I'm going to ask an incredibly dumb question, please forgive me!....?

Question

I'm a bit confused about counties in Engand. Say for example you've got Worcestershire, which is a county. Within Worcs is a town called Redditch. So, in a way, is an English county sort of like an American state?

Like, I live in Connecticut, just as someone lives in Worcestershire, but I live in a specific town in Connecticut, just like that person from Worcs would live in a specific town.

Does that make sense? can someone explain?

sorry for sounding dumb.

Answer 1

Yes, English Counties, which are also known as shires, are comparable to American states. However, their important administrative role is not matched with the sort of political importance that American states have.
There are 39 traditional English counties and so the sizes of counties are vastly smaller smaller than US states.
The conclusion that you reached that a County is made of of a number of towns just like a US State is, is right.
You are not sounding dumb, you could put this question to many English people(of which I'm one) and they would probably not know what to answer. I hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

Honestly, counties in the UK are just the same as counties in the USA. There may be some minor differences but it is very similar.

States in the USA can make some pretty major changes from the federal guidelines, like one state can have a death penalty and others choose not to. Counties in England have no such right. They all have to do what the democratically elected government tells them to.

England is a small country, smaller than Texas. So the level of independence across the country and difference from what the central government dictate is far less than what you get in America.

Answer 3

Its a bit more complicated than that. England, Wales & Northern Ireland have Towns/Cities then Counties. In Scotland we have Towns/Cities then Regions.

The counties of England are territorial divisions of England for the purposes of administrative, political and geographical demarcation. Most current counties have foundations in older divisions such as the Anglo-Saxon shires, and duchies.

The names, boundaries and functions of these divisions have changed considerably over their history. Indeed, a series of local government reforms from the 19th century onwards has left the exact definition of the term 'county' ambiguous.

The term "counties of England" does not, therefore, refer to a unique canonical set of names or boundaries; in formal use, the type of county relevant to the specific task and period is explicitly stated e.g. ceremonial county, registration county, historic county or postal county.

There are many different geographic unit types (administrative, health, electoral, postcode etc) and their boundaries frequently don't align.
Boundaries keep changing, and it is said that the UK has more administrative boundary change than the rest of Europe put together. In some years several hundred electoral wards or divisions are affected, and in the extreme case of 2002 no fewer than 1549 got changed! Other geographies, especially postcodes, are also liable to frequent revision.
Area names and codes change too. This is complicated by the fact that different government departments have developed different coding systems for administrative geography, on occasions even using slightly different names for the same areas.
This inconsistent geography has been a major problem when trying to produce and compare meaningful statistics over time, but there are various initiatives designed to address this. A number of government departments have strong interests in geography but, in many cases, the lead has been taken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Geography section. ONS Geography is also responsible for the following:

A number of products, including postcode directories (which relate postcodes to other geographic areas) and other products containing area information.
Best practice guidance, promoting a harmonised cross-departmental approach to the geographic aspect of statistics. This includes standard names and codes for geographic areas, standard area presentation orders, and guidance on defining urban and rural areas.
The Beginners' Guide to UK Geography, an online resource providing up-to-date information, explanation, maps and listings of all the main geographies used in UK statistical production.

Answer 4

An analogy is that the U.K. is a country such as the U.S.; England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, (Cornwall), are States such as Connecticut, and then they each have counties such as we do in the States of the U.S.

But really the U.K. is just and extension of the U.S. anyways and could be called the 51'rst State of the United States.

Answer 5

English counties are like counties that we have within our states in the US.

Answer 6

There are 39 counties in UK and some of them have the same town name as the county.

They havent in Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, Buckinghamshire, Midlands.

Answer 7

I don't know the answer either (and I'm pretty smart). I think it's a very good question, and definately not dumb.

Answer 8

Try this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_counties_of_England