In the
United States, all local governments are considered "creatures of the state" according to
Dillon's Rule, which resulted from the work of
John Forrest Dillon on the law of municipal corporations. Dillon's Rule implies, among other things, that the boundaries of any jurisdiction falling under state government can be modified by state government action. For this reason, examples of municipal annexation are separated from
annexations involving
sovereign governments.
Atlanta
In 1909 the city of
Atlanta,
Georgia, then located only in
Fulton County, annexed into part of neighboring
DeKalb County (from which Fulton County had originally been divided). The situation continues to provide some problems, such as when police arrest suspects on charges set forth in Georgia
state law, and city police must determine which county's jail they must be taken to. Further annexations occurred during the 1950s, but interest in annexation ceased after Atlanta elected its first black mayor.
New York City
In 1874 and 1895 following referenda,
New York City annexed portions of southern
Westchester County, and in 1898 with another referendum, the city annexed all of
Kings County,
Richmond County, and most of
Queens County.
Cleveland
Ohio City, a suburb and fierce rival of
Cleveland was peacefully annexed by the latter on 5 June 1854.
See also
