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In the U.S. [[state]]s of [[Maryland]], [[Missouri]], [[Nevada]], and [[Virginia]], an '''independent city''' is a city that is not part of any [[county]], either because the city has merged with a county that has consequently been abolished or because the city has seceded from its county.  The independent cities are [[Baltimore]], [[Carson City]], [[St. Louis]], and every incorporated city in Virginia.

In the U.S. [[state]]s of [[Maryland]], [[Missouri]], [[Nevada]], and [[Virginia]], an '''independent city''' is a city that is not part of any [[county]], either because the city has merged with a county that has consequently been abolished or because the city has seceded from its county.  The independent cities are [[Baltimore]], [[Carson City]], [[St. Louis]], and every incorporated city in Virginia.  In Virginia, an independent city can be the [[county seat]] of the county from which it was formed, despite no longer being a part of that county; an example is Fairfax.

[[Washington, D.C.]], can also be considered an independent city, as county governments in the District of Columbia have been abolished.

[[Washington, D.C.]], can also be considered an independent city, as county governments in the District of Columbia have been abolished.