# The difference between Commonwealth and a State? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2000, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-commonwealth-and-a-state/39897 "2000-11-06T03:26:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![galyean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@galyean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galyean)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-commonwealth-and-a-state/39897/1 "2000-11-06T03:26:03Z")
What is a commonwealth and how does it differ from a state? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-commonwealth-and-a-state/39897/2 "2000-11-06T03:40:35Z")
A longer title. Cecil’s view: [Why is Virginia (and MA and PA and KY) called a commonwealth?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_307.html) And the comments of the Teeming Millions: [I forgot…How many states are there? [url=“http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14640”]Massachusetts’ classification as a… commonwealth?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14120) [50 US States or 46?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=24572) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-commonwealth-and-a-state/39897/3 "2000-11-06T03:42:03Z")
[I forgot…How many states are there?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14120)