# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/41 "2023-03-23T04:30:05Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Lloydminster is the only city I can think of where two adjacent states or provinces have agreed to recognize one city. Lloydminster was founded a few years before the border between Sask and Alberta was surveyed. When the surveyers came through, they found the border went right though the middle of the town. The survey was in 1905, IIRC. When it came time to incorporate (1930 or thereabouts), they persuaded the two provinces to let them make a single town crossing the border. The parliaments of the two provinces had to pass indentical legislation on the same day to make this happen. About 20 years later when they wanted to upgrade to city status, they again had to get the parliaments to pass identical laws on the same day. For most residents of Lloydminster, the main effect is that they’re all considered citizens of both provinces, at least as far as benefits such as paying in-province tuition at provincial universities. Fortunately for the legal system, criminal law is a federal responsibility in Canada, so there’s no issue of which side of the border a crime was commited. There’s something similar on the other side of Saskatchewan with the city of Flin Flon. It’s not quite the same and I don’t know all the details about it. Most of Flin Flon is in Manitoba, but a small section is across the border in Sask. That Sask section, BTW, is actually on the south side of Flin Flon. The SK-MB border generally goes N-S, but there’s a number of E-W jags in it and Flin Flon is on one of those jags. > [@RickJay](#): > > In most cases the cities have different names, I guess. Fargo and Moorhead, for instance; St. Louis and ESL, Ottawa and Gatineau. There are a number of cross-border cities where the two share the name. Here’s a list I compiled quite a while ago, so it may not be up-to-date. This is only for North American places; there are more in other parts of the world. Also note that both cities are incorporated in these pairs. There’s others where only one is incorporated. Ardmore AL/TN Bluefield VA/WV Bristol TN/VA Delmar DE/MD Junction City AR/LA Kansas City KS/MO Lloydminster AB/SK Canada Niagara Falls ON/NY Canada/USA Nogales AZ/Sonora USA/Mexico Sault Sainte Marie ON/MI Canada/USA Texarkana AR/TX Texhoma TX/OK Union City IN/OH ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/42 "2023-03-23T07:12:49Z")
Yes, Sault Ste Marie was one (French then British) town for about a hundred years before they drew the border through it after the War of 1812. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/43 "2023-03-23T07:49:14Z")
Previous discussion > [@U.S. cities and timezones/ state borders.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-and-timezones-state-borders/685334): > > Is every city/ town/ village in the USA actually in one particular state. Or does a state border ever go through the middle of a city? What about time zones? Any places where you might cross the street, and suddenly it’s an hour later? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/44 "2023-03-23T08:37:19Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Here’s a list I compiled quite a while ago, so it may not be up-to-date. Add the following to that list. Apparently, I compiled it before Anthony NM incorporated in 2010. Anthony NM/TX ---
**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 23, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/45 "2023-03-23T14:42:43Z")
Here’s a thought experiment: say that an abortion clinic opens up on the Nevada side of the street in Wendover. Then Utah takes a page from Texas’ book and bans leaving the state for an abortion. Would Utah cops be able to stand on their side of the street and arrest any woman who walks across the street to enter the NV abortion clinic? I’m sure we’ve discussed the matter of cops in Jurisdiction A conducting surveillance of Jurisdiction B, whether from their own soil or from the other state’s, and I think the answer was “it’s perfectly legal as long as they don’t try to make arrests.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/46 "2023-03-23T15:14:44Z")
We know a guy in St Martin who purchased two adjacent pieces of land and built a home on his property. It’s been a huge pain in the ass for him, because the two properties are in different countries (Sint Maarten and Saint Martin). His house is on the French Side, and he pays taxes to that government. His property on the Dutch side is taxed harshly since it’s unimproved even though his home is on the combined land. He also has to carry two different insurance policies, one Dutch and one French. He has looked into selling the unimproved property on the Dutch side, but it isn’t worth anything, since someone buying it couldn’t build on it, since the house on the French side is too close. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/47 "2023-03-23T15:23:33Z")
Did anyone mention Texhoma or Bristol Tennessee/Virginia? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/48 "2023-03-23T15:58:33Z")
Look up six posts from yours for both. Bristol is also mentioned in post #25. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/49 "2023-03-23T16:08:24Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > I’ll argue in favor of [Calexico-Mexicali](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calexico%E2%80%93Mexicali). No. Have you been there? There’s a gigantic fence and you have to go through a passport controlled border crossing. I’ve been to Mexicali on business a few times. It’s notable (to me) for the Mexican border town being nicer than the American one. Also interesting to me is that Mexicali has a Chinatown. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/50 "2023-03-23T16:12:39Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In most cases the cities have different names, I guess. Fargo and Moorhead, for instance; St. Louis and ESL, Ottawa and Gatineau. Ottawa and Gatineau are two different cities, with different mayors and city councils etc., _but_ because of all the cross-provincial-border commuters, I suppose, there are some OC Transpo (Ottawa-Carleton) bus routes that cross the bridges and loop through Gatineau. Hence the transit system in Ottawa isn’t controlled at the municipal level but the federal one, which is an extra layer or two of bureaucratic nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/51 "2023-03-23T20:08:11Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > Yep, my hometown. Some know it as the birthplace of country music, while others know it for the GEICO commercial. I guess it’s a game? Hmmmmm… well, dunno but thanks for the clues. Would you care to let us in on the secret? ---
**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, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/52 "2023-03-23T20:11:41Z")
I think it was https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=224&width=400&href=https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverBristol/videos/geico-gecko-discovers-bristol/1289344177803335/ mentioned in the post right before P-man’s ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/53 "2023-03-23T20:18:05Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > mentioned in the post right before P-man’s Oh. P-man’s post didn’t indicate who they were responding to so I assumed his ‘Yep, my hometown’ was answering the OP as in: _‘Yes. My hometown is an example of a city in more than one state’_ but then not telling us what it is. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/54 "2023-03-23T20:18:38Z")
Lots of examples of this, but as other posters have mentioned they may be one metropolitan area without much to distinguish one state from another, but they are different cities. One I am (or was) very familiar with is South Lake Tahoe, CA and Stateline, NV. There are some differences though, the obvious one being the massive casinos on the NV side of the border. You are also allowed to have an open container on the NV but not on the CA side, and I’ve seen people get ticketed for carrying an open beer a few feet into California. ---
**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 23, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/55 "2023-03-23T20:22:32Z")
No, it was me posting while my attention was mostly on something else. Bristol TN/VA. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/56 "2023-03-23T20:43:02Z")
OK. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/57 "2023-03-23T21:01:43Z")
Open container is actually illegal, there are a few exceptions where it is explicitly legal (Las Vegas Strip which gets away because it is technically not LV) some where it is more restrictive but allowed (Fremont Street Experience and public festivals). I am not aware of Stateline being an exception but what I think is that it’s just not enforced. There is also Verdi, NV and Verdi, CA. Most of the town is on the NV side, but there’s no clear awareness on which side you’re in unless you get a property tax bill. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/58 "2023-03-23T21:58:48Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > 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. Darby Line, Vermont is in the U.S. and Canada. The library is in both countries, with a line down the middle. ---
**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, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/59 "2023-03-23T22:07:36Z")
[Derby Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derby_Line,_Vermont) is in Vermont but Stanstead is in Canada ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/60 "2023-03-23T22:38:55Z")
In those cases where the international border literally goes through someone’s house, how much of a pain is it? Are you a resident of both municipalities? Of both countries? Double the tax paperwork? Who provides your utilities? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=4)