The
New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six
New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to
civil townships in other states, but are
incorporated, possessing powers like
cities in other states. New England towns are often governed by
town meeting. Virtually all corporate municipalities in New England are based on the town model; statutory forms based on the concept of a
compact populated place, which is prevalent elsewhere in the U.S., are uncommon. County government in New England states is typically weak, sometimes even non-existent; for example,
Connecticut and
Rhode Island retain counties only as geographic subdivisions that have no governmental authority, while
Massachusetts has abolished
eight of fourteen county governments so far.