There are juridical issues involved that vary by locale. In most States in the USA, the the term hamlet or suburb have little legal meaning and often lack fixed boundaries. Specific suburbs are usually defined village, towns or townships separate near a larger incorporated city, for example both the Township of Old Bridge, NJ and the City of Perth Amboy, NJ are suburbs of New York City, NY. Occasionally, the term hamlet will refer to an area with fixed boundaries, even though in almost all USA jurisdictions hamlets are unincorporated. The hamlet of Shawnee, NY refers to both a crossroads are of 30 or 40 homes, but also to the entire portion of the Town of Wheatfield served by the Shawnee Volunteer Fire Company. Fire or water service areas often define hamlets in NYS. In New York State this usage is without regard to population, but a rather an unincorporated community of any size within a township. Some communities that the State refers to as hamlets have populations in the thousands.

In New Jersey all land is now in incorporated communities: The fundamental division is the County, and within a county one may live in a town, township, burrough or city, but no such incorporated area may have another incorporated area within it, i.e., there are no towns or cities within a township.

The point of this overly long note is to suggest that terms like hamlet, village, and city can have specific juridical meaning which vary from place to place, and unless one is seeking to map to those discrete meanings and bounds, it’s a better idea to use terms like neighbourhood that do not have formal administrative meanings.

There are juridical issues involved that vary by locale. In most States in the USA, the the term hamlet or suburb have little legal meaning and often lack fixed boundaries. Specific suburbs are usually defined village, towns or townships separate near a larger incorporated city, for example both the Township of Old Bridge, NJ and the City of Perth Amboy, NJ are suburbs of New York City, NY. Occasionally, the term hamlet will refer to an area with fixed boundaries, even though in almost all USA jurisdictions hamlets are unincorporated. The hamlet of Shawnee, NY refers to both a crossroads are of 30 or 40 homes, but also to the entire portion of the Town of Wheatfield served by the Shawnee Volunteer Fire Company. Fire or water service areas often define hamlets in NYS. In New York State this usage is without regard to population, but a rather an unincorporated community of any size within a township. Some communities that the state refers to as hamlets have populations in the thousands.

In New Jersey all land is now in incorporated communities: The fundamental division is the County, and within a county one may live in a town, township, burrough or city, but no such incorporated area may have another incorporated area within it, i.e., there are no towns or cities within a township.

The point of this overly long note is to suggest that terms like hamlet, village, and city can have specific juridical meaning which vary from place to place, and unless one is seeking to map to those discrete meanings and bounds, it’s a better idea to use terms like neighbourhood that do not have formal administrative meanings.