新英格蘭鎮(英語:New England town)是美國新英格蘭當地政府組成的基本單元。在美國其他的州中並沒有相對應的單元,概念上大概與「市民鎮區」(civil township)相同,但卻是「團體組織」(Incorporation),和其他州的城市擁有相同的權力。通常新英格蘭鎮是由鎮民大會管理的。事實上新英格蘭所有的全體自治市都是鎮一般大小的規模,美國其他地方使用的法定形式在這裡反而並不常見。新英格蘭州的縣政府是相當沒有權利的,有些時候甚至根本就不存在。比如康涅狄格州[1]和羅德島州[2]只是擁有名義上的地理區劃「縣」,而根本沒有對應的政府,而麻薩諸塞州[3]原來的14個縣中有8個已經被廢除了。
Connecticut State Register and Manual, Section VI: Counties. Connecticut Secretary of the State. [2010-01-23]. (原始內容存檔於2011-11-27). THERE ARE NO COUNTY SEATS IN CONNECTICUT. County government was abolished effective October 1, 1960; counties continue only as geographical subdivisions.
Facts & History. [2010-01-23]. (原始內容存檔於2015-11-23). Rhode Island has no county government. It is divided into 39 municipalities, each having its own form of local government.
Joseph Francis Zimmerman. The New England Town Meeting: Democracy in Action. 1999 [2010-11-02]. (原始內容存檔於2016-06-23). The only other currently assembled voters' law-making body is the Swiss Landsgemeinde in the half-cantons of AppenzellInner-Rhoden and Out-Rhoden, Nidwalden, Obwalden, and the canton of Glarus, where the traditional annual open-air meeting of voters is held to decide issues.
For a complete list of the forms of government of all cities and towns in Massachusetts, see 2008-09 Massachusetts Municipal Directory, Massachusetts Municipal Association. pp 178-181. 存档副本. [2013-11-28]. (原始內容存檔於2013-07-31).
Massachusetts Cities and Towns (頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館) Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved January 14, 2007. As of 2005, the Massachusetts state government specifically identifies eleven municipalities as cities that call themselves "Town of ____." Those municipalities are: Agawam, Amesbury, Barnstable, Easthampton, Franklin, Greenfield, Methuen, Southbridge, Watertown, West Springfield, and Weymouth. See also Secretary of the Commonwealth: A Listing of Counties and the Cities and Towns Within (頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館), which indicates that there are 301 towns and 50 cities, and again specifying the eleven cities that call themselves "Town of ___" and which also indicates that the courts recognize the city attribution for those eleven municipalities. Of these, Easthampton, Greenfield, and Methuen as of 2009 call themselves as cities, and since 2005, the municipalities of Braintree, Palmer, and Winthrop have adopted city forms of government.
J.A. Fairlee, Local government in counties, towns, and villages, (The Century Co., New York, 1906), Chap. 8 (在線版) (頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館)
R.E. Murphy, "Town Structure and Urban Concepts in New England," The Professional Geographer16, 1 (1964).
J.S. Garland, New England town law : a digest of statutes and decisions concerning towns and town officers, (Boston, Mass., 1906), pp. 1–83. (在線版) (頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館)
A. Green, New England's gift to the nation—the township.: An oration, (Angell, Burlingame & Co., Providence, 1875) (在線版)
J. Parker, The origin, organization, and influence of the towns of New England : a paper read before the Massachusetts Historical Society, December 14, 1865, (Cambridge, 1867) (在線版)
S. Whiting, The Connecticut town-officer, Part I: The powers and duties of towns, as set forth in the statutes of Connecticut, which are recited, (Danbury, 1814), pp. 7–97 (在線版) (頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館)