According to Wikipedia, it is country-dependent. As it is an English word, we should only discuss about its meaning in an English-speaking context. There is no such thing as a hamlet in Germany for example; they have different words with different semantics, which may or may not map onto English concepts.
The common theme indicated by the Wikipedia article is that a hamlet is in some way dependent or subordinate to a larger settlement. For example it may not have its own church. That in itself does not define an absolute cut-off point in terms of population; it is dependent on the settlement's context with respect to its surroundings. In the UK of course it is a matter of status to be called a City, and there is an unambiguous list of cities. This list can only be changed by the Crown through parliament. The smallest city is St Davids in Wales, with a population of 1841 (2011 figure). Any attempt to retag it in OSM to place=village will probably be reverted within 0.1 nanoseconds.... A smaller incorporated settlement (civil parish) can decide unilaterally to call itself a town. Changes don't happen very often of course, but it is a point of civic pride for the inhabitants as the council becomes a Town Council and they can have a Town Mayor. This is also independent of the population, but the status is carried by the council whose area may include a substantial rural element, which would also become part of the "town". If you ask an inhabitant of that area whether X is a town or a village, they will tell you, and it has nothing to do with population.... In other countries a rule based on population may be appropriate, but in the UK it is definitely a question of status. //colin On 2016-02-12 13:39, Paul Berry wrote: > Hi Michael, > > Going the other way, what's the cutoff between a hamlet and a village? > Population 50? 100? I'd say that with these categories there's some fuzziness > so go with what feels right. On the ground experience over armchair mapping > wins out here I think (as it does for most things OSM). More complexity: a > place that would be a hamlet or village near a town or city can find itself a > neighbourhood or suburb over time. Again the distinction can be a fine one. > > Also, and a more important point than all the above, welcome! > > Regards, > _Paul_ > > On 12 February 2016 at 12:04, Tom Hughes <[email protected]> wrote: > On 12/02/16 11:51, Ian Caldwell wrote: > > On 11 February 2016 at 21:32, Michael Booth <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > So my question is, how are we defining villages, towns and cities? > Only by population, or do we also take into account their generally > accepted status (whilst trying to be consistent across the country)? > > In England towns will normally have a town council. Villages > will normally have a parish council. Only really a name difference see > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_council#England_and_Wales . > > Normally is a very strong word... There are many, many towns and villages > without any town or parish council. > > Tom > > -- > Tom Hughes ([email protected]) > http://compton.nu/ > > _______________________________________________ > Talk-GB mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-gb _______________________________________________ Talk-GB mailing list [email protected] https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-gb
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