The Nature of State and Local
Relations
Counties in the United States
•County Government
•County Performance
Growth of Governments in the United States
Type of government
1972
U.S. government
1
State government
50
Local government
78,218 81,780
County
3,044
Municipal
18,517 19,076
Township
16,991 16,734
School district
15,781
Special district
23,885
Total
78,269
1982
1992
1997
1
1
50
50
50
84,955
87,453
3,041
3,043 3,043
19,297
19,372
16,656 16,629
14,851
14,422 13.726
25,078
33,555 34,683
81,831
85,006 87,504
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census, at www.census.gov.
1
The 15 Largest U.S. Counties by Population
1. Los Angeles County, California
2. Cook County, Illinois
3. Harris County, Texas
4. Maricopa County, Arizona
5. Orange County, California
6. San Diego County, California
7. Kings County, New York
8. Miami-Dade County, Florida
9. Queens County, New York
10. Dallas County, Texas
11. Wayne County, Michigan
12. King County, Washington
13. San Bernardino County, California
14. Santa Clara County, California
15. Broward County, Florida
The Commission
Form of County
Government
The Council with
Elected Executive
Form of Government
Towns, Cities, Suburbs
•The Rise of “Edge Cities”
The 15 Largest U.S. Cities by Population
1. New York, N.Y.
2. Los Angeles, Calif.
3. Chicago, Ill.
4. Houston, Tex.
5. Philadelphia, Pa.
6. Phoenix, Ariz.
7. San Diego, Calif.
8. Dallas, Tex.
9. San Antonio, Tex.
10. Detroit, Mich.
11. San Jose, Calif.
12. Indianapolis, Ind.
13. San Francisco, Cailf.
14. Jacksonville, Fla.
15. Columbus, Ohio
City Government Today
•The Mayor-Council Charter
•Weak Mayor Councils and Strong Mayor
Councils
•The Council-Manager Charter
The MayorCouncil Form
of City
Government
makes
policy
carry out policy
The CouncilManager Form of
City Government
makes
policy
appoints
Department heads
carry out policy
The Role of the Mayor
Who Influences Local Policy
Making?
•Interest Groups in Cities
The Five Fastest-Growing Metropolitan Areas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Las Vegas, Nev.
Naples, Fla.
Yuma, Ariz.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex.
Austin-San Marcos, Tex.
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States,
2000 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2000).
The Central City and Its Politics
Meeting the Challenges of Growth
and Economic Development
•Strategies to Govern Metro Regions
•Annexation
•Agreements to Furnish Services
•Regional Coordinating and Planning
Councils
•City-County Consolidations
•Federated Government
California Consists of
Ten Largest Cities in California
1. Los Angeles
2. San Diego
3. San Jose
4. San Francisco
5. Long Beach
6. Fresno
7. Sacramento
8. Oakland
9. Santa Ana
10. Anaheim
3,957,875
1,305,736
944,857
799,263
491,564
464,727
452,959
412,318
351,697
345,317
58
Counties
500+ Cities
1025+ School Districts
Other Districts
Regions