Towns and Townships

Town and township governments exist in about 20 states, mostly in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest, and the Census Bureau counts more than 16,000 of them. In New England, towns are the main unit of local government, covering nearly all territory and providing services that counties provide elsewhere, and many still govern through the town meeting, in which registered voters gather to adopt budgets and bylaws directly, a practice dating to the 1630s in Massachusetts.

Civil townships in the Midwest grew from the survey system of the Land Ordinance of 1785, which divided public land into six-mile-square survey townships, though civil township boundaries do not always match. These townships typically maintain rural roads, assess property, run cemeteries, provide general assistance to the poor, and in some states handle zoning and fire protection, governed by an elected board of trustees or supervisors. In states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, some townships are urban or suburban and function much like cities.

Townships have drawn debate as states look for ways to reduce the number of local governments. Illinois, with more than 1,400 townships, and Indiana have considered consolidating or abolishing them, arguing that they duplicate county services and add administrative costs. Defenders say township government is the most direct form of democracy in the country, keeps decisions close to residents, and costs little. New England towns' tradition of the open town meeting is often cited as a living example of participatory self-government.