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Often people who are non-native speakers of English don't know the difference between town and village. I hear plenty Dutch people say that they're from a villa

Often people who are non-native speakers of English don't know the difference between town and village. I hear plenty Dutch people say that they're from a village, while town would probably be a better word.

Aeolun 6y ago
Only because once you leave the Netherlands, the true size of things suddenly becomes clear.
ghaff 6y ago
I doubt town and village are used consistently in the Anglosphere either. They tend to be used fairly consistently in New England (though I can think of exceptions) where it's not so much about absolute size but whether they have a town government or are part of a larger entity.
- dhosek 6y ago
  In Illinois, the distinction is one based on how the municipality was incorporated: The town of Cicero, the village of Winnetka, the city of Evanston—though some of these designations seem quainter than others, they have nothing to do with population or size. “It really all depends on which statute under state law the municipality incorporated under,” says David Bennett, executive director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, an association of 272 area leaders who convene to collaborate and converse about the health of the metro area. Towns are municipalities that were created prior to the 1872 passing of the Cities and Villages Act, which set out standards and guidelines for incorporation. Established in 1867, Cicero happens to be the only town in the Chicago area. The distinctions between the terms city and village are more ambiguous. In states such as New York, “cities and villages can differ according to how the state defines them, in terms of the procedures for setting them up, the governance structures and the powers allotted to them automatically by the municipal code,” says Joshua Drucker, assistant professor of urban planning and policy at DePaul University, who researched the topic when he moved to Illinois four years ago. “But in Illinois, there’s very little difference. The largest remaining difference is that villages must have exactly six trustees, whereas cities may have six or more aldermen.” https://www.timeout.com/chicago/things-to-do/city-village-townwhats-the-difference https://www.timeout.com/chicago/things-to-do/city-village-to... I live in a village (Oak Park) with population 52,381 adjacent to a city (Berwyn) with population 54,391 and a town (Cicero) with population 80,796
- kevin_thibedeau 6y ago
  Townships in New York are county subdivisions that are large enough to encompass multiple villages. Not what is conventionally considered a town.
  - Semaphor 6y ago
    > In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refer to the often underdeveloped racially segregated urban areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-whites, namely Indians, Africans and Coloureds. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(South_Africa) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(South_Africa) I was somewhat confused when I first heard about townships in the US ;)
  - ghaff 6y ago
    I think it's similar in Pennsylvania where I grew up. The small groupings within a township (or that can straddle townships) are apparently officially census designated places according to Wikipedia. But the same articles seem to refer to them colloquially as towns or villages interchangeably. I'm pretty sure we called them towns when I was growing up. There is quite a variation of governmental divisions within the US and what's important or even what exists in one state or region may not be so in another state or region. And informal nomenclature varies as well.
- knolax 6y ago
  Where I live a village is what real estate agents call the massive block of suburbia they just built in the middle of nowhere. Or some sort of outdoor shopping center.
sailfast 6y ago
That's because "tuin" which sounds exactly like Town means something totally different in Dutch (garden)

Aeolun 6y ago

Only because once you leave the Netherlands, the true size of things suddenly becomes clear.

ghaff 6y ago

I doubt town and village are used consistently in the Anglosphere either. They tend to be used fairly consistently in New England (though I can think of exceptions) where it's not so much about absolute size but whether they have a town government or are part of a larger entity.

dhosek 6y ago
In Illinois, the distinction is one based on how the municipality was incorporated: The town of Cicero, the village of Winnetka, the city of Evanston—though some of these designations seem quainter than others, they have nothing to do with population or size. “It really all depends on which statute under state law the municipality incorporated under,” says David Bennett, executive director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, an association of 272 area leaders who convene to collaborate and converse about the health of the metro area. Towns are municipalities that were created prior to the 1872 passing of the Cities and Villages Act, which set out standards and guidelines for incorporation. Established in 1867, Cicero happens to be the only town in the Chicago area. The distinctions between the terms city and village are more ambiguous. In states such as New York, “cities and villages can differ according to how the state defines them, in terms of the procedures for setting them up, the governance structures and the powers allotted to them automatically by the municipal code,” says Joshua Drucker, assistant professor of urban planning and policy at DePaul University, who researched the topic when he moved to Illinois four years ago. “But in Illinois, there’s very little difference. The largest remaining difference is that villages must have exactly six trustees, whereas cities may have six or more aldermen.” https://www.timeout.com/chicago/things-to-do/city-village-townwhats-the-difference https://www.timeout.com/chicago/things-to-do/city-village-to... I live in a village (Oak Park) with population 52,381 adjacent to a city (Berwyn) with population 54,391 and a town (Cicero) with population 80,796
kevin_thibedeau 6y ago
Townships in New York are county subdivisions that are large enough to encompass multiple villages. Not what is conventionally considered a town.
- Semaphor 6y ago
  > In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refer to the often underdeveloped racially segregated urban areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-whites, namely Indians, Africans and Coloureds. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(South_Africa) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(South_Africa) I was somewhat confused when I first heard about townships in the US ;)
- ghaff 6y ago
  I think it's similar in Pennsylvania where I grew up. The small groupings within a township (or that can straddle townships) are apparently officially census designated places according to Wikipedia. But the same articles seem to refer to them colloquially as towns or villages interchangeably. I'm pretty sure we called them towns when I was growing up. There is quite a variation of governmental divisions within the US and what's important or even what exists in one state or region may not be so in another state or region. And informal nomenclature varies as well.
knolax 6y ago
Where I live a village is what real estate agents call the massive block of suburbia they just built in the middle of nowhere. Or some sort of outdoor shopping center.

sailfast 6y ago

That's because "tuin" which sounds exactly like Town means something totally different in Dutch (garden)