Dellview, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Dellview is an inactive incorporated town
in Gaston County
, North Carolina
, United States
. With a population of 13 (2010 Census figures), it was the smallest municipality in the state, and arguably the smallest incorporated town in the United States. Its population is currently 11, and was at one point as low as 10.
Dellview is located in the Muddy Creek Watershed. The town collects no taxes from its residents, almost all of whom are relatives. Dellview also doesn't request any state money. The town has no police department, nor a water or sewer system. Since it is inactive, the town has no elected officials or municipal elections, and is now governed by Gaston County
.
Dellview Road, the community's only paved road, forms the town's northern border. North of it lies the town of Cherryville
.
dog
s that crossed onto a citizen's land. The law was disliked by two families of the Dellinger name, who were both poultry
farm
ers. They complained that stray dogs were raiding their chicken coop
s on their farms, which neighbored each other. To remedy the situation, the Dellingers petitioned fellow kinsman David R. Dellinger, who was a North Carolina State Representative
, to propose a bill to the General Assembly
for incorporating the Dellingers farms into a town known as "Dell"view (Dellview is the clipped
form of Dellenger merged with the word "view
"). The bill passed, formally incorporating the town in 1925. Immediately thereafter, the town leaders passed an ordinance
allowing for the citizens to shoot any stray dog that crosses onto their property.
No one for Dellview responded to a Census Mapping Survey in 1978, and as a result, the town was declared inactive, and thereby the governing rights were transferred fully back to Gaston County. In 1980, the decision was reversed after a citizen petitioned, but the town was declared inactive once again on the Census 2000
. For many years, the town of Dellview enjoyed the distinction of being the smallest incorporated community in the state.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Gaston County
Gaston County, North Carolina
Gaston County is a county located just west of Charlotte in the southern Piedmont in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third largest county, by population, in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area, officially designated the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With a population of 13 (2010 Census figures), it was the smallest municipality in the state, and arguably the smallest incorporated town in the United States. Its population is currently 11, and was at one point as low as 10.
Dellview is located in the Muddy Creek Watershed. The town collects no taxes from its residents, almost all of whom are relatives. Dellview also doesn't request any state money. The town has no police department, nor a water or sewer system. Since it is inactive, the town has no elected officials or municipal elections, and is now governed by Gaston County
Gaston County, North Carolina
Gaston County is a county located just west of Charlotte in the southern Piedmont in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third largest county, by population, in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area, officially designated the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of...
.
Dellview Road, the community's only paved road, forms the town's northern border. North of it lies the town of Cherryville
Cherryville, North Carolina
Cherryville is a small city in northwestern Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,361 at the 2000 census. The New Year's Shooters preserve the area's German heritage by honoring the custom of beginning each year with a chant and the shooting of muskets...
.
History
Dellview was incorporated as a town in 1925 as a political gesture. Gaston County law prohibited the shooting of strayFeral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s that crossed onto a citizen's land. The law was disliked by two families of the Dellinger name, who were both poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
ers. They complained that stray dogs were raiding their chicken coop
Chicken coop
A chicken coop is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features....
s on their farms, which neighbored each other. To remedy the situation, the Dellingers petitioned fellow kinsman David R. Dellinger, who was a North Carolina State Representative
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
, to propose a bill to the General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
for incorporating the Dellingers farms into a town known as "Dell"view (Dellview is the clipped
Clipping (morphology)
In linguistics, clipping is the word formation process which consists in the reduction of a word to one of its parts . Clipping is also known as "truncation" or "shortening."...
form of Dellenger merged with the word "view
View
A view is what can be seen in a range of vision. View may also be used as a synonym of point of view in the first sense. View may also be used figuratively or with special significance—for example, to imply a scenic outlook or significant vantage point:...
"). The bill passed, formally incorporating the town in 1925. Immediately thereafter, the town leaders passed an ordinance
Local ordinance
A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
allowing for the citizens to shoot any stray dog that crosses onto their property.
No one for Dellview responded to a Census Mapping Survey in 1978, and as a result, the town was declared inactive, and thereby the governing rights were transferred fully back to Gaston County. In 1980, the decision was reversed after a citizen petitioned, but the town was declared inactive once again on the Census 2000
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. For many years, the town of Dellview enjoyed the distinction of being the smallest incorporated community in the state.
External links
- Dellview Mitigation Plan 2005-06
- A pictorial of Dellview here http://dellview.sitesled.com/