City, District, County, Town: What Are the Differences?

Question:

Aygün writes,

Can you explain the words 'province, city, district, county¹ and town? What are the differences?

Answer:

Dear Aygün,

Your question centers on how a country divides itself into different levels of governance. The difference is much like the layers of an onion – underneath² a large layer there are smaller layers beneath.

There are differences between how these levels of governance look between countries, so let's only explore the United³ States.

In the United States, we use the term "state" instead of the term "province."

A state is a part of a country that can make its own laws about some things. But it is still controlled by the federal⁴ government.

The United States has 50 states - Texas, New York, California⁵, and so on.

Each of these states generally has many cities, districts, counties⁶, and towns.

A city is a place where people live that is larger than a town. Famous cities in the U.S. include New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago.

Let's talk through an example.

Colorado is a state. Cities in Colorado include Denver, with an estimated⁷ population around 730,000, and Colorado Springs, with about 480,000 people.

Towns in Colorado include Silverton, with an estimated population of 600, and Nucla, with around 700.

A county is an area of a state that is larger than a city and has its own government to deal with local issues⁸. For example, El Paso County, in Colorado, has the city of Colorado Springs as well as other communities inside of it.

A district is an area of a country, city, or town that a government establishes for official business.

In the U.S., there are school districts, voting districts, and so on.

Colorado's 5th Congressional District, for example, is a voting district that includes Colorado Springs and other communities.

It might help to think about different levels of governance in your country. Then you can compare your country to the United States. Maps can help, as well as the news!

If you have a question for our staff of teachers, send it by email to [email protected].

And that's Ask a Teacher!

Words in This Story

layer – n. an amount of something that is spread over an area

onion – n. a round vegetable that is usually white, yellow, or red and has a strong smell and taste

1 county   

n.县，郡

参考例句：

• When the good news reached there,the whole county rejoiced.喜讯传到那里时，全县的人都欢欣鼓舞起来。
• In that year county after county fell to the enemy.那一年一个又一个的县城沦入敌人手中。

2 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

3 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

4 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

5 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

6 counties   

郡，县( county的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The deposits spread for 100 kilometers across four counties. 这些矿藏绵延一百公里，跨越四个县。
• The Jinggang Mountains stand where the boundaries of four counties meet. 井冈山位于四县之交。

7 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

8 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。