# What is the size of a county? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054 "2002-11-09T19:48:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/41 "2002-11-11T19:20:11Z")
And to further complicate things we have the Virginia concept of ‘independent cities’. Cities in Virginia can secede from the surrounding counties and become independent of them. An example…my beloved Loudoun County in Virginia. Inside it there are a great many independent cities including (but not limited to as I’m doing this from memory): Leesburg Sterline Hamilton Purcellville Round Hill Hillsboro (my town, the smallest independent city in VA at 96 people) Lovettsville Middleburg Lucketts (I think) I’m sure I missed a few. Anyway, that gives us the odd situation that a county in Virginia may actually not administer most of the people that live inside its borders. They can’t control zoning inside the cities and many other traditional ‘county level’ functions. Odd, ain’t it? ---
**Author:** ![xicanorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a88e57/32.png) [@xicanorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xicanorex)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/42 "2002-11-11T20:44:27Z")
Trivia: The biggest county in Texas is Brewster with 6,208 square miles. Just how big is that? That’s bigger than \*\*Connecticut! \*\* XicanoreX ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/43 "2002-11-11T21:43:13Z")
The largest county in the US, San Bernadino in California, is larger than seven states (although not put together), and is big enough to encompass both the highest point in the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere (Death Valley). I grew up in the City and County of San Francisco, which is a single unit; that is, the two units are coterminous. San Francisco doesn’t have a city council, it only has a county Board of Supervisors. In fact, apart from the mayor, almost all forms of government in SF resemble that of a county rather than a city. The San Francisco Bay Area is made up of nine counties, which is my guess as to why nothing ever gets done. For instance, San Francisco came up with a plan for the rebuilding of the Bay Bridge - but Alameda County (which is where Oakland and the other side of the bridge is) nixed it, saying the eastern half was too ugly. At the current rate (thirteen years of squabbles and counting!), the Bay Bridge won’t be rebuilt until the next earthquake destroys it completely. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/44 "2002-11-11T22:12:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kniz \* > Incidently, Georgia has the most counties of any state and is the largest state east of the Mississippi. [Georgia](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/georgia_map.html) has 159 counties, but [Texas](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/texas_map.html) has 254. You’re right about Georgia being the biggest state East of the Mississippi though. ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/45 "2002-11-12T00:55:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > Alaska and Louisiana are the only two states which do not have a county system. I imagine in Alaska it’s because the population density is too low to justify more organization. Alaska has [boroughs](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02000.html), which differ from counties mainly in that they are individually incorporated, rather than imposed from the top down. There is a plan for the ideal division of the entire state into boroughs, but until the Bush areas get their act together, they won’t incorporate. Boroughs generally have elected assemblies and mayors. Some boroughs, when dominated by a major city, consolidate into a municipality. Thus, you have the city of [Sitka](http://www.cityofsitka.com/) encompassing 2874 sq.mi., bigger than Delaware. The [North Slope Borough](http://www.co.north-slope.ak.us/nsb/default.htm) isn’t a county, but if it was, it would be the largest. At 89,000 sq.mi., it’s bigger than Minnesota, but with barely more than 7000 people (the population of the Mall of America). To answer the OP, I thought the original idea of a “county” was an administrative unit small enough that a resident could do business in the county seat and ride a horse back home in a single day. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/46 "2002-11-12T03:46:43Z")
Another Trivia: Does anybody which county name is repeated the most throughout the states? For instance there’s Orange counties in Florida, California, and New York. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/47 "2002-11-12T04:15:50Z")
From my count, using info from the National Association of Counties and pasting all 3137 county names (along with parishes and boroughs and independent cities), the winner is: Washington AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, and a parish in LA. Jefferson and Franklin are #2 and #3. Orange shows up in CA, FL, IN, NC, NY, VA, and VT ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/48 "2002-11-12T04:17:44Z")
Oh and for those who don’t wish to count, since I left it out, that’s 30 Washingtons. There were 26 Jeffersons and 25 Franklins if you are counting parishes the same as counties. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/49 "2002-11-12T04:41:16Z")
I hate to be a pain in the ass, but my [hometown’s county](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/34003.html) has more people than the [current state](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/38000.html) I’m living in. . . And to think, NJ is only 10.7% the size of North Dakota. . . Tripler Someone, get me the hell out of here. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/50 "2002-11-12T05:15:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RM Mentock \* > \*\* > Looks like the complete list, we (Durham, NC) will probably join it within the next ten years. And remember, that’s Kansas City, Kansas, not Kansas City, Missouri. \*\* I will point out one niggling exception mentioned to me by a Durham County Sherriff’s Deputy: By state law, the RTP area, which is technically within Durham County, cannot be annexed by any municipality. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/51 "2002-11-12T07:11:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyla \* > \*\*The largest county in the US, San Bernadino in California, is larger than seven states (although not put together), and is big enough to encompass both the highest point in the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere (Death Valley). > > \*\* My maps put Mt. Whitney in Inyo County. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/52 "2002-11-12T07:37:30Z")
County identification is _very_ strong in Ireland, a lot of which has to do with the previously-mentioned (by me) [Gaelic Athletic Association](http://www.gaa.ie/) which coordinates Ireland’s national sports, Gaelic football and hurling. Come to think of it, I’m not sure how strong county identification is among Protestants in Northern Ireland, where the GAA is predominantly a Catholic institution. I guess that’s another question for irishgirl/ Aro/ Pushkin to answer, if they happen to wander into this thread. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/53 "2002-11-12T11:11:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheeGrumpy \* > \*\* > > To answer the OP, I thought the original idea of a “county” was an administrative unit small enough that a resident could do business in the county seat and ride a horse back home in a single day. \*\* That’s fun, since it’s also exactly on this basis that the french “departements” limits were drawn. ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/54 "2002-11-12T13:40:15Z")
In Australia the equivalent is a Local Government Area being either a (rural) Shire, Municipality or City. They are usually run by an elected council. The woolly clan had the distinction of living in the smallest local government area (in terms of residents) in the country; Windouran Shire in NSW with an area of almost 2,000 sq miles and a population of 400. Windouran was amalgamated with it’s neighbouring shire, Conargo in 2001 . The largest LGA in Australia is East Pilbara, in WA which is over 377 553 kms2, (145,774 sq mil, approx the size of Japan) with a population of 5,870. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054/55 "2002-11-12T15:29:56Z")
> [@](#): > > My maps put Mt. Whitney in Inyo County. My error. Mea culpa. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-size-of-a-county/136054.md?page=2)