While cities conjure up visions of an ever more complex, stressful future, counties remind us of our rural past, when the county fair was one of the most exciting events in people's lives. Students in schools across America memorize the states and capitals, along with other notable cities. But many people would have to pause before they could tell you the name of the county they live in. County Origins Native Americans had no concept of the county hundreds of years ago. Their villages were too small, and often too mobile, to be bothered with government above the level of the tribe.
Counties trace their roots to the English shire of a thousand years ago.
Shires acted as both an administrative arm of the national government and citizens' local government. The patriots who framed the Constitution didn't provide for local governments. Instead, they left the matter to the states, which generally regarded county government as an extension of the state's power. Thus, the oldest counties are generally found in eastern states, from New England to the Carolinas. However, New Mexico's El Paso County claims the oldest capital in the United States.