How does one, legally, start a town. Is it just a matter of fulfilling a jurisdiction's charter requirements?

Answer 1

Well, this I actually know something about, because my Uncle had to make up a town.....

My uncle owned a farm on the North Saskatchewan river. The government decided to dam the river for a hydroelectric project, and part of his farm was destined to end up underwater. So the government paid my uncle for the land he would be losing.

When the river was flooded, making a lake, my uncle ended up with prime lakefront property. He decided to change from farming into offering hunting and fishing for out of town visitors. So he built some cabins, and a dock and a place where he could sell gas for boats.

He called this Tobin Lake Resort. The resort really took off, and he added a store to his gas pumps. And then more cabins. Pretty soon, people were asking for permission to build their own cabins on his property, and he allowed this (probably for a monetary fee, allow I never asked).

Well, the resort grew to the point where wells and septic systems could not keep up with the demand. My uncle looked into getting city sewers and water brought out to his resort (and incidentally electricity), and was told that the only way this would be allowed was to incorporate his resort into a town.

So my uncle's Tobin Lake Resort, became the town of Tobin Lake.

My uncle has since died. His three daughter's inherited his property, and I think they've more or less sold out all their interest in the resort/town.

But, anyway, that is how it happens. You get people deciding to put up their houses in one area, for one reason or another. Then when you want to bring in electricity and sewers and water, the settlement gets incorporated as a town. And grows from there. Of course, there then have to be elected officials, and a town government, and a treasury set up for the cost of running the town, and all those other headaches.

Answer 2

If you are not already part of another city, you are an unincorporated part of the county. Therefore, becoming incorporated starts with the county. I'm sure there are requirements set down by the Secretary of State, because after all, it is incorporation, legally speaking. You will absolutely need to hire an attorney; this stuff is knee deep in regulatory everything and you will need professional help.

Answer 3

Slate did an article about this. Check it out:
http://www.slate.com/id/2130597/fr/rss/

It says this and a lot more:
"Though each state has its own rules on "municipal incorporation," in general you'll need to get 51 percent of the eligible voters in the area to go along with you. (It's easiest to start a town from scratch, as opposed to by secession; most upstarts begin as "unincorporated communities" within a larger county.)"

I wonder how you get those pesky voters to go along with you. Maybe you'll need a good PR person. I'll do it for you if I'm not too busy here at Yahoo!Answers.

Answer 4

Don't forget, along with the business people and governing pillars of these new townships, that somebody has to build the structures. PLEASE let developers know about the line beneath the bottom line. It's called Life Cycle Cost. You have to pay more up front, in return for properly built strictures, by organized labor, that has undergone 5 years of apprentiship. End result are buildings that are above standards of underground labor, built to code and inspected, that are safer, greener, and last longer.

Answer 5

Towns are usually incorporated entities, so there would be some state requirements that would apply.

Answer 6

How To Start A Town