Other historical communities have never felt the need to formalize their existence through incorporation. The reasons they make these decisions are also the purposes for which local governments exist. The first and foremost purpose of local government is to provide services to people as a community that they cannot efficiently provide for themselves. The typical services are of course public safety, water and sewer but can consist of almost any service that can be supplied better to a group as opposed to individuals. This has always been and should continue to be the primary reason cities and towns exist.
Local government is the government that works.
It brings the clean water to the homes and takes the dirty water away. Residents can put garbage out on the curb in the morning and be assured it will be gone when they come home at night. These, and many more services, are provided and relied on almost without thought. The development of a sense of community is an often-overlooked role of local government. People like to belong.