The USA has four states that are classified as a commonwealth. These are Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. What is the difference between these 4 states and the other 46 states?
I am personally from Kentucky, and from what I know our state government functions like the rest. We still have a senate and a house, and a normal governor. Is it just a title difference, or is there functional different aspects of a commonwealth vs a normal state government?
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Nothing, I don’t think.
Nothing. Just a remnant of our colonial origins.
Pretty sure the only difference is the name
No difference outside of the differences you would normally see from state to state.
Although it does lead to my favorite Massachusetts joke: “Why are they spending tax dollars on this? It’s the *Commonwealth* of Massachusetts, not the *Everyone Share Our Money* of Massachusetts!”
The distinction is in name alone. The commonwealths are just like any other state in their politics and laws, and there is no difference in their relationship to the nation as a whole.
Has to do with history, there’s ni difference at this point
It’s a historical naming difference. There is no difference under the constitution in their rights as states.
Nothing. Just an anachronism.
The commonwealth states are treated like other states.
The term comes from the anti-monarchy sentiments of the founding fathers. Rather than establish a state government for the benefit of the crown, the state governments were established for the common good, or for the common wealth. Kentucky used to be part of Virginia & decided to keep the term, “commonwealth,” after it separated & joined the union.
Virginia is unique, I think, in that independent cities in Virginia are separate entities from the counties. Chicago, for example, is in Cook County and the City of Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County. The City of Richmond, Virginia isn’t in a county: it’s an independent city. I don’t think any other states do that. I used to work in Bmore, so I know that Baltimore City is not part of Baltimore County, but that’s the only city in Maryland that I can think of that is independent.
I vaguely remember being told by a teacher when I was a kid that independent cities exist in Virginia because of our commonwealth status, but I’m not sure that’s true because the other 3 commonwealth states don’t work like that. (I grew up just south of Richmond in Chesterfield County).
Oh, I just found this interesting article about [Independent Cities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_city_(United_States)).
EDIT: *not* sure.
Just a reason for pedantic people to say, “We’re a Commonwealth, not a State”