Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

half_integer t1_jbynvpm wrote

Reply to comment by iamthemosin in [OC] Bank Failures by US State since 2000 by pm_me_jupiter_photos

Being from a state with relatively few counties (24), it seems like these states with ~100 counties but similar population (VA, KY, etc.) must have relatively cost inefficient local government - there must be a minimum staff to handle lawmaking, permits, etc. whether you're servicing 10,000 people or 100,000, right? Regardless of land area, I think I would rather have the economies of scale.

6

WhileNotLurking t1_jbzax4y wrote

True but you have to ask two questions:

  1. when was it created. Things on the east coast are older and the administration of a county the size of Delaware would have been difficult in 1770s. They also took on a lot of historical boundaries that existed during colonial times.

  2. A state like Nevada with big counties might make sense as it was a state that developed much later, and is much less dense.

  3. even with the changes in advancement of transportation - who's going to vote to get rid of their own autonomy and be merged into a larger entity with neighboring counties that could have differ goals, budgets, etc.

17

mixduptransistor t1_jbzq31a wrote

Counties do different things in different states (and sometimes different things even within the same state, depending on the county)

In Georgia, cities often take on a lot of the tasks of a county, and counties provide a lot of city services in unincorporated areas that in some states just wouldn't have those services. It all tends to balance out

2