NEW Mapping Challenge for City / Town Halls in Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona!

Like our previous city/town hall challenges, most of the features for this challenge will be collected from scratch.  Utah already has several points that have been collected, though these need to be reviewed by a Peer Reviewer or Advanced Editor.  Arizona and New Mexico still have several points to be collected. 

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Tips and tricks for this challenge:  

Local Government: Incorporated vs. Unincorporated

1. Arizona’s local government primarily consists of cities and towns.   
   • There are also several census designated places (CDPs) throughout the state, though volunteers don’t need to worry about CDPs since they fall under county government and are unlikely to have a designated city/town hall. 
2. New Mexico’s local government consists of cities, towns, and villages.  
   • Similarly, there are several CDPs throughout New Mexico, though volunteers don’t need to research these.   
3. Utah’s local government consists of cities and towns.  
   • Utah has fewer CDPs than Arizona and New Mexico.  Again, volunteers do not need to research CDPs.  
4. Not sure what a census designated place is?   
   • American FactFinder’s Glossary contains an entry defining CDPs.  
   • This Federal Register entry also clearly defines CDPs.   
5. See the Cities vs. Towns vs. Villages article in our September 2019 newsletter for more information on the different types of governing bodies. 

Possible Sources

1. Remember to find an authoritative source (e.g., the city or village’s website) for each feature before adding it to the web editor.   
   • Not sure why we can’t just rely on information provided in these lists below?  See the How to Spot an Authoritative (Re)Source article in our November 2017 newsletter for more information.   
2. The League of Arizona Cities and Towns contains a directory of local governments in Arizona with corresponding city websites. 
   • Wikipedia also contains a list of cities and towns in Arizona. 
3. The New Mexico Municipal League contains a directory of local governments with corresponding city websites.  
   • Wikipedia also contains a list of municipalities in New Mexico. 
4. Utah’s website contains a directory of cities and towns throughout the state. 
5. See the American FactFinder Tutorial article in our November 2019 newsletter for tips on using American FactFinder to identify local governing entities.   

Proper Point Placement

1. Our November 2018 newsletter includes an article on aerial interpretation for city/town hall structures. This article walks readers through how to find the correct building to place a point on when examining aerial photography. 

Interested in collecting city/town halls elsewhere? 

Remember that we’re collecting city/town halls nationally, so feel free to research these features throughout the entire U.S.  Other priority states include (in order of priority): WA, OR, ID, MT, and ND.  However, note that only city/town halls for UT, NM, and AZ will count towards this challenge.   

If you have any questions during the mapping process, reach out to us at nationalmapcorps@usgs.gov and someone will be happy to assist!  Thank you for all that you do, and happy mapping!