NEW TNMCorps Mapping Challenge for City / Town Halls in ME, NH, & VT

Some work has already been done in these states, however there are still many points yet to be collected.   

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Tips and tricks for this challenge:  

Local Government: Incorporated vs. Unincorporated 

The governmental structure in New England is unique due to the area’s long history and colonial legacy. For instance:  

1. Maine’s local government consists of cities, towns, and plantations.  Under Maine’s regulations, only cities and towns can make local ordinances while plantations cannot.  Therefore, Maine’s cities and towns are more likely to have a designated city/town hall while plantations may not have such a building.  
2. New Hampshire's local government consists of cities, towns, townships, grants, and gores.  Of these, only cities and towns are incorporated.   
3. Similarly, Vermont’s local government consists of cities, towns, unincorporated towns, and gores; only cities and towns are incorporated.  
   • Villages also exist in Vermont, though such entities remain a part of their parent town and therefore do not operate independently as cities and towns do.   
4. 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 

• Remember to find an authoritative source (e.g., the city or village’s website) for each feature before adding it to the web editor.   
• See the How to Spot an Authoritative (Re)Source article in our November 2017 newsletter for more information on why this is important.   

MAINE 

1. The Maine Municipal Association maintains a list of municipal websites. 
2. Maine’s state website contains a municipal directory that users can filter by county and a list of municipalities in PDF format.  Both sources include cities, towns, and plantations.  
3. Wikipedia contains lists of cities, towns, and plantations in the state.  

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

1. The New Hampshire Municipal Association contains a municipal directory with corresponding city websites. 
2. New Hampshire’s state website has a list of municipalities’ websites.  
3. Wikipedia also contains a list of cities and towns in the state. 

VERMONT 

1. The Vermont League of Cities and Towns contains a municipal directory that can be used as a list for which city websites to research. 
2. Vermont’s state website has a list of municipalities that can be downloaded in *.csv format.  
3. Wikipedia also contains lists of cities and towns in the state. 

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. 
2. New England's history lends itself to a wide array of historic architecture.  Users may encounter some of this architecture while researching city / town halls.  See the American Architecture article in our July 2018 newsletter for more on the types of architecture possible in this area.  

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): MA, CT, and RI.  However, note that only city/town halls in ME, NH, and VT 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!