This question came up recently about my chosen home of Sedona, Arizona and not in truth knowing the answer, I decided to find out.
According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, a "City" is defined as "an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance* than a town or village".
A "Town" is "a cluster or aggregation of houses recognized as a distinct place with a place-name; a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territory, usually larger than a village but smaller than a city".
A "Village" is "a settlement usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town; an incorporated minor municipality". And, a "Hamlet" is "a small village" (or a legendary Danish prince and hero of Shakespeare's play of the same name, if you prefer ;^).
Whew. Glad we cleared that up.
*The emphasis above on the word "importance" is mine. Having reviewed Webster's dictum and not finding it terribly specific, I got to thinking about how one chooses such a distinction. The City Fathers' intention seems to me to be clear: just as parents often place their hopes for their children when they name them ("Faith", "Constance", "Charity" and so on), our founding fathers must have said to themselves "we want Sedona to be "important". This beautiful place where we live and that we love should matter in the world. She must be a "City".
Maybe I'm being too much of a romantic, but this is a scenario I can clearly imagine. According to USA Today, some must agree with those of us who choose to make Sedona home, or so one might infer from their 2003 article where they named Sedona the number one "Most Beautiful Place in America".
In any case, the City of Sedona certainly qualifies for me, the 10,000 plus people who call it home, and the several million people a year who visit here. If you don't know what we're talking about, come find out!
More articles about Sedona:
Sedona, Arizona: A Tale of Two Counties
Sedona, Arizona - Some Facts and a Short History
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