The Influence of State Annexation Laws on the Growth of Selected Southern Cities

A major theme in the study of the modern North American city is the disparity between the central city and its suburbs. This paper addresses one facet of this issue by exploring the relationship among metropolitan population growth, types of annexation legislation, growth of special districts and the health of central cities as measured by rates of population growth. We ask: does annexation policy influence central city growth?

To test these linkages we employ a classic typology of state annexation laws that gauges the range of options for public involvement in the decision to annex. Data describing growth in population and in the number of special districts and municipalities within MSAs in a sample of nine southern states are used to test three hypotheses. The states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina and Tennessee.

Our results suggest that the more restrictive the annexation legislation, the greater the level of political fragmentation in the form of increased development of special districts. On the other hand, we find that less strict annexation legislation provides more latitude for the central city growth.