Independent Cities of the Virginia Commonwealth

Virginia's independent cities are unique among the dominant form of government structuring the other 40 states. They operate independently of counties, both administratively and politically. Each operates its own court system. Towns, on the other hand, are largely subordinate to their respective county governments. For purposes of the U.S. census, independent cities are treated as county equivalents. Some Virginia independent cities serve as the county seat of an adjacent county.

Besides Virginia's 39 independent cities, there exist only 3 others across the U.S.: Baltimore MD, St. Louis MO, and Carson City NV.

Around the time of the Civil War, many western Virginia counties separated forming the states of West Virginia (originally called Kanawha) and Kentucky.