New England town

The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. An institution that does not have a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in that they were originally set up so that all territory would be completely covered by them. However, New England towns are of greater importance in local government and civic identity than civil townships are in most of the states where the latter exist. New England towns are legally incorporated and have all the powers that a city in other states would normally have. In addition, virtually all incorporated municipalities in New England are based on the town model; statutory forms based on the concept of a compact populated place, which is typically prevalent elsewhere in the U.S., are uncommon. New England is the only region of the country where this is the case. Because virtually all residents live within the boundaries of an incorporated municipality, county government in New England is typically weak or nonexistent. The towns are of much greater importance than the counties are.
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