# U.S. cities (not metropolitan areas) that span multiple counties **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339 "2010-04-25T21:55:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [April 26, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/21 "2010-04-26T06:38:06Z")
[List of U.S. cities in multiple counties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_in_multiple_counties) ---
**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:** [April 26, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/22 "2010-04-26T06:41:20Z")
Are there any American cities other htan New York City that completely encompass more than one county? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/23 "2010-04-26T12:32:08Z")
Thanks folks. I had no idea it was so common. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [List of U.S. cities in multiple counties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_in_multiple_counties) I thought Wikipedia might have a page like that. I wonder why I couldn’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/24 "2010-04-26T12:49:28Z")
Takoma Park, MD was, until recently, in both Montgomery and Prince George’s county. Some of its historic land is still in the District of Columbia, and is locally referred to as Takoma, DC (There is also a Chevy Chase, DC and probably a Glen Echo, DC corresponding to their Maryland towns outside the DC line). Within the last 15 years, Maryland moved the Montgomery/Prince George’s line so all of the Maryland parts of Takoma are now in Montgomery county–to the chagrin of the former Takoma mayor who used his paltry-paying Mayor position to get a seat on the PG County board. Burtonsvlle, MD was similarly in both counties until a restaurant owner petitioned to have the county line moved–to stay wholly in Prince George’s county, which taxes liquor at a lower rate. I used to live in Takoma and DC and my girlfriend at the time lived in Burtonsville. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/25 "2010-04-26T12:54:05Z")
Also worthy of mention: Samish Island, WA, which used to be an actual island and part of Island County and the San Juan Islands. Some Dutch expats with a lot of money and time built a dike which connected it to Skagit County, and it is now considered a peninsula of that county. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/26 "2010-04-26T12:58:19Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I agree that there are bunches of them. Boston has an expensive residential neighborhood within the city proper, Brookline, that is not only in its own county (Norfolk) but also geographically separated from the rest of Norfolk county which only exists in scattered areas throughout the eastern part on the state on paper and those aren’t always joined together either. I also live in Norfolk county about 35 miles away. Counties don’t really mean much in Massachusetts. I think you’re thinking of Chestnut Hill, the non-Boston parts of which are in Middlesex County. Brookline is indeed in Norfolk County, and is an island mostly within Suffolk County, but it’s not part of Boston. In fact, when I look at a map, it looks to me like the entirety of Boston is within Suffolk County. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/27 "2010-04-26T13:28:45Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The Village of [Saranac Lake, NY](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saranac_Lake,_New_York) is in three towns and two counties. Damn you, I was going to mention that! 😛 I spent a year there right after college at my first “big boy” job. Let me tell you, that town can _easily_ compete with the likes of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota when it comes to cold and snowy winters. It has a perfect combination of being high elevation, yet in a valley, and surrounded by lakes. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/28 "2010-04-26T15:25:42Z")
I was going to mention Texarkana even though it does have two mayors and city councils. Due to being in two states rather than just two counties. It’s interesting driving down State Line Ave and seeing all the licquor stores on the Arkansas side. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/29 "2010-04-26T15:31:07Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I was going to mention Texarkana even though it does have two mayors and city councils. Due to being in two states rather than just two counties. > > It’s interesting driving down State Line Ave and seeing all the licquor stores on the Arkansas side. Another example like that is Union City, on the border of Indiana and Ohio, and with the two halves incorporated in the two states. (Ironically, because of its population, Union City OH is a village, not a city. However, Union City IN is a city.) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/30 "2010-04-26T19:34:23Z")
St. Cloud, Minnesota is one of the 10 largest cities in the state, and is split among 3 counties. There is a proposal in the Legislature to revise this, to put the whole city into one county, and possibly merge the remainder of the existing counties. The joke was that this would be named _Lake Woebegone_ county (though the proposal did not specify any actual name for the new county). ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/31 "2010-04-27T00:45:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [List of U.S. cities in multiple counties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_in_multiple_counties) Wiki is not the “end all”. Its list of Illinois does not include Collinsville (St Clair and Madison counties) or Centralia (Clinton and Marion counties). Fun topic! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/32 "2010-04-27T02:29:53Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > Wiki is not the “end all”. Its list of Illinois does not include Collinsville (St Clair and Madison counties) or Centralia (Clinton and Marion counties). That’s probably why it has emphasized at the top of that page > [@](#): > > _This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it._ And it has been edited 5 times since this topic appeared on the SDMB! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/33 "2010-04-27T11:58:12Z")
Michigan has a number of smaller cities that do this. Northville straddles the border between Wayne and Oakland counties, and Memphis sits on the Macomb/St. Claire county line. Grosse Pointe Shores is mostly in Wayne county, but a little bit crosses over into Macomb county. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/34 "2010-04-27T13:48:01Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Burtonsvlle, MD was similarly in both counties until a restaurant owner petitioned to have the county line moved–to stay wholly in Prince George’s county, which taxes liquor at a lower rate. > > I used to live in Takoma and DC and my girlfriend at the time lived in Burtonsville. Burtonsville is in Montgomery County. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/35 "2010-04-27T14:45:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [List of U.S. cities in multiple counties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_in_multiple_counties) Thanks for the link - cool list. Wow, Dallas, Texas is big - it covers all or part of five counties (Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall). While tidy, compact Vermont apparently has no towns or cities that cross county lines. ---
**Author:** ![Stana\_Claus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stana_claus/32/13874_2.png) [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/36 "2010-04-27T15:43:10Z")
Roane County, TN includes pieces of two separate cities (Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs) plus all of three others (Kingston, Rockwood, and Harriman). Oak Ridge is shared between Roane and Anderson counties, and Oliver Springs has pieces in three different counties: Roane, Anderson, and Morgan. Not bad for a town of only ~3500 people! ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/37 "2010-04-27T18:36:14Z")
Corbin, KY is in Whitley and Knox Counties. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/38 "2010-04-27T18:42:10Z")
> [@aerodave](#): > > The Dayton, Ohio suburbs of Centerville and Kettering each lie in both Montgomery and Greene counties. The Greene County portion of each is quite small, but they meet the criteria, nonetheless. Don’t forget the northern suburbs. Huber Heights is mostly in Montgomery County, but a piece of it is in Miami County. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/39 "2010-04-27T20:10:53Z")
So per the Wikipedia list: 53 cities that span 3 counties. 7 cities that span 4 counties 3 cities that span 5 counties (Oklahoma City, Dallas, New York City) 5 of those 63 cities and towns have populations under 1,000 (per Wikipedia pop. numbers) 785 - Mustang Ridge, TX (3 counties) 756 - Cresson, TX (3 counties) 703 - Baltic, OH (3 counties) 548 - Sherman, MS (3 counties) 287 - Milledgeville, TN (3 counties) Braselton, GA is the smallest four county town with 1,206 people. ---
**Author:** ![Notassmartasithought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c0e974/32.png) [@Notassmartasithought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Notassmartasithought)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339/40 "2010-04-28T02:37:14Z")
Northfield, Minnesota, is in both Rice and Goodhue counties. Also not on the Wikipedia list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-cities-not-metropolitan-areas-that-span-multiple-counties/537339.md?page=3)