Previous posts discussed several reasons why the three smallest counties in the United States do not function autonomously. Thus, they should not be considered counties except in name only.
Independent Cities
The focus of the current post is another unusual arrangement, the situation of independent cities. They function identically to most counties but in fact they are not. This is a rather common phenomenon in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In that state there are 38 independent cities. By quirk of law, every municipality that incorporates as a city in Virginia becomes an independent entity.
It is much more rare throughout the remainder of the United States. In fact, there are only 3 additional independent cities: Baltimore, Maryland; St. Louis, Missouri; and Carson City, Nevada. The U.S. Census Bureau treats all independent cities as “county equivalents.”
Smallest of the Small
The smallest of these independent cities is Falls Church, Virginia (map). It covers a minuscule 1.99 square miles with a population of about 10,000. Even the smallest of the pseudo-counties discussed in previous posts would dwarf this locale.
Nonetheless, Falls Church has its own school system, police force, library system, taxation, parks, street maintenance, building inspections, permits and licensing. It does have service arrangements in place with neighboring Fairfax and Arlington Counties in some instances. However those are only for reasons of efficiency.
Thus, Falls Church receives its authority directly from the State government and is not subordinate to any county. The city serves its citizens in the same manner as any county. If it were a county it would be by far the smallest. However, by definition, an independent city is not a county. So the search for the “smallest county” continues.
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