New England town

Common card · No. 249134

The town is the basic unit of local government and local division of state authority in the six New England states. Most other U.S. states lack a direct counterpart to the New England town. New England towns overlie the entire area of a state, similar to civil townships in other states where they exist, but they are fully functioning municipal corporations, possessing powers similar to cities and counties in other states. In the United States, New Jersey's system of equally powerful townships, boroughs, towns, and cities is the system which is most similar to that of New England; internationally, local government systems comparable to the New England town exist in much of Western Europe, such as the Gemeinden of Germany, the communes of France, the comuni of Italy, the gemeenten of the Netherlands, the municipios of Spain and the freguesias of Portugal. New England towns are often governed by a town meeting, an assembly of eligible town residents. The great majority of municipal corporations...

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