In "Virginia West"--i.e. Missouri--a new constitution in
1876-77 allowed for the creation of independent cities
already within counties, if unanimously approved by a
referendum of voting citizens in both jurisdictions.
St. Louisans short-citedly jumped at the chance to rid
themselves of the expensive and expansive rural county
areas (had something to do with pro-Union urbanites vs
pro-Confederate farmers, too). St. Louis got the magnificent
Old Courthouse and expanded boundaries to the present
61 square miles, which, in hindsight, forever restricted its
size to a donut hole surrounded by more than 80 smaller
municipalities and substantial suburban development with
a current population about 7-8 times as large as the city's.
Best to All from Tornado Land,
Fred Fausz
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Author of Founding St. Louis: First City of the New West (2011)
and the forthcoming Historic St. Louis: 250 Years Exploring
New Frontiers (2014)
Come join us for our 250th Anniversary in 2014
In a message dated 7/1/2013 10:24:54 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
I was out of touch with the Internet (a pleasing experience, actually)
back when this topic came up in June, else I would have posted then what I
post now:
The origins of separation of city and county government, as Jon Kukla
rightly pointed out, go back into the colonial period. During the 19th century
when the General Assembly chartered a good many towns and cities, the
legislature usually endowed those jurisdictions with bodies of public officials
and similar responsibilities as in counties. The Constitution of 1902
implicitly recognized the separate, independent, status of cities, and during
the 20th century that became explicitly recognized in both statue law and
constitutional practice.
But there wasn't any prudential or practical reason that I (or anybody
else) ever discovered for creating or continuing a separation. Like Topsey in
Uncle Tom's Cabin, it just growed.
Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Please visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at
http://www.lva.virginia.gov
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