NationStates Jolt Archive

Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudhoe_Bay) is home to only one household made up of a married couple, their two sons and a daughter. However, many workers come to work here everyday. There are several other population-five towns in the US and probably many more in the world. ;)

I dare you to find me a town with only one person! *Waits*

"As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there is one household in the town, consisting of one married couple between 25 and 44 and two boys and one girl under 18; the median age of the family is 12 years. One person is White, one is Native American, and three from two or more races. The income for this household is $90,957, or $19,880 per capita. The population density is 0.0/km². There is 1 housing unit."

I just thought that was funny.

there's the town in my mind. . .

oh wait, that has a population of 2.

Shouldn't be a problem getting people to attend town meetings.

Bar hopping must suck there.

Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudhoe_Bay) is home to only one household made up of a married couple, their two sons and a daughter. However, many workers come to work here everyday. There are several other population-five towns in the US and probably many more in the world. ;)

I dare you to find me a town with only one person! *Waits*
Hm, I can give you

- one with 3 persons (Lost Springs, Wyoming)

- three with 2 persons (Glenwood Plantation, Maine; Florida, Missouri; Hove Mobile Park, North Dakota)

- and one with 0 persons (Hoot Owl, Oklahoma)


I'd totally have you pwned, except I don't have one with exactly 1 person. :(

Then again, those are all from a book that was published 1995, so somebody is bound to have died... *shifty eyes*

How's the police department?

"As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there is one household in the town, consisting of one married couple between 25 and 44 and two boys and one girl under 18; the median age of the family is 12 years. One person is White, one is Native American, and three from two or more races. The income for this household is $90,957, or $19,880 per capita. The population density is 0.0/km². There is 1 housing unit."

I just thought that was funny.
Yeah, though it must be kind of scary when all the "medians" for your town let everybody know exactly how old you are, how much money you make, etc.

How's the police department?
Overworked, there are about 3 criminals for every 2 cops, and its is reported that as much as 60% of the population was incarcerated for an unspecified time after widespread riots regarding who may have "started it." The exact circumstances of "it" are, as of yet, unspecified, but the mayor is currently "not hearing any of it."

Overworked, there are about 3 criminals for every 2 cops, and its is reported that as much as 60% of the population was incarcerated for an unspecified time after widespread riots regarding who may have "started it." The exact circumstances of "it" are, as of yet, unspecified, but the mayor is currently "not hearing any of it."
:eek:

Americans are so violent.

Monowi, NE (http://caveviews.blogs.com/cave_news/2005/02/monowi_nebraska.html)

Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudhoe_Bay) is home to only one household made up of a married couple, their two sons and a daughter. However, many workers come to work here everyday. There are several other population-five towns in the US and probably many more in the world. ;)

I dare you to find me a town with only one person! *Waits*

How much you wanna bet it has a Wal mart :p

How much you wanna bet it has a Wal mart :p
A tiny, tiny Wal Mart. *head explodes in showers of paradoxical light*

It depends if they still have to be incorporated. I grew up in a county in Nebraska that had a total county population of less than 2000. No it wasn't the smallest county in the state by far. Anyway it had several ghost towns. 0 population except for those in the cemetery. Then there were towns that were no longer incorporated that had a family or two.

Plenty of farms out here would qualify...

Hm, I can give you

- one with 3 persons (Lost Springs, Wyoming)

- three with 2 persons (Glenwood Plantation, Maine; Florida, Missouri; Hove Mobile Park, North Dakota)

- and one with 0 persons (Hoot Owl, Oklahoma)


I'd totally have you pwned, except I don't have one with exactly 1 person. :(

Then again, those are all from a book that was published 1995, so somebody is bound to have died... *shifty eyes*
According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoot_Owl%2C_Oklahoma), Hoot Owl has an unnofficial population of one. Must be a dive, hmm?

Belmont, Nevada. Population 1.

Belmont, Nevada. Population 1.

eep - u gotta keep explaining!!
is it one person who is a permanent resident and everyone else jsut comes there to work?
how do u know about it?
has anyone ever visited one of these one-ppl towns?
and i think its funny that my house has 8 times the population of belmont

I think that in England at least, a place has to have a population of a certain size to even get to be called a town, I live in a Village, it has at least a couple of thousand inhabitants, schools and a pub, church, shops etc etc. but its not classed as a town because it's too small, smaller than a village is a hamlet, I grew up in one of those, it had about a dozen houses and a church (that didnt have a permanent Vicar) nothing else, oh apart from a post box. That said, does a house standing on its own count as a hamlet?

There is a place nearby called 'Five Houses' and it has ummm five houses, but its not even considered a village, let alone a town. It must be very different in the states.

Also on this topic, is it true that in England, a town, no matter how large cannot call itself a City unless it has a Cathedral and the Queen gives it consent or something like that? I remember a thing recently about some towns 'bidding' to be made into a City by the Queen.

I'm not sure, but I think my grandpa is the only permanent resident in his...I don't know what to call it, but lets say "town" for fun. No shops, no postoffice, just a couple of million trees (it's a HUGE area), some protected animals and a bunch of deserted houses.

Except for the summer, then there are about 100-150 people there, mostly from Stockholm. It's a really peaceful place, I love it. Except for the camp filled with ten-year-olds thinking they're something because they've been there twice before, but still.

Oh, and the town's called Kloten (dutch people, I know what that is as well. Coincidence.) It isn't even on wiki in english, only in swedish...

According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoot_Owl%2C_Oklahoma), Hoot Owl has an unnofficial population of one. Must be a dive, hmm?
Ha, I love this:
As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of zero (5 in 1990). Though it is not official, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population as of July 1, 2004 at one person.
Heh, some kind of estimate. :p


But yeah, here's what my book says about Hoot Owl, OK (again, from 1995):
Rose Moore, President, Pettycoat Junction Real Estate:
"Hoot Owl was named and incorporated by a man and his family in 1977. He put the town on the market four years ago but never got the price he wanted. Eventually, he ended up losing his town to the local bank and was evicted from the premises. That's how come the population is zero. The bank was asking $150,000, but settled for less with a fella who says he's going to use Hoot Owl's thirty-four acres as a private retreat for his family. He says he'll maintain the town's charter, too. Says his wife will be the mayor and he'll become the new sheriff and executioner."


So, yeah, Carisbrooke, things work very differently in the US re. incorporation of towns. I'm not sure if there are any kind of minimum requirements if you want to incorporate a town, as long as you own the ground you're set, I guess.
Stanford University and surrounding acreage actually is its own town, too, go figure.

And I always thought that "village" was something not used in the US all - as soon as it's incorporated, it's called a "small town", even if it's only two houses. But lately, I've stumbled upon some articles using "village". Personally, I could only see village used in reference to some quaint picturesque New England, well, village, because in my head it's just this really European thing.

So, to the Americans here: Do you ever call American small towns "villages"? (I'd actually really appreciate an answer, b/c I'll need to know for my masters thesis...):p

So, to the Americans here: Do you ever call American small towns "villages"? (I'd actually really appreciate an answer, b/c I'll need to know for my masters thesis...):p
"Village" is too European and brings up images of peasants, hay-thatched huts, and Robin Hood.
What we got are towns, man! Somtimes they got one light, sometimes just a stop sign, or maybe you can blink and you've already passed through them, but its a town. An American town, y'all.

I'd like to see a town with 1/2 of a resident.

"Village" is too European and brings up images of peasants, hay-thatched huts, and Robin Hood.
What we got are towns, man! Somtimes they got one light, sometimes just a stop sign, or maybe you can blink and you've already passed through them, but its a town. An American town, y'all.

whilst there are thatched cottages, (no huts though) we don't have peasants and Robin Hood never came anywhere near here as far as I know)
A village can be a modern contruction, but more usually they are old because all the good places to build them were used up a long time ago.

Shouldn't be a problem getting people to attend town meetings.
"But mom, I don't want to eat dinner at the table."
"You have to attend - it's a town meeting."

So, to the Americans here: Do you ever call American small towns "villages"? (I'd actually really appreciate an answer, b/c I'll need to know for my masters thesis...):p
Yes, it depends on the state but where I'm used to a village has less then 500 people. 500-1000 is a third class town. 1000-5000 is a second class town. 5000-10,000 is a first class town. Above 10,000 there are classes of cities.

I think most states have these classifications but the population breaks are different. The states use these to make it easier to say which town-city will get certian state monies. Villages might get help to put in a sewer system, while a city might get funds for a 4-lane hiway.

Yes, it depends on the state but where I'm used to a village has less then 500 people. 500-1000 is a third class town. 1000-5000 is a second class town. 5000-10,000 is a first class town. Above 10,000 there are classes of cities.

I think most states have these classifications but the population breaks are different. The states use these to make it easier to say which town-city will get certian state monies. Villages might get help to put in a sewer system, while a city might get funds for a 4-lane hiway.
And is that what people actually say? Like, do you actually say "village"? Or just "small town"? (I'm just assuming nobody actually uses "third/second/first class town" in everyday conversation.)

Which state are you from, if I may ask? If not - which general part of the country?

Thanks. :)

I think I will start calling my town a village just for kicks.

So, to the Americans here: Do you ever call American small towns "villages"? (I'd actually really appreciate an answer, b/c I'll need to know for my masters thesis...):p

http://www.rhinebeckny.org/rgov.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canajoharie_(town),_New_York

My town (http://www.communitysite.com/states/newyork/camillus.htm) has a town supervisor and board. Part of our town is a village -- they actually have their own mayor. There are a couple of "hamlets" within the town, too. I think they are generally parts of the town that were incorporated prior to the town government taking charge. They may have independent fire districts, or other public resources (such as water supply, sewer lines, lighting districts) that are maintained and taxed separate from the town services. School districts, on the other hand, often encompass more than one town. But that's not true for everywhere, just my region of New York State...

- snip :eek: -
Why, thank you - it totally wasn't complicated enough already. :p

Why, thank you - it totally wasn't complicated enough already. :p

I've lived here for 5 years and still haven't quite figured it out. the back of my property is the the town line, and for some reason the post office in my town won't deliver here, but the next town over does. so i pay my taxes and live in one town, but my mailing address is in another. it's all perfectly bizzare if you ask me.

around here, the difference between a "town" and a "city" is teh form of government -- usually towns are headed by a supervisor/town board, or where i'm originally from a board of selectmen, of whom the "first selectman" is the person in charge -- a first among equals sort of arrangement. cities are headed by a mayor/city council type arrangement. the terminology is not consistant, so have fun with trying to figure it all out!

endlessly fascinating, isn't it! ;)

whilst there are thatched cottages, (no huts though) we don't have peasants and Robin Hood never came anywhere near here as far as I know)
A village can be a modern contruction, but more usually they are old because all the good places to build them were used up a long time ago.
I've been to the UK. I know its not like that, but when I was little, that was the only case when the word "village" was used.

My home county has 16 communities. Many are townships, but there are commercial centres deemed "villages" know that I think about it. We don't say it though, its just the legal name. Grr! *shakes fist*

They are independent in everything. Fire, water, police, et cetera. Most buy from the orignial settlement, as my county has slowly fragmented over the decades. We're talking about throwing everything together again. Muwahahahaha! Go centeralisation! Get rid of repetitive buracracy (sp?)! HAHA!

And is that what people actually say? Like, do you actually say "village"? Or just "small town"? (I'm just assuming nobody actually uses "third/second/first class town" in everyday conversation.)

Which state are you from, if I may ask? If not - which general part of the country?

Thanks. :)
I grew up in Nebraska and I know it's done that way there. In actual conversation people generally call Lincoln and Omaha cities and everything else is a town. However, when speaking legally there are "Village Boards", and "City Councils" it's a city council even if it's legally a town. If you're going shopping you say "I'm going to town." Or if going to a large city, you name the city. "I'm going to Lincoln (Omaha, Denver, Kansas City)" To legally be a town you have to be incorporated and follow a lot of legal provisions, so when a town gets so small it's too much of a hassel to remain legal. But, a lot of those stay on the map for quite a while as landmarks. It's quite a controversy when the state removes one from a map.

As I said above, the classes are a way for the state to give grants, etc. to different sizes of towns.

I'm in MO now and don't know exacly how they do it, but the town I have my address has 300 and has a "Village Board" The town on the other side has 1200 and has a "City Council".

I grew up in Nebraska and I know it's done that way there. In actual conversation people generally call Lincoln and Omaha cities and everything else is a town. However, when speaking legally there are "Village Boards", and "City Councils" it's a city council even if it's legally a town. If you're going shopping you say "I'm going to town." Or if going to a large city, you name the city. "I'm going to Lincoln (Omaha, Denver, Kansas City)" To legally be a town you have to be incorporated and follow a lot of legal provisions, so when a town gets so small it's too much of a hassel to remain legal. But, a lot of those stay on the map for quite a while as landmarks. It's quite a controversy when the state removes one from a map.

As I said above, the classes are a way for the state to give grants, etc. to different sizes of towns.

I'm in MO now and don't know exacly how they do it, but the town I have my address has 300 and has a "Village Board" The town on the other side has 1200 and has a "City Council".
Aha, see, I wouldn't have taken the Great Plains for "village" territory at all. But that's probably because, like you said, while it might the official term, it's not used in everyday conversation.
And as for the "disappearance" of a small town, I'd think that people will probably try to hang on as long as possible, taking over things like e.g. garbage pick-up or other services a town is required to offer, but just can't anymore, due to lack of tax base and man power.
Then again, I would imagine many of these almost-ghost towns just wither away, without anybody really coming in and telling them to get their act together or face losing their town status...

Here's how it works out on Long Island, where my country house is (NO!, it's not even close to a McMansion, but it is in the Hamptons:cool: ):
A village is basically the lowest level of government. Applying for village status gives the local community more control over its affairs but also takes on some responsibilities. For instance, the town of Southhampton incorperates a large part of Long Island's South Fork. In it are the villages of:
* North Haven
* Quogue
* Sag Harbor -- shared with the Town of East Hampton
* Southampton (village)
* Westhampton Beach
* West Hampton Dunes

The Town also contains the Hamlets of:
* Bridgehampton
* Eastport -- shared with the Town of Brookhaven
* East Quogue
* Flanders
* Hampton Bays
* Northampton
* North Sea
* Noyack (Noyac) -- CDP name different than hamlet name
* Quioque (Quiogue) -- CDP name different than hamlet name
* Remsenburg -- also see Remsenburg-Speonk
* Riverside
* Sagaponack
* Shinnecock Hills
* Southampton (hamlet)
* Speonk -- also see Remsenburg-Speonk
* Tuckahoe
* Watermill (Water Mill) -- CDP name different than hamlet name
* Westhampton
Hamlets are for all intensive purposes the equivalent of neighborhoods. They have no legal status and depend on the town for all services. So, the levels of local government of L.I. are:
State -->County-->Town-->Village-->Hamlet(NO LEGAL STATUS)

Aha, see, I wouldn't have taken the Great Plains for "village" territory at all. But that's probably because, like you said, while it might the official term, it's not used in everyday conversation.
And as for the "disappearance" of a small town, I'd think that people will probably try to hang on as long as possible, taking over things like e.g. garbage pick-up or other services a town is required to offer, but just can't anymore, due to lack of tax base and man power.
Then again, I would imagine many of these almost-ghost towns just wither away, without anybody really coming in and telling them to get their act together or face losing their town status...
There's usually a pattern to a town dieing. First the school closes, then all the business but the cafe and bar leave, then , then the cafe closes, followed by the bar, then the church closes. The cemetery is maintained for another 20 years, individual graves are maintained for another 20 years. Then a bunch of kids break up all the grave markers. Then the cemetery grows up to weeds.

There's usually a pattern to a town dieing. First the school closes, then all the business but the cafe and bar leave, then , then the cafe closes, followed by the bar, then the church closes. The cemetery is maintained for another 20 years, individual graves are maintained for another 20 years. Then a bunch of kids break up all the grave markers. Then the cemetery grows up to weeds.
Yes, this is exactly what I meant (although, tbh, I never really thought about what happened to the cemeteries...).
I just never realized there might be "legal" (as in town/incorporation status) issues, too.

It's a rather depressing but endlessly interesting topic from a socio-geographical standpoint (obviously not for the people involved, who are often enough losing their livelihoods and their way of life). I'm actually going to be writing about the depopulation of the rural Great Plains, so it's interesting to not only get stuff from books but from actual people once in a while.

I remember being on a rafting trip some time ago, in Maine, and seeing a town with a population of sixteen.