Unincorporated area
Definition
An unincorporated area is land within a county that isn't part of any city or town. It has no separate municipal government of its own, so the county directly provides services like law enforcement, road maintenance, and building permits.
Why it matters
Residents of unincorporated areas vote for county supervisors who often also represent large incorporated cities in the same county, so an unincorporated neighborhood's concerns can get less dedicated attention than they would under a dedicated city council. Decisions to incorporate a new city, or annex into an existing one, directly change who is accountable to these residents.
Seen in the wild
Los Angeles County contains more than a million residents living in unincorporated areas such as East Los Angeles and Willowbrook, communities without their own city government that instead rely on the county Board of Supervisors, whose five members each represent roughly two million constituents including large incorporated cities.1