Cities that span two or more states
August 26, 2005 10:54 AM Subscribe
I am trying to find a list of cities that span two or more states (e.g. Kansas City MO/KS). Anyone?
I might be wrong, but I think K.C KS & K.C MO are separate cities, if that makes a difference.
posted by repoman at 11:02 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by repoman at 11:02 AM on August 26, 2005
You may need to define what you mean by "city." Legally, Kansas City KS and Kansas City MO are two separate cities--each has its own mayor, etc. If you mean legal cities, there may not be any. On the other hand, there are many metropolitan areas which span more than one state, but that may be too broad of a definition.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 11:02 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 11:02 AM on August 26, 2005
St. Louis, MO/IL
Memphis/West Memphis, TN/AR
Texarkana, TX/AR
Florala, FL/AL
Niagara, NY/Ontario
Istanbul spans two continents.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:05 AM on August 26, 2005
Memphis/West Memphis, TN/AR
Texarkana, TX/AR
Florala, FL/AL
Niagara, NY/Ontario
Istanbul spans two continents.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:05 AM on August 26, 2005
In the same state, St Louis goes both ways. Oddly their development is more east-west while Kansas City (due to early 20th Century development of Mission Hills, KS and the Plaza) moved north-south along the state line.
Does the DC/Virginia region count? I assume you realize that KCK and KCMO are the same in name and geographic proximity only.
posted by geoff. at 11:05 AM on August 26, 2005
Does the DC/Virginia region count? I assume you realize that KCK and KCMO are the same in name and geographic proximity only.
posted by geoff. at 11:05 AM on August 26, 2005
If you mean legal cities, there may not be any.
There are none, in fact the Kansas City bistate tax was the first of its kind (to renovate the Union Station). This issue is really big in KC actually, as the wealth has generally moved to Kansas, which generally wants all the benefits of a large city but without the taxes and obligation. As of late the suburbs have even tried to compete with KC directly by proposing and building convention centers and courting minor league teams.
posted by geoff. at 11:08 AM on August 26, 2005
There are none, in fact the Kansas City bistate tax was the first of its kind (to renovate the Union Station). This issue is really big in KC actually, as the wealth has generally moved to Kansas, which generally wants all the benefits of a large city but without the taxes and obligation. As of late the suburbs have even tried to compete with KC directly by proposing and building convention centers and courting minor league teams.
posted by geoff. at 11:08 AM on August 26, 2005
Augusta (GA) and North Augusta (SC) might as well be the same city.
posted by grabbingsand at 11:09 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by grabbingsand at 11:09 AM on August 26, 2005
If you're going by metro area, you can use Fargo-Moorhead (ND/MN), Duluth-Superior (MN/WI), and Omaha-Council Bluffs (NE/IA). You could even get crazy and run with International Falls-Fort Frances (MN/Ontario).
posted by COBRA! at 11:15 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 11:15 AM on August 26, 2005
They aren't named the same, but one might consider Philadelphia/Camden a contiguous metro region separated only by water and the state line. Of course, you would consider it thus only if you were in Camden... Philadelphians pretty much ignore Camden other than to buy cheap(er) liquor and go to the aquarium.
posted by Netzapper at 11:24 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by Netzapper at 11:24 AM on August 26, 2005
Ottawa, ON and Hull/Gatineau, QC act like the rest of those even though their names don't correspond.
posted by mendel at 11:25 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by mendel at 11:25 AM on August 26, 2005
No, St. Louis does not expand over to Illinois. I suppose you could consider the Metro East Illinois area sort of a suburb, but in NO WAY is E. St. Louis part of St. Louis.
posted by pieoverdone at 11:26 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by pieoverdone at 11:26 AM on August 26, 2005
Lake Tahoe, NV/CA sits onthe border. On one side of the street is shops, on the other is casinos. I found it amusing.
posted by o2b at 11:28 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by o2b at 11:28 AM on August 26, 2005
Lloydminster Alberta/Saskatchewan is one city but, that's in Canada so I don't know if that counts.
posted by sauril at 11:34 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by sauril at 11:34 AM on August 26, 2005
McCaysville GA and Copperhill TN are essentially the same city, except for the blue line painted diagonally across the street (and the IGA parking lot) which lets you know which side of the border you're on. That's important, 'cause you can only buy beer and fireworks on the TN side.
posted by spilon at 11:39 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by spilon at 11:39 AM on August 26, 2005
Since we haven't been very good at providing lists and instead just giving examples, I can join in the fun. I think that Lloydminster is the best Canadian example. It's on the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan, and according to the website, it's a single municipality and counted as a city in each province.
It's a specific point of pain for me, because the retail software I'm currently working on has to be compliant with different provincial legislations. The store in Lloydminster is a special case that often causes problems because of its unique location.
(On preview, beaten to the punch by Sauril. But mine has a link! Nyah!)
posted by flipper at 11:42 AM on August 26, 2005
It's a specific point of pain for me, because the retail software I'm currently working on has to be compliant with different provincial legislations. The store in Lloydminster is a special case that often causes problems because of its unique location.
(On preview, beaten to the punch by Sauril. But mine has a link! Nyah!)
posted by flipper at 11:42 AM on August 26, 2005
And yes, they are two separate cities, but Laredo, TX and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico form another border-crossing metropolitan area as well.
posted by BT at 11:45 AM on August 26, 2005
posted by BT at 11:45 AM on August 26, 2005
Delmar, Maryland/Delaware.
"Delmar is two incorporated towns: Delmar, Delaware, located in Sussex County and Delmar, Maryland located in Wicomico county. The towns share a central administration, police department, public works department, and sewer/water facilities which are jointly owned and operated."
posted by gnomeloaf at 11:47 AM on August 26, 2005
"Delmar is two incorporated towns: Delmar, Delaware, located in Sussex County and Delmar, Maryland located in Wicomico county. The towns share a central administration, police department, public works department, and sewer/water facilities which are jointly owned and operated."
posted by gnomeloaf at 11:47 AM on August 26, 2005
Williamson, WV and KY. Although I think technically, it might be South Williamson, KY.
posted by amarynth at 12:05 PM on August 26, 2005
posted by amarynth at 12:05 PM on August 26, 2005
Not what you're looking for but Weirton, West Virginia is a city that borders two states.
posted by m@ at 12:08 PM on August 26, 2005
posted by m@ at 12:08 PM on August 26, 2005
Response by poster: Sweet. Thanks. Keep 'em coming.
And no, I didn't realize KC, MO and KC, KS were really legally separate. Learn something new every day.
posted by xmutex at 12:58 PM on August 26, 2005
And no, I didn't realize KC, MO and KC, KS were really legally separate. Learn something new every day.
posted by xmutex at 12:58 PM on August 26, 2005
I don't think Niagara Falls ON/NY should count because though they have the same name, and are located pretty much across the border from one another, they don't function as a single city the way that the other examples do.
posted by duck at 2:29 PM on August 26, 2005
posted by duck at 2:29 PM on August 26, 2005
New Pine Creek, Oregon...or California. It's kinda both.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 2:38 PM on August 26, 2005
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 2:38 PM on August 26, 2005
Bluefield, VA/WV
posted by dilettante at 6:24 PM on August 26, 2005
posted by dilettante at 6:24 PM on August 26, 2005
Oh, wait. That's not two states.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:36 PM on August 26, 2005
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:36 PM on August 26, 2005
Geneva, Switzerland and Annemasse, France
Ha, two nation states!
posted by blue_beetle at 9:17 PM on August 26, 2005
Ha, two nation states!
posted by blue_beetle at 9:17 PM on August 26, 2005
Lake Tahoe, NV/CA sits onthe border. On one side of the street is shops, on the other is casinos. I found it amusing.
Not just that, but the California/Nevada border runs through the Calneva casino.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:44 PM on August 26, 2005
A couple of notes on the above:
• Apparently, the town of Wendover (NV/UT) is an interesting example of states' rights in action. It is in an area where a variant form of Mormonism allowing polygamy is practiced sub rosa, and of course, Nevada allows gam-, er gambling while Utah most assuredly does not. There are six casinos on the Nevada side of town, and the bulk of their customers do not have Nevada license plates....
• Four Corners (AZ/CO/NM/UT) is more a geographical anomaly than a town, but there are buildings there, so perhaps it counts. (The site is within the Navajo Nation, and is administered by the tribe.)
posted by rob511 at 2:11 AM on August 27, 2005
• Apparently, the town of Wendover (NV/UT) is an interesting example of states' rights in action. It is in an area where a variant form of Mormonism allowing polygamy is practiced sub rosa, and of course, Nevada allows gam-, er gambling while Utah most assuredly does not. There are six casinos on the Nevada side of town, and the bulk of their customers do not have Nevada license plates....
• Four Corners (AZ/CO/NM/UT) is more a geographical anomaly than a town, but there are buildings there, so perhaps it counts. (The site is within the Navajo Nation, and is administered by the tribe.)
posted by rob511 at 2:11 AM on August 27, 2005
Georgia seems to be racking up an awful lot of these. Let me help...
Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama.
posted by Clay201 at 2:19 AM on August 27, 2005
Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama.
posted by Clay201 at 2:19 AM on August 27, 2005
If the towns are in two states they're going to be two different jurisdictions. For some federal purposes, however, something called a Metropolitan Statistical Area has been devised, that creates overlays that often straddle two (or more) states. The Bureau of the Census uses these, as does HUD. Sometimes they don't match, but that's another story.
Here's a .pdf from the Census that lists all Metropolitan Statistical Areas. A quick scroll down the list of names shows quite a few that have two states listed (Wilmington DE-MD-NJ).
posted by Framer at 3:28 AM on August 27, 2005
Here's a .pdf from the Census that lists all Metropolitan Statistical Areas. A quick scroll down the list of names shows quite a few that have two states listed (Wilmington DE-MD-NJ).
posted by Framer at 3:28 AM on August 27, 2005
I agree that you should take Niagara Falls off the list. We never considered the two places to be a single city. The main reason is that there's an international border between them that costs you time and money and a government inspection going and coming back every time you want to visit the other side, so you tend to stay where you are unless exchange rates make shopping on the other side too attractive to avoid. Also, Canadians and Americans don't exactly feel as if they're the same people who just happen to live on different sides of a line.
posted by pracowity at 11:27 AM on August 27, 2005
posted by pracowity at 11:27 AM on August 27, 2005
Nogales, Arizona, United States and
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
are right across the line from one another
posted by coolsara at 12:28 PM on August 27, 2005
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
are right across the line from one another
posted by coolsara at 12:28 PM on August 27, 2005
An Australian example: Albury, New South Wales and Wodonga, Victoria -- AKA Albury-Wodonga.
posted by bright cold day at 6:55 PM on August 28, 2005
posted by bright cold day at 6:55 PM on August 28, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:00 AM on August 26, 2005