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Town vs County - What's the difference?

town | county |

As nouns the difference between town and county

is that town is a settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government; especially one larger than a village and smaller than a city while county is the land ruled by a count or a countess.

As an adjective county is

characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.

town

English

Noun

(wikipedia town) (en noun)
  • A settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government; especially one larger than a village and smaller than a city.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-05-10, author=Audrey Garric
  • , volume=188, issue=22, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) citation , passage=As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field. In Paris 22 hectares of roof have been planted, out of a potential total of 80 hectares.}}
  • Any more urbanized center than the place of reference.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=Judge Short had gone to town , and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.}}
  • A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week.
  • The residents (as opposed to (gown): the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university.
  • (label) (Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion).
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=I had occasion
  • (label) A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part.
  • (label) An enclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or dwelling of the lord of the manor.
  • (label) The whole of the land which constituted the domain.
  • (label) A collection of houses enclosed by fences or walls.
  • (Palsgrave)
  • A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard.
  • Usage notes

    An urban city is typically larger than a rural town, which in turn is typically larger than a village. In rural areas, a town'' is considered urban. In urban areas, a ''town is considered suburban; a village in the suburbs.

    Derived terms

    * boom town/boomtown * company town * county town * cow town * cross town/cross-town/crosstown * downtown * ghost town * go to town * hometown * in town * jerkwater town * man about town * market town * new town * on the town * one-horse town * only game in town * out of town * paint the town red * post town * satellite town * shanty town * shire town * skip town * small-town * talk of the town * toast of the town * town and gown * town ball * town car * town center/town centre * town-crier * townee * towner * town gas * town hall/townhall * town house/townhouse * townhome * townie * townland * townless * townlet * town planning * townsfolk * township * townsman * town square * town twinning * townwide * twin town * uptown * (town)

    See also

    * urban * suburban * rural

    Statistics

    *

    county

    English

    Noun

    (counties)
  • (historical) The land ruled by a count or a countess.
  • An administrative region of various countries, including Bhutan, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro and Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions.
  • traditional county

    Usage notes

    * In American usage, counties are almost always designated as such, with the word "County" capitalized and following the name — e.g., "Lewis County", rarely "Lewis", and never "County Lewis." * In British usage, counties are referenced without designation — e.g. "Kent" and never "Kent County". The exception is Durham, which is often "County Durham" (but never "Durham County"). An organisation such as Kent County Council is the "County Council" of "Kent" and not the "Council" of "Kent County". * In Irish usage, counties are frequently referenced, but like Durham precede the name — e.g., "County Cork" or "Cork" and never "Cork County."

    Derived terms

    * countyhood * countywide * another county heard from * traditional county

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.
  • *1979 , , Smiley's People , Folio Society 2010, p. 274:
  • *:She was a tall girl and county , with Hilary's walk: she seemed to topple even when she sat.