For homeowners in the other forty-nine American states, specifying where one lives is a rote process: city, county, state. For a small percentage of Virginians, however, that field for “county” is a tricky matter… because they don’t technically belong to one. For homeowners new to the state, this whole concept can be exceedingly strange. Knowing a little bit of history can really shine some light on the situation!
Thirty-eight of the United States’ forty-one independent cities are right here in Virginia - Baltimore, Maryland, St. Louis, Missouri, and Carson City, Nevada are the exceptions. These self-governing cities are scattered throughout the state, and though they may be surrounded on all sides by a county, they are not part of it.
Adding to the confusion, some cities share names with Virginia counties, despite not being contiguous. For example, Richmond is not in Richmond County - Roanoke, however, is in fact within Roanoke City. James City, Charles City, and Elizabeth City are actually all counties, dating back to when Virginia had eight original shires. And then, just for bonus confusion, Arlington is actually a county that just about everyone treats like a city, owing to it being so small and compact. A handful of cities have voluntarily relinquished their city charters, some dating back to the 1800s, and opted for absorption by the closest county.
Some independent cities have their own court system and law enforcement, while others are served by the surrounding county, making legal jurisdiction a headache-inducing concept in Virginia! For the most part, however, the independent city situation is a non-issue, and merely an inconsequential quirk of living in one of America’s oldest - and indisputably most historic - states. If you were previously baffled by the whole “independent city” thing, hopefully this cleared things up… and, next time you come across someone not in the know, you will be the voice of authority on the topic!
