinos in every city in Nevada. There are five casinos in West Wendover, Nevada, and two of them directly abut Wendover, Utah, with their parking lots actually _in_ Utah. There’s also a cannabis dispensary in West Wendover which is a big hit with the Utahns, because non-medical cannabis is illegal in Utah. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/40 "2023-03-23T02:34:49Z")
I think there would be a complication with having an interstate city that doesn’t really apply to interstate port authorities or school districts and that would be the law . With an interstate school district or port authority , the law that applies will be based on geographic jurisdiction - if the school is in City A , then City /State A laws apply even though the same district runs the schools in City /State B . New York law applies at Kennedy airport and New Jersey law applies at Newark even though the Port Authority of NY and NJ runs both. ( and the Port Authority police patrol them) . That doesn’t work so well with a city , to have New York law apply in some of the city while New Jersey law applies in the rest. The big things will not be the problem - murder will be a crime no matter which side of the line it happens on. It will be the other things like which state’s election laws apply and which state’s court do I deal with when I get a traffic ticket. Maybe it could be done , but it would be a lot of complications for little if any benefit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=3)