Microtown
Encyclopedia
A microtown is a municipality with less than 500 residents that is not part of the suburbia of a neighboring city
. (Such towns might also be known as village
s and hamlet
s.) Microtowns used to be prevalent in the West and Midwest United States
in the 18th and 19th centuries as people moved for cheaper land and started their own municipality. Today, a microtown is usually a strong sign of a locality's decline, as people have moved away to seek more prosperous opportunities elsewhere, although many such places still exist today, always in rural America. The smallest documented microtown is in Maine with a population of exactly one (it is legally a town), although a town usually has some degree of independence. A population of zero is a ghost town
.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
. (Such towns might also be known as village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s and hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s.) Microtowns used to be prevalent in the West and Midwest United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 18th and 19th centuries as people moved for cheaper land and started their own municipality. Today, a microtown is usually a strong sign of a locality's decline, as people have moved away to seek more prosperous opportunities elsewhere, although many such places still exist today, always in rural America. The smallest documented microtown is in Maine with a population of exactly one (it is legally a town), although a town usually has some degree of independence. A population of zero is a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
Examples of microtowns
- Homestead, IowaHomestead, IowaHomestead is an unincorporated community in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. It has the ZIP code 52236.Homestead is a census-designated place with the population recorded as 148 in the 2010 census....
, population 103 - Calvin, North DakotaCalvin, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 26 people, 11 households, and 6 families residing in the city. The population density was 119.3 people per square mile . There were 19 housing units at an average density of 87.2 per square mile...
, population 27 - Fredonia, KentuckyFredonia, KentuckyFredonia is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 420 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fredonia is located at ....
, population 425 - Hiseville, KentuckyHiseville, KentuckyHiseville is an unincorporated community in Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 224 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a city. It is part of the Glasgow Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, population 220 - Easton, New HampshireEaston, New HampshireEaston is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 254 at the 2010 census.- History :Formed from a part of Landaff known as Eastern Landaff, Easton was incorporated in 1876....
, population 256 - Fortescue, MissouriFortescue, MissouriFortescue is a village in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 51 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Fortescue is located at ....
, population 51 - Harmony, CaliforniaHarmony, CaliforniaHarmony is an unincorporated town located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It lies north of Cayucos and south of Cambria on SR 1, near the junction with SR 46. The ZIP Code is 93435...
, population 18 - Weeki Wachee, FloridaWeeki Wachee, FloridaWeeki Wachee is a city located in Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city continues to have a population of 12. The Weekiwachee Preserve and the Weeki Wachee Springs park...
, population 12
See also
- List of places in the United States with an official population less than 10
- TownTownA town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
- VillageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
- HamletHamlet (place)A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...