I know some urban areas despite their large size refer to themselves as villages or towns.
Here in Chicago we have several suburbs with over 25,000 people that are villages. Does anyoe know what is the biggest (population) village? How about Town?
By the way I am refering to how the urban area is chartered. If it is the City of Marktown. It still is a city even if it has town or village in the name.
Well, here in Ohio, I am given to understand that a ‘village’ officially becomes a ‘city’ when it reaches the population of 5000. ORC Section 703.01.
I would suspect that in Illinois, some legal definition of ‘village’ exists, though it may not be population specific. I recall my grandparents lived in the Village of LaGrange, which at last census was 15,362 in population. You might try browsing the Illinois statutes. 
In Virginia, being a city has nothing to do with size. Towns are part of the county they’re in, cities are not part of any county–they have their own local government. I think Va. might be the only state that does this. Last I heard, the largest town in Virginia is Blacksburg: ~35,000, IIRC–larger than several cities in Va.
You added an extra “I” there… OH you weren’t talking about the Blacksburg IRC server? Nevermind…
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Let’s also remember that a place’s name may or may not have anything to do with what it really is.
If me and a few friends move to some wide spot in the road and incorporate it as “The Village of Cecilville,” that’s what the papers will say even if all the Teeming Millions move there and it becomes bigger than Chicago.
If, however, it’s incorporated as the “City of Railroads,” that’s what it will still be called long after Amtrack has made its last stop there and everyone has moved.
Cary, North Carolina is still officially a town, even though its population has passed 85,000, and people are wondering if maybe it’s time to admit it has become a small city. (In North Carolina there is no differences between the powers of towns and cities, so there is no incentive or requirment to change).
It depends on the jurisdiction (and in the case of the USA, it varies by state). For example, in New Jersey, municipalities are divided into “townships” (historically, rural areas, although some have evolved into decentralized suburbs), “boroughs”, and “cities”. I’m pretty sure cities and boroughs have different powers. A “village” in NJ simply means any small collection of houses and shops inside a township, and has no legal identity. (Although I know of at least one borough that has “village” as part of its name.) A village that grows large enough may be pinched off from its incorporating township and made a borough.
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Ditto on the fact that it varies by state. In New York, a county is subdivided into towns and cities (I believe there’s a minimum population for a city, but there is no maximum for a town). Areas of each town can add an extra level of government by forming a village government.
There is no minimum size for a village (the Village of Dering Harbor, NY, has a population of about 40, all very wealthy people who wanted to control zoning so there would be no subdividing). In at least one example, a village contains all the land in the town: the Village of Green Island, whose borders are the same as the Town of Green Island – they formed to prevent them from being annexed by the City of Troy (cities can annex land from towns they border, but not from villages).
Under the current Illinois municipal code, it is possible to form either a village or a city. There are certain minimum population requirements for cities which vary depending on where it is located. There is no maximum for either form of municipality. The original poster is correct when he says that here are many fairly large villages near Chicago, including Glenview & Morton Grove.
I believe the term “village” as described here has more to do with the structure and idealogy of the municipal goverment than with the population.
I believe that in my county in California, a town does not become a city until it is incorporated. At least that’s how it went with my city, which became one just in 1975 when it was incorporated. Towns here are usually patrolled by the sheriff, and cities have their own police departments. Though in most peoples minds, a city has a large population, and towns tend to be small and usually rural. Villages in my mind are cute little towns with one industry (usually tourism).
Jeremy…
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While we’re waiting for a winning answer to the original question, I’d like to ask why ANY North Carolina towns became cities. Just for snicks? Or did there used to be a difference? Or did the locals want the cachet of a charter from the state legislature rather than simple incorporation papers (which I assume is how things work in N.C., too)?
In Indiana, villages are uninc., towns are inc. without mayors, cities have mayors and state charters. No max pop. for any of them, which is a good thing, as we include hogs in with the official figures. Cities are part of twp.s and counties.
The irony of Green Island is that it’s quite possibly the only place in the Capital Region that’s indisputably scummier than Troy.