The American Counties

Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, Area, and Population Data, 1950-2010, 6th Edition

Charles Curry Aiken and Joseph Nathan Kane

Most Americans give little thought to their county’s size, population, when it was created, or how its name came about. But such information can be very helpful to anyone, particularly researchers and genealogists, investigating local or state history. Drawing on information obtained from the 2010 Census, the 6th edition of The American Counties provides up-to-date data on each county’s:

land area
population
county seat
date of creation
name origin
dates of governmental organization, elimination, and re-creation

This edition includes information on counties created since the previous edition was published as well as more precise “date of creation” details for many colonial counties. If a county is named for a geographical feature—river, mountain, lake, etc.—the origin of the name and the meaning of any Indian or foreign words is provided. For those counties that were named after a specific individual, a brief sketch of the person’s life is provided, including updated biographical information from previous editions.

The Introduction has been expanded to address such topics as counties with similar names, persons who have more than one namesake county, the paucity of counties named for women, the practice of creating counties in uninhabited regions, and legislators naming counties for each other. At the request of many readers, the 6th edition contains new appendices ranking all counties nationally by population and area, as well as an appendix listing counties that have been eliminated.

Containing information on all 3,143 counties and county equivalents (independent cities, parishes, boroughs, etc.) in the United States, the 6th edition of The American Counties
is an essential resource for researchers looking for basic information on counties in the United States.

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 520 • Trim: 8¾ x 11¼

978-0-8108-8761-9 • Hardback • December 2012 • $221.00 • (£173.00)

978-0-8108-8762-6 • eBook • December 2012 • $210.00 • (£162.00)

Subjects: History / United States / State & Local / General, History / Reference, Reference / Directories

The American Counties

Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, Area, and Population Data, 1950-2010, 6th Edition

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Most Americans give little thought to their county’s size, population, when it was created, or how its name came about. But such information can be very helpful to anyone, particularly researchers and genealogists, investigating local or state history. Drawing on information obtained from the 2010 Census, the 6th edition of The American Counties provides up-to-date data on each county’s:
- land area
- population
- county seat
- date of creation
- name origin
- dates of governmental organization, elimination, and re-creation
This edition includes information on counties created since the previous edition was published as well as more precise “date of creation” details for many colonial counties. If a county is named for a geographical feature—river, mountain, lake, etc.—the origin of the name and the meaning of any Indian or foreign words is provided. For those counties that were named after a specific individual, a brief sketch of the person’s life is provided, including updated biographical information from previous editions.

The Introduction has been expanded to address such topics as counties with similar names, persons who have more than one namesake county, the paucity of counties named for women, the practice of creating counties in uninhabited regions, and legislators naming counties for each other. At the request of many readers, the 6th edition contains new appendices ranking all counties nationally by population and area, as well as an appendix listing counties that have been eliminated.

Containing information on all 3,143 counties and county equivalents (independent cities, parishes, boroughs, etc.) in the United States, the 6th edition of The American Counties
is an essential resource for researchers looking for basic information on counties in the United States.

Details

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 520 • Trim: 8¾ x 11¼

978-0-8108-8761-9 • Hardback • December 2012 • $221.00 • (£173.00)

978-0-8108-8762-6 • eBook • December 2012 • $210.00 • (£162.00)

Subjects: History / United States / State & Local / General, History / Reference, Reference / Directories

Author

The late Joseph Nathan Kane is the originator of The American Counties and laid the groundwork for this 6th edition.

Charles Curry Aiken is a retired occupational safety and health consultant. Previously employed with the Navy Safety School, this position provided him the opportunity to travel across the U.S. and fostered his interest in U.S. geography—especially counties.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
The American Counties
Appendices
Appendix A: Counties by State
Appendix B: Dates of Creation
Appendix C: County Rank by Population
Appendix D: County Rank by Area
Appendix E: Eliminated Counties
Biblios
Bios

Reviews

[T]his is a worthwhile addition to any public or academic library reference collection. Aiken packs a great deal of information into this easy to use work. It is a one of a kind work in which it is easy to browse and locate information quickly.
— Reference Reviews

The 6th edition of The American Counties provides updated population figures, information on counties created since the last edition, and information on persons who have more than one county named after them. Also new to this edition is an appendix ranking all counties nationally by population[.]
— American Reference Books Annual