Major cities annexed by their neighbors

[StogieGuy7]

While not in the United States, Toronto could be up for discussion, as the city has been involved with many annexations and mergers over the years.

What was Toronto's Brooklyn? York?

Scarborough was pretty populous when it was annexed as well.

And I am surprised that nobody has brought up Los Angeles and it's huge acquisition of land via annexation during the middle 20th century.  The entire San Fernando Valley was grabbed up (six cities + unincorporated lands, IIRC), an area that now covers more than one half of the city and houses about 1/3 of its population.  All in all, a pretty impressive grab.

[empirestate]

And I am surprised that nobody has brought up Los Angeles and it's huge acquisition of land via annexation during the middle 20th century.  The entire San Fernando Valley was grabbed up (six cities + unincorporated lands, IIRC), an area that now covers more than one half of the city and houses about 1/3 of its population.  All in all, a pretty impressive grab.

I did wonder about LA earlier in the thread. If it annexed Long Beach that would be a perfect example; did a similar thing actually happen in the San Fernando grab? (San Fernando itself is still its own city, as I recall.)

[cpzilliacus]

And I am surprised that nobody has brought up Los Angeles and it's huge acquisition of land via annexation during the middle 20th century.  The entire San Fernando Valley was grabbed up (six cities + unincorporated lands, IIRC), an area that now covers more than one half of the city and houses about 1/3 of its population.  All in all, a pretty impressive grab.

Someone did.  Here.

[mapman1071]

Why would they be untouchable?  Plenty of cities cross county lines including the town in which I reside (both Kendall and Will Counties, Illinois).

Oh, I get that, believe me. Don't forget that I grew up on Long Island which is in the shadow of the Five Boroughs. I grew up thinking cities that cross county lines was the norm. But I also realize Nassau County broke away from one of them, and Pinellas County broke away from Hillsborough because they felt neglected by the rest of Hillsborough.

You mean like how New York annexed what is now Queens County, which was then united with Nassau County?  Bronx County was also a part of Westchester County.

Ahh, but there was no Nassau County until after western Queens was annexed by New York City. There wasn't even a Bronx County until after the Borough was established.

Bronx county was established in 1914 previously portions of the county were either Westchester or New York County.

[empirestate]

Bronx county was established in 1914 previously portions of the county were either Westchester or New York County.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Not only do I live in The Bronx, but in the same building as the borough historian. :-)

But I don't really see the parallel between the establishment of Bronx County and the annexation of Brooklyn by New York. Cities all over the nation have expanded their borders by annexing all kinds of surrounding territory, but this thread is really about something rather more specific. Then again, this being the Off-Topic board, I guess I shouldn't be worried if some of the posts within the thread are themselves off-topic!

[StogieGuy7]

How about Thunder Bay, Ontario? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_Bay

[mgk920]

And I am surprised that nobody has brought up Los Angeles and it's huge acquisition of land via annexation during the middle 20th century.  The entire San Fernando Valley was grabbed up (six cities + unincorporated lands, IIRC), an area that now covers more than one half of the city and houses about 1/3 of its population.  All in all, a pretty impressive grab.

Someone did.  Here.

Just curious, what was the City of Los Angeles' most recent annexation (not having time to check the .pdf file)?



Mike

[vdeane]

Bronx county was established in 1914 previously portions of the county were either Westchester or New York County.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Not only do I live in The Bronx, but in the same building as the borough historian. :-)

But I don't really see the parallel between the establishment of Bronx County and the annexation of Brooklyn by New York. Cities all over the nation have expanded their borders by annexing all kinds of surrounding territory, but this thread is really about something rather more specific. Then again, this being the Off-Topic board, I guess I shouldn't be worried if some of the posts within the thread are themselves off-topic!

At some point someone posted something that basically said "cities can't annex parts of other counties"; were that the case, the Bronx and Queens would not be part of NYC.

[kkt]

Seattle annexed Ballard in 1907.  Seattle invested in a good water supply -- bought watershed, built dams, built pipelines.  Ballard didn't, and was having all sorts of trouble coming up with a way to supply water to its growing population.  Seattle refused water hookups unless they could annex the city of Ballard.

[cpzilliacus]

Bronx county was established in 1914 previously portions of the county were either Westchester or New York County.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Not only do I live in The Bronx, but in the same building as the borough historian. :-)

But I don't really see the parallel between the establishment of Bronx County and the annexation of Brooklyn by New York. Cities all over the nation have expanded their borders by annexing all kinds of surrounding territory, but this thread is really about something rather more specific. Then again, this being the Off-Topic board, I guess I shouldn't be worried if some of the posts within the thread are themselves off-topic!

At some point someone posted something that basically said "cities can't annex parts of other counties"; were that the case, the Bronx and Queens would not be part of NYC.

Virginia does not allow cities to annex parts of other cities, and the General Assembly has effectively imposed a moratorium on cities annexing nearby unincorporated parts counties - unless the county and city agree to the annexation.

[kkt]

Also, what are some instances that didn't happen? For example, San Francisco never annexed Oakland, probably because while cross-water examples are apparently the most frequent, the distance across SF Bay is too great, even by today's standards, to make for a logical consolidation.

In California, cities can't cross county lines, and Oakland is in a separate county from S.F.  So it would require the state legislature to approve a merger, which is not likely to happen.

San Francisco County used to include what is now the bay side of San Mateo County, until 1856.  The counties were split to prevent S.F. from annexing the towns to the south and becoming too powerful.

[Brandon]

Bronx county was established in 1914 previously portions of the county were either Westchester or New York County.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Not only do I live in The Bronx, but in the same building as the borough historian. :-)

But I don't really see the parallel between the establishment of Bronx County and the annexation of Brooklyn by New York. Cities all over the nation have expanded their borders by annexing all kinds of surrounding territory, but this thread is really about something rather more specific. Then again, this being the Off-Topic board, I guess I shouldn't be worried if some of the posts within the thread are themselves off-topic!

At some point someone posted something that basically said "cities can't annex parts of other counties"; were that the case, the Bronx and Queens would not be part of NYC.

Virginia does not allow cities to annex parts of other cities, and the General Assembly has effectively imposed a moratorium on cities annexing nearby unincorporated parts counties - unless the county and city agree to the annexation.

Which is vastly different when compared to a state like Illinois where annexation of unincorporated land only needs the approval of the city council/village board and the property owner.  However, that said, an area 60 acres or less may be forcibly annexed into a municipality if bounded by said municipality and other municipalities.  It's a bit more of a free-for-all here.  Annexation in Illinois leads to some very bizarre municipal shapes.  Oh, and did I mention that a municipality may annex through a forest preserve without annexing the forest preserve?

[Brandon]

Also, what are some instances that didn't happen? For example, San Francisco never annexed Oakland, probably because while cross-water examples are apparently the most frequent, the distance across SF Bay is too great, even by today's standards, to make for a logical consolidation.

In California, cities can't cross county lines, and Oakland is in a separate county from S.F.  So it would require the state legislature to approve a merger, which is not likely to happen.

San Francisco County used to include what is now the bay side of San Mateo County, until 1856.  The counties were split to prevent S.F. from annexing the towns to the south and becoming too powerful.

What I want to know is how the hell San Diego could annex the completely non-contiguous Chula Vista area.

[mgk920]

Also, what are some instances that didn't happen? For example, San Francisco never annexed Oakland, probably because while cross-water examples are apparently the most frequent, the distance across SF Bay is too great, even by today's standards, to make for a logical consolidation.

In California, cities can't cross county lines, and Oakland is in a separate county from S.F.  So it would require the state legislature to approve a merger, which is not likely to happen.

San Francisco County used to include what is now the bay side of San Mateo County, until 1856.  The counties were split to prevent S.F. from annexing the towns to the south and becoming too powerful.

What I want to know is how the hell San Diego could annex the completely non-contiguous Chula Vista area.

The detailed maps that I've seen show a very narrow strip of City of San Diego that runs north-south through San Diego Bay that connects the San Ysidro area with the rest of the city to the north.

Mike

[Brandon]

Also, what are some instances that didn't happen? For example, San Francisco never annexed Oakland, probably because while cross-water examples are apparently the most frequent, the distance across SF Bay is too great, even by today's standards, to make for a logical consolidation.

In California, cities can't cross county lines, and Oakland is in a separate county from S.F.  So it would require the state legislature to approve a merger, which is not likely to happen.

San Francisco County used to include what is now the bay side of San Mateo County, until 1856.  The counties were split to prevent S.F. from annexing the towns to the south and becoming too powerful.

What I want to know is how the hell San Diego could annex the completely non-contiguous Chula Vista area.

The detailed maps that I've seen show a very narrow strip of City of San Diego that runs north-south through San Diego Bay that connects the San Ysidro area with the rest of the city to the north.

Mike

I'm surprised that never got challenged in court.  Shoestring annexations like that (especially under water) usually get challenged around here.

[6a]

Just curious, what was the City of Los Angeles' most recent annexation (not having time to check the .pdf file)?

According to that map, it was in 1918.  What amazes me is the freaking huge size of some of the annexations.  The San Fernando one was 170 sq mi for crying out loud.

There is another map showing pretty much all the annexations to date (up to 2004 anyway.)  What gets me about that is there are detachments as well.  That kind of thing doesn't fly around here.

Virginia does not allow cities to annex parts of other cities, and the General Assembly has effectively imposed a moratorium on cities annexing nearby unincorporated parts counties - unless the county and city agree to the annexation.

This has been mentioned a couple times in this thread, but I don't know if everyone is aware of Virginia's special situation with regard to cities and counties.  It's such an odd concept that some may not understand the whole concept.  With that in mind, here is a cliff notes version for the others...

In Virginia, a city is so named when it has 5,000 people*.  Big deal, right?  Yep, because VA cities are completely independent of their surrounding county.  Here I live in Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio.  I have a city income tax but pay a county sales tax.  City services but the county sheriff declares snow emergencies, etc, etc.  In Virginia a city is treated as its own county, to the point that it plays hell with people trying to do genealogical research because they have their own courts and crap.  On weather maps and related things you can usually see tiny bubbles inside the counties marking off the cities.  All of this makes annexation a testy issue, because unlike in other places, in this case a county physically shrinks (losing the tax dollars as well.)

* a city under 50,000 people can revert to town status, making it basically like any city in the normal US.

[Mdcastle]

AFAIK there's never been even a serious proposal to merge Minneapolis and St. Paul. They're actually quite different culturally and have been so since the begining and have distinct downtown areas a long ways a part.  Minnepolis was built adjacent to the free waterpower source at St. Anthony Falls, and St. Paul was was the last feasable spot to load and unload boats, above that point the blufffs are too close to the river to allow for a staging area and then St. Anthony Falls prevented further navigation.

[kkt]

In Virginia, a city is so named when it has 5,000 people*.

Is this supposed to be 50,000?

[6a]

In Virginia, a city is so named when it has 5,000 people*.

Is this supposed to be 50,000?

Nope, 5,000 is correct.  A town of population between 5,000 and 5,900 may hold a referendum about becoming a city, but 5,000 is definitely the trigger.

edit: the 5,000 for city/50,000 to revert came about because, since cities are effectively banned from annexation, their tax base erodes as people migrate outward.  In a smaller city, usually in a rural area, this is a big problem since there isn't much to go around in the first place.

Also, trivia tidbit time, Arlington, VA (home of the Pentagon) is actually a county and not a city. It doesn't even have an incorporated town within its borders.

[kkt]

Still fogged.  If the place's population increases from 4,999 to 5,000 it becomes a city, but then it becomes a town again because it's under 50,000?

[Takumi]

The city has the option to revert to town status at 50,000. There are many cities in Virginia, including my own, have never reached 50,000. I don't know if becoming a city at 5,000 is automatic either, because I'm not aware of the town of Front Royal (population 13,000) ever having been a city.

[6a]

Still fogged.  If the place's population increases from 4,999 to 5,000 it becomes a city, but then it becomes a town again because it's under 50,000?

Sorry about the confusion, 5,000 makes a town a city, but a city has the option to revert to town status until it reaches 50,000 people. 

The city has the option to revert to town status at 50,000. There are many cities in Virginia, including my own, have never reached 50,000. I don't know if becoming a city at 5,000 is automatic either, because I'm not aware of the town of Front Royal (population 13,000) ever having been a city.

After thought, Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, so there might be some legislative BS in your case.  But the 5,000 rule is a pretty good base, to be fair.

[Brandon]

In Virginia, a city is so named when it has 5,000 people*.

Is this supposed to be 50,000?

Nope, 5,000 is correct.  A town of population between 5,000 and 5,900 may hold a referendum about becoming a city, but 5,000 is definitely the trigger.

edit: the 5,000 for city/50,000 to revert came about because, since cities are effectively banned from annexation, their tax base erodes as people migrate outward.  In a smaller city, usually in a rural area, this is a big problem since there isn't much to go around in the first place.

Also, trivia tidbit time, Arlington, VA (home of the Pentagon) is actually a county and not a city. It doesn't even have an incorporated town within its borders.

Interesting, 5,000 to incorporate.  In Illinois, 2,500 is the minimum for incorporating as a city; however, villages are much easier to incorporate at any population.  Cities have aldermen or councilmen and a mayor, and villages have trustees and a president; otherwise, there really is no difference.  Hence, you have villages like Bolingbrook and Schaumburg that are over 70,000 in population and cities like Cairo and East Peoria which are much smaller.  The municipal rights are the same, and home rule kicks in automatically unless rejected by the population at 25,000.  Smaller municipalities may obtain home rule after a referendum.

Talking about out more free-for-all type attitude for annexation, here some interesting parts from the Illinois Municipal Code:

For the purposes of this Article, any territory to be annexed to a municipality that is located in a county with more than 500,000 inhabitants shall be considered to be contiguous to the municipality if only a river and a national heritage corridor separate the territory from the municipality. Upon annexation, no river or national heritage corridor shall be considered annexed to the municipality.

Basically, you can have gaps between parts of your municipality if they cross a river or "national heritage corridor" (i.e. I&M Canal), but only in a county larger than 500,000.  Got that?  Take care to read all the county-level population restrictions that are basically meant to apply to one county at the time the act was created (be it DuPage or Cook County).  An example:

Sec. 7-1-18.5. Maintenance of sanitary sewers. A municipality located in a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more to which territory is annexed after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly is responsible for the operation and maintenance of any existing sanitary sewerage system serving the annexed territory, unless the sanitary sewerage system is under the jurisdiction of another unit of local government other than the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

This only is meant to apply to Cook County, but written as if there might actually be other counties in the state that big.

[cpzilliacus]

The city has the option to revert to town status at 50,000. There are many cities in Virginia, including my own, have never reached 50,000. I don't know if becoming a city at 5,000 is automatic either, because I'm not aware of the town of Front Royal (population 13,000) ever having been a city.

The Town of Leesburg, Loudoun County, had a population of over 42,000 in 2010, yet it remains a town and not a city.  Some distance east, the Town of Herndon, Fairfax County, had a population of over 22,000 in 2010.

Compare and contrast to the (tiny) City of Manassas Park (formerly part of Prince William County), which had a 2010 population of only a little over 14,000. Similarly, the City of Falls Church (formerly part of Fairfax County) had a 2010 population of almost 13,000 (though Falls Church has a public school system that might just beat-out the excellent (but much larger) Fairfax County Public Schools adjacent).  The City of Fairfax (surrounded by, but not part of, Fairfax County) had a 2010 population of about 22,000 - the City of Fairfax actually contracts with Fairfax County to run the public schools in the city.

As I understand it, conversion from a town to a city in Virginia is not automatic.  I don't really understand why a town would willingly make the change - as a town, the public schools, judicial system, Commonwealth's Attorney, sheriff and jail remain in the hands of the county, while the town still gets to control things like land use and zoning. 

In some Virginia cities, the city relies on the Commonwealth's Attorney from an adjoining jurisdiction.  The Commonwealth's Attorney for Prince William County also serves the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park; and the Commonwealth's Attorney for Fairfax County also serves the City of Fairfax.

[empirestate]

While we're at it, there is this info from the Census Bureau:
http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/geoguide.html (also downloadable as a PDF for all states)

It describes the peculiarities of incorporated places and minor civil divisions (towns, townships, etc.) for each state, including info about population thresholds where applicable, and whether incorporated places are dependent or independent of their parent subdivisions. Some of the states (IL, OH) have pretty convoluted situations, such as cities that are separate from townships in one county, but subordinate to them in another–the same city has a different status in different counties.

(Side question: this document mentions certain places in West Virginia that are "coextensive but not coterminous" with their parent MCD's. What's the difference?)