
Animated Map: The History of U.S. Counties over 300 Years - gmays
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-us-counties-animated-map/
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ilamont
This was interesting. The county I live in (Middlesex, Massachusetts) was
apparently divided into two nearly 300 years ago. There is almost no county
identity here now - most people identify with their towns and cities and may
only be vaguely aware of other towns and cities on the other side of the
county. The only county services I am aware of relate to the county court
system.

But that's only our county. In rural parts of NY state, the counties provide
important services for residents, as the towns and villages aren't always able
to provide them. I sometimes see TV news from other parts of the country
showing county sheriffs working side by side with local police, like in LA
County. The sheriffs where I live don't have a public law enforcement role
beyond transporting prisoners and dealing with court matters.

