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A City Or A Town
It could differ from country to country. In the UK normally, but not exclusively, a city will have a cathedral. I can remember when Southampton was changed to being a city instead of a town, Southampton doesn't have a cathedral.
And yet I've been to a couple of cities in the USA with a population of less than 10,000. And I daresay there are some with even less than that! And what about St. David's in Wales which has a population of only 1,600? And Wells in Somerset which has a population of less than 15,000
In the U.S., "city" and "town" can be used interchangeably, depending on simple local custom. The suburb (of a good-sized city) in which my mother lives is incorporated as a city itself and is always referred to as one, though its population is about 9,000. Her hometown, with a population of 12,000, is also incorporated but is described by most of its residents as a town.
In summary, there is no international standard definition of city, even in the English speaking world so when reference works specifically call a place a city or town there will often be a degree of arbitrariness about it.
In the UK, a city is strictly defined as a town which has been known as a city since time immemorial or which has since been granted the right to call itself a city by a charter. The presence of a cathedral may affect the decision to confer this status but is not a necessity.
In the US, many small places have optimistically had city put in the name in the hope that they would grow into such. Interestingly, parts of cities in the US are now calling themselves "Village" to make themselves seem more amenable
What is the difference between a city and a town?
In the United States, an incorporated city is a legally defined government entity, with powers delegated by the state and county and created and approved by the voters of the city. It can provide local government services to its citizens.
In most places in the U.S. a town, village, community, or neighborhood is simply an unincorporated community with no governmental powers. Usually, county governments provide services to these unincorporated communities. Some states do have official designations of "towns" that include limited powers.
Generally in the urban heirarchy, villages are smaller than towns and towns are smaller
Depending on the number of inhabitants, human settlements are usually classified as cities, towns or villages. Cities are generally larger and more densely populated than towns and have industrial, commercial and residential areas. Most cities also perform administrative functions. A town in smaller than a city but larger than village, it has smaller areas as a market, commercial and administrative hubs for the surrounding countryside and villages. Their population is generally smaller than the cities.
Location and history of a place also plays a part in it being designated as a City or a Town.
In densely populated countries like India and China, many towns are larger than the state and national capitals of many sparsely populated countries.Villages are small rural settlements largely dependent on agriculture, tourism or a specialized skill.
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