The administrative divisions of Alaska are the various units of government that provide
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
services in the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
.
Boroughs
Section 3 of
Article X of the Constitution of Alaska divides the state, at the first level, into organized and unorganized
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
s.
These boroughs are functionally equivalent to
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
found in most other
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
s.
Areas of Alaska which are not within the boundaries of an organized borough are, by default, part of a single
unorganized borough
The Unorganized Borough is composed of the portions of the U.S. state of Alaska which are not contained in any of its 19 organized boroughs. While referred to as the "Unorganized Borough," it is not a borough itself, as it forgoes that level of ...
.
However, beginning with the
1970 census, the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, in cooperation with the state, divided this borough into multiple named
census areas in order to facilitate the taking of the
United States Census.
Cities
Section 7 of
Article X of the Constitution of Alaska divides the state, at the second level, into incorporated
cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, which must be located entirely within the boundaries of a single borough.
Classification of municipalities
Municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in Alaska are divided into two groups:
home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
municipalities and
general law municipalities.
Home rule municipalities are
chartered and have all legislative powers not otherwise prohibited to them.
General law municipalities, on the other hand, are not chartered and have only those legislative powers explicitly given to them.
General law municipalities are divided into five classes: first-, second-, and third-class boroughs, and first- and second-class cities.
Each class has specific requirements for existence and potential incorporation or reclassification.
The organization, incorporation, merger, consolidation, reclassification, and dissolution of municipalities is overseen by the Local Boundary Commission.
References
External links
Alaska Constitution, Article X: Local GovernmentAlaska Administrative Code, Section 3, Chapter 110: Municipal Boundary ChangesAlaska Statutes, Title 29: Municipal GovernmentDepartment of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development – Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Local Boundary Commission
{{Administrative divisions of the United States by state