What's the difference between a City and a Town?

Question

I know that in the UK, a city is a town with a cathedral; but what about other countries, especially non-Christian countries which don't have cathedrals? Is it decided by population? If so what's the difference between a small city and a large town?

Additional Details

Jan409...name one town with a cathedral that's not a city...
St David's is the UK's smallest city, it has a cathedral...it's smaller than many towns which don't have a cathedral.

Can you name a UK city without a cathedral?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

St. David's -- the UK's smallest city -- has a population of around 2000.

The UK city of Stoke-on-Trent does not have a cathedral.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Stoke eh?...now that's very interesting.

Answer 2

Interesting question

although not all towns with cathedrals are cities

Its probably more to do with population

The decision to call a town a city may also be political

Answer 3

a city is bigger,more populated..a town is smaller,less populated

Answer 4

interesting question.................but i dont know SOZ :(

Answer 5

Nowadays a city is areas within a country and a town is a area within a city. E.G
England = Country
London = City
Ealing = Town
Then you have sub towns which are areas within the towns, E.G
West Ealing, South Ealing etc...

hope this help and didnt just confuse you more. LOL ; D

Source(s):

my brain!!!

Answer 6

often a city is a legally "incorporated" entity. and it has specific definitions wherever you go

england canada and the usa each have slightly different definitions
.

An incorporated municipality in the United States with definite boundaries and legal powers set forth in a charter granted by the state.

A Canadian municipality of high rank, usually determined by population but varying by province.

A large incorporated town in Great Britain, usually the seat of a bishop, with its title conferred by the Crown.

it is differentiated from a town usually by size, except that even the largest cities are often referred to as towns. ie "Chicago is my kinda town"

town :

A population center that is larger than a village and smaller than a city.

A territorial and political unit governed by a town meeting, especially in New England.

Informal. A city: New York is a big town.

Chiefly British. A rural village that has a market or fair periodically.

Source(s):

http://www.answers.com/topic/city

Answer 7

Usually, it is down to population, and the local government/legal/historical status.

A town can apply to become a city through decree... and although most have cathedrals, it is not a requirement, a royal connection will also help a town become a city. in ancient times, it was down to the taxes paid to the crown..

Answer 8

To my understanding in most countries by which of course I mean US and UK. Towns have to apply to the government for "city status" based on the factors you mention population, infrastructure, job creation etc.

Answer 9

In parts of the world that have got history (i.e. not the US) cities are ususally on the sites of former cities, which date back to the time when the distinction was a bit more obvious.
A town in ye olde days was just a group of houses, but a city had a defensive wall around it. Many modern cities grew out of these older ones, y'see.
In America, they just call a city a city for political reasons - but then, they haven't got any history, have they? :-)

Answer 10

FROM: http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/queread…

The difference is in population, a city is bigger than a town obviously and probably has 100,000 people ar more (not sure of the exact requirements to be a city) but it's a bit arbitrary as some really rural- looking areas in some prefectures- Saitama is a good example- are classed as shi or cities, even though when you get off the train at that station you can hardly see anything but rice fields.

Japanese urban sprawl is so extensive that there is often no break between one city and the next.







FROM: http://geography.about.com/library/faq/b…

What is the difference between a city and a town?
In the United States, an incorporated city is a legally defined government entity, with powers delegated by the state and county and created and approved by the voters of the city. It can provide local government services to its citizens.
In most places in the U.S. a town, village, community, or neighborhood is simply an unincorporated community with no governmental powers. Usually, county governments provide services to these unincorporated communities. Some states do have official designations of "towns" that include limited powers.

Generally in the urban heirarchy, villages are smaller than towns and towns are smaller than cities but each country has its own definition of a city and an urban area.

Source(s):

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/queread…

http://geography.about.com/library/faq/b…