Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-04-24
Counties.

United States, made by the Census
Bureau, reveals some facts of interest
with regard to these minor divisions Of
the territory of the Union. The "coun-
ty" is a territorial division of the United
States derived from Great Britain, where
the counties correspond to the provinces
or departments of other European coun.
tries, and in a limited sense, to the
States of the American Union. An Eng
lishman addresses letter to "Bromley,
Kent" as we address letter to "Wor-
cester, Mass" or Rochester, N. Y"
One State of the Union, which de-
rived its usages from French and not
from English originals, has no coun-
ties at all. In Louisiana these sub
divisions of the State are still called
parishes, both officially and in ordinary
speech, though they are now divided
into many real parishes of the church.
There are about 2S00 counties in the
Union, with an average size Of about
1000 square miles; but this average is
enormously exceeded in many instances,
and is also frequently fallen below.
Leaving out the great unsettled counties
of the West, the average county would
be about 500 square miles in extent.
In much OF the Western part Of the
country the size of the county is regu-
lated mathematically. 1t consists of six
teen townships, each composed of thirty
six square miles, aking SO square miles
in all. In other words, each township Is
six miles square, and each county twenty
four miles square.
In Iowa there are thirty mine counties
which were formed in this way, each one
of which has exactly 576 square mile.
Such divisions were possible in the newer
West, where these minor political divi
sions were made in advance Of settle
ment. In the other parts of the country
the territorial arrangements were largely
accidental.
The largest county in the United
States is Yavapai County, Arizona, which
has an area of almost 80, 900 square miles.
Nine States of the Union are each smaller
than this one county. 1t is larger than
the whole of West Virginia, and almost
as large as South Carolina.
The sixteen counties of Montana aver
age greater size than the State OF
Massachusetts,.
Among the other great counties of the
Union are San Bernardino and San Diego,
in California, which are not only vast
regions, but contain very great amount
of productive territory; Humboldt and
Lincoln Counties in Nevada, which are
exceedingly sparsely populated, and Lin
coin County in New Mexico, which may
some time have a large population.
Although the New England States are
small, the average size Of the counties
is greater than that in most of the
Middle, Western and Southern States.
Worcester County, in Massachusetts,, is
an example OF an Eastern county which
is at the same time large in area and
very populous. 1t has more than 1900
square miles, and almost 10000 people.
1t is larger in area than the adjoining
State of Rhode Island.
The smallet State in the Union has the
smallest county as well. Bristol County,
Rhode Island, is only twenty-five square
miles in extent. At one place it is not
more than two miles in breadth.
Alexandria County, in Virginia, is not
much larger, having only thirty two square
miles. Kings County, New York, has
but thirty seven. One of the new West
ern States possesses an exceedingly small
county as well as some large ones; Todd
County, South Dakota, is only forty
five square miles in extent. Kouths
D.,n,ou;ou