Keith,

The importance of Independent status for Virginia cities really doesn't
take off until the 20th century, after the 1902 Constitution. They become
more enshrined in VA laws and practice in the 1920s. In a state's whose
political culture was dominated by rural interests (i.e., the Byrd
Organization), it was a way of quarantining urban influences. There are
some books on it by Chester Bain and David Temple.

Jim Hershman


On Fri, Jun 14, 2013 at 12:55 PM, Keith Kirkland <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> I'm passing this question along from a social media website I frequent
> because I'm wondering if someone better qualified could shed any light on
> the matter. Additional reading sources for further information would be
> appreciated.
>
> "Independent cities are cities that do not even nominally exist within a
> county -- they are beholden only to the state. In the United States, there
> are 42 independent cities, and 39 of them are in Virginia (the exceptions
> are Baltimore, St. Louis, and Carson City, NV).
>
> I have been trying for some time to figure out why this is so. I know that
> this practice started in the Virginia Constitution of 1870, so I'll wager
> it has something to do with the civil war, the secession of the counties
> that became West Virginia, and/or reconstruction. However, I have been
> unable to locate any sources that give me a firm answer. Particularly
> frustrating is the fact that the Virginia General Assembly didn't keep
> records until the 20th century.
>
> For more information: [1]
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_city_(United_States)"<
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_city_%28United_States%29>
> Thank you.
> --
> Keith Kirkland
>
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