# 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:** 4
**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, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/61 "2023-03-23T22:53:32Z")
In this particularly case, it’s mostly situated in the US, just Canadian citizens are allowed to use the entrance and return the same way without going through customs. Generally speaking, it varies, but I’ve seen most often that the legal location is where the front door is. Things like utilities are so location specific either it follows the border or more likely they’ve worked something out a long time ago. ---
**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, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/62 "2023-03-23T22:57:08Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > In those cases where the international border literally goes through someone’s house, how much of a pain is it? The only place I know where an international border goes through houses is Baarle Hertog/Nassau, Belgium/Netherlands. From what I understand, in that city a house belongs to (is taxed by) the country where the front door is. ---
**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 23, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/63 "2023-03-23T23:06:14Z")
International borders going though houses are probably rare, but it’s much more common if you look at things like counties. There, too, it’s usually the front door that defines it. ---
**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, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/64 "2023-03-23T23:06:43Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I am not aware of Stateline being an exception but what I think is that it’s just not enforced. Yeah its been while but when I was in Stateline and Reno a lot open containers were pretty ubiquitous. The locals I spoke to said it was legal. ---
**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 23, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/65 "2023-03-23T23:13:32Z")
So you could become an illegal immigrant if you moved the front door from one side of the house to the other? ---
**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, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/66 "2023-03-23T23:17:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > International borders going though houses are probably rare, but it’s much more common if you look at things like counties. There, too, it’s usually the front door that defines it. From Wikipedia re. the Belgian enclave H7 in Baarle-Nassau: > Boundary runs through two dwellings, including the middle of one front door (giving it two house numbers: Loveren 2, Baarle-Hertog / Loveren 19, Baarle-Nassau). So the front door disambiguation fails for at least one person. Not that such situations are common worldwide, for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/67 "2023-03-23T23:23:40Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > 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. In the Chicago area there is a light rail system based in Indiana that crosses the state line and operates in Illinois, one end of the line ending at Millennium Station in the Loop. So it’s not just St. Louis. But unquestionably it’s an Indiana rail road that operates in Illinois and not a joint venture. ---
**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, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/68 "2023-03-23T23:28:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So you could become an illegal immigrant if you moved the front door from one side of the house to the other? Since Belgium and Netherlands are both in the Schengen area, the illegal immigrant thing is not an issue. You’ll be legal/illegal in both countries no matter where the door is. However, I understand that some houses have two front doors: one they use and one boarded up. The one they use is in the country with the lower property tax rates. If the rates change, they switch which front door they use. Not sure how they get away with this, but I recall seeing a picture of such a house. ---
**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, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/69 "2023-03-23T23:33:29Z")
Then for Reno, open containers are definitely not legal, and they do ticket for it except events. ---
**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, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/70 "2023-03-23T23:44:40Z")
I recall reading about some business where an international border goes right through the establishment. Unfortunately, I can’t recall all the details. It was in the Balkans, Serbia-Croatia, I think. The place was either a nightclub or restaurant. Don’t remember the name of the town. While Yugoslavia was in existence, there were no problems with the internal border, but after the breakup, things got kind of interesting there. I tried to find it, but google fu is weak today. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/71 "2023-03-24T07:28:19Z")
There’s a hotel on the French Swiss border with parts of the hotel in each country. This led to some interesting shenanigans during WWII. ---
**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 26, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/72 "2023-03-26T22:07:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > 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. Could he “improve” it himself by building something like a workshop or guest cottage or something similar on the Dutch side? ---
**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 27, 2023, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/73 "2023-03-27T06:40:47Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > There’s a hotel on the French Swiss border with parts of the hotel in each country. This led to some interesting shenanigans during WWII. Yes, the Tim Traveller had a report on it: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KdY5EUYQpyQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Hotel With An International Border Through It") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdY5EUYQpyQ) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/74 "2023-03-27T06:57:40Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > people in Texarkana, AR do not pay state income tax as if they lived in Texas. Really? That seems very unusual. What’s the basis for declaring that the residents of one city in a state don’t have to pay state income tax? ---
**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 27, 2023, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/75 "2023-03-27T07:08:17Z")
I found this. [Texarkana Taxes: Two States’ Revenue Laws Divide a Pair of Cities | How Money Walks | How $2 Trillion Moved between the States - A Book By Travis H. Brown](https://www.howmoneywalks.com/texarkana-taxes-two-states-revenue-laws-divide-a-pair-of-cities/) If it weren’t the case, no one would open a business on the AR side. TX is an income tax free state. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/76 "2023-03-27T07:43:33Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I recall reading about some business where an international border goes right through the establishment. Unfortunately, I can’t recall all the details. It was in the Balkans, Serbia-Croatia, I think. The place was either a nightclub or restaurant. Don’t remember the name of the town. Was it [this one,](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZfBBgdv7PA) in [Obrezje?](https://sg.news.yahoo.com/one-restaurant-two-countries-border-tale-070648478.html) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/77 "2023-03-27T09:05:05Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Was it [this one,](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZfBBgdv7PA) in [Obrezje?](https://sg.news.yahoo.com/one-restaurant-two-countries-border-tale-070648478.html) Almost certainly is. So far we’ve found these buildings with internal international borders: 1. Haskel Free Library and Opera, Stanstead QC, Canada/Derby Line, VT, USA 2. Hotel Arbez, La Cure, France/Switzerland 3. Kalin Restaurant, Obrezje, Slovenia/Croatia 4. at least two houses and various other buildings in Baarle-Hertog, Belgium/Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands Any others? ---
**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 27, 2023, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/78 "2023-03-27T11:27:57Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Could he “improve” it himself by building something like a workshop or guest cottage or something similar on the Dutch side Heh, he spends most of his free time in various bars and marinas telling people about his plight. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/79 "2023-03-27T13:16:35Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > 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. I’m curious what the basis is for that determination. In the US there’s the local zoning code and building code. The building code dictates things like fire ratings depending on proximity to the property line and other buildings, but the zoning code dictates how close buildings can be to said property lines. The proximity to other buildings across a property line is usually moot, unless setback averaging is used, such that if all your surrounding neighbors’ homes are shifted to the left side of the lot, then yours needs to be similarly shifted. The thing is, that only applies if those neighboring properties are in the same zoning category. An international border would pretty certainly change the zoning at that line. Also, in Europe there’s not nearly as much pearl-clutching over buildings being “too close” to one another. Even in tiny villages, they’re regularly touching side-to-side. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509/80 "2023-03-30T21:23:35Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Any others? I cannot find any link, but I read an article (with a picture) of a small rural house that straddles the border between Estonia and Russia. One corner of the house is in Russia. That corner has no door or other features - all the doors and windows are in Estonia. The picture showed some kind of tape or marking that the border authorities had attached to the house at the points where the national border intersected the walls. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-city-be-in-more-than-one-state/981509.md?page=5)